White Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe has been floating around Pinterest for awhile now, pinners raving about how great it was/is. The recipe was on my "Want to Try It" board, and lucky for me, I had all but one ingredient on hand (green chilies, they'll get you every time). One quick run to the grocery store and I was in business to whip these up.

The verdict? OH. MY. GOODNESS. YES!!!!

Here you go...
White Chicken Enchiladas

10 soft shell tacos (I used flour shells and only needed 6 - my shells were medium, maybe a small shell would have required 10)
2 cup cooked, shredded chicken (I've found the easiest way to accomplish this task is boil chicken and then shred with two forks when the chicken is still warm)
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (I had some Colby and Monterrey Jack cheese that needed to be used up, so I threw that in as well)
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth (I used the reduced sodium)
1 cup sour cream (lighten it up with fat free)
1 - 4 oz can diced green chilies

Preheat oven to 350.
If you're using a pan that requires greasing, go ahead and get that done.
In a mixing bowl combine shredded chicken with 1 cup shredded cheese.
Roll chicken/cheese mix in tortillas and place in baking pan.
In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Add broth and whisk until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
Stir in sour cream and green chilies. Do not boil - curdled sour cream might not go over so well.
Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
Bake for 22 minutes, and then under high broil for 3 minutes to brown the cheese.

Welcome to chicken-y, cheesy, fabulousness.
Make this. Please!

Source

Crock Pot Rigatoni

It's back to the crock pot, my friends! I try to utilize other kitchen appliances and utensils, but this one is just so easy, and almost always turns out an amazing product.

Crock Pot Rigatoni

2 lbs lean, or extra lean ground turkey (for you bovine fanatics, use your ground beef)
4 cups chicken broth - if you're using turkey (use beef broth if you're using beef)
15 oz can tomato sauce
12 oz can tomato paste
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp basil
1 tsp fennel
1 tsp poultry seasoning (wasn't in the original recipe, but I love this stuff, so in it went)
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 box Rigatoni noodles
2 can of mushrooms (had to omit this because of Scott's dislike for these tasty little guys)
2-3 cups shredded cheese (I used a combo of mozzarella and Colby jack)
1 container ricotta cheese (I used reduced fat - there are two sizes of containers at the grocery store, I can't remember the ounces per container, but use the smaller size)

Brown the turkey and onion and drain before placing in the crock pot.
In a mixing bowl add broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and spice; whisk well, pour tomato sauce over meat mixture.
In crock pot, stir meat and sauce mixture.
Add dry, uncooked rigatoni to crock pot; mix noodles with meat and sauce. Be sure the noodles are pushed under the sauce.
Add ricotta by spooning tablespoons in at random places throughout the crock pot. Ensure the ricotta is covered by sauce/meat/noodle mix, but do not mix ricotta - just leave in neat little dollops.
Cook on high for 4 hours, or cook on low for 8 hours.
With 30 minutes of cook time left sprinkle shredded cheese on top.
When cheese is nice and melty, it's time to serve up and enjoy.

Source

The Announcement Process

Before we ever found out Baby M was a boy I knew we wanted to make the announcement in a fairly unique way. Granted, I scoured the internet, primarily Pinterest, for all sorts of ideas.

You may have seen our online announcement a few days ago. However, here are a few other fun photos we considered using for the big reveal...

Upper right: I really liked the colored balloon idea to reveal the gender, but for some reason those just weren't "the" photos we wanted to use.

Right center: We had three different balloons "B," "O," and "Y." Buuuuut, I managed to pop the "B" before we were ever able to snap a shot. Oops.

Lower right: Typical Scott and Desiree moment.

We were fortunate to have my family visit us for Thanksgiving. In order to let both our parents know at the same time we sent a photo to Scott's parents and asked them not to open the envelope until we gave the go ahead. The day Scott's parents received THE envelope we jumped on Skype and at the same time our parents opened envelopes with the photo below.

A HUGE Thank You! To our friend Chrissy, who was kind enough to be our photographer for the afternoon.

A New Tradition

Ah, the holidays. A time to get together with friends and family. A time to let loose your pants button and load up on amazing food that only seems to be prepared for special occasions. And, a time to continue family traditions, as well as create new ones.

Thanks to Pinterest, I believe I found a new tradition for the morning of Turkey Day.

With *baked goods* cutters, use your favorite shapes to create fun pancakes!

I have to admit, it took me a few tries before I came away with butterfly that actually looked like a butterfly. When I finally got the method down I had some pretty cool looking pancakes. 

I'm hoping this will be a fun tradition once Baby M arrives, and as he gets older. It's also come to my attention that butterflies may not be the shape of choice for the men in my family. I might have to look into some more masculine cutters.

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving, and hope you did, too!

Boy or Girl??

Happy Thanksgiving!

Better Than... Ummm.. Errr... Cake :)

To keep it PG, I've omitted the third word of the recipe. But, use a little imagination, taste the cake, and then you can probably fill in the blank.

It's a pretty commonly known fact, I'm not a chocolate or cool whip fan. Never have been, never will be. Chocolate milk? Gross. Chocolate ice cream? No thanks. Chocolate cake? Not for my birthday. Cool whip on my pumpkin pie? Never. Buuuuut, put a slice of this little piece of heaven on my plate and I promise I'll devour it.

Better Than *** Cake

1 box German Chocolate Cake mix (or if you're super awesome in the kitchen and have a German Chocolate cake recipe you like, go ahead and use your recipe)
1 container Cool Whip (to skinny this up as much as possible - and let's face it, there's not much skinny about this - I used Cool Whip Lite)
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (again, tried to skinny it up with the reduced fat)
1/2 jar fudge topping (yup, the kind you put on your ice cream)
1/2 jar caramel topping
3 Heath candy bars crushed up

Preheat oven (to whatever your cake mix says).
Bake German Chocolate cake according to the directions on the box (and you super bakers - according to your from scratch recipe).
Allow cake to completely cool.
Once cake is cooled, poke holes throughout the cake. I use a wooden spoon, nothing fancy here.
Combine, and mix well, can of sweetened condensed milk, fudge and carmel in a bowl that easily pours.
Pour topping mix over cake (this step takes me forever; for some reason watching the topping mix fill each individual hole is hypnotizing).
Cover cake with Cool Whip.
Sprinkle Heath bits all over the top.

If you try this, let me know what you think. It's super easy, and holy smokes is it PHENOMINAL! 

Source: My mom's kitchen :)

Easy Herb Roasted Potatoes

It's no secret, I'm a potato fein! Mashed, smashed, whipped, baked, french fried, scalloped (minus any ham), any way you prepare 'em I'll eat 'em. I think it's a trait I picked up on the Dudding side; if I'm not mistaken, my Aunt Barb LOOOOVES mashed potatoes, and those puppies are my ALL TIME FAVORITE dish, hands down.

To keep things interesting, and to try something other than mashing them, I searched for a roasted potato recipe and found one that was super easy.

Easy Herb Roasted Potatoes

1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into wedges (I had red potatoes, and I like the skin of potatoes, so I used what I had and kept the skin on)
1 Tbsp melted butter*
1 Tbsp vegetable oil*
2 tsp dried parsley (if you have the fresh stuff use 2 Tbsp)
1/2 tsp dried dillweed (not a fan of dillweed, I omitted it)
1/2 tsp dried Rosemary, crumbled
1/2 tsp onion powder, optional
1/4 tsp garlic powder, optional
1 tsp Thyme (wasn't on the original recipe, but I threw it in anyway)
1/2 tsp Seasoned Poultry (again, not on the original recipe, but I had in in my spice rack and it smelled good, in it went:)
salt and pepper
*The next time I make these I'll cut the amount butter and oil used in half. 
Preheat oven to 375.
Line a baking sheet with foil; lightly grease foil.
Combine potatoes, spices, oil and butter in a plastic zip lock (leave the salt and pepper out).
Mix in the bag until the potatoes are throughly coated.
Arrange potatoes on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and nicely browned.

Chalk up another potato dish I won't say no to! Even Scott commented on the tasty potatoes, and he's not the starch hound I am. This is a keeper!!

Source 

The Sunsets

Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most spectacular.

The sunsets in Hawaii. 

Beautiful.

Exploring the Big Island

Between check-out at the resort and our departure flight we had a TON of time. Taking full advantage of this time we drove up and down the west side of the island, checking out some pretty cool sites.

 The first Hawaiians traveled through these lava fields and left behind petroglyphs - carvings in the lava. 
Upper left: It's obvious which direction the lava flowed.
Lower right: The first Hawaiians built rock shelters to protect themselves from wind and sun.

Pololu Lookout.

Breathtaking. 

 Pololu Beach.

Black sand beaches always amaze me.

 King Kamehameha built this temple, Pu'ukohola Heiau (no idea how to pronounce that one!) in order to conquer all the Hawaiian islands. The pictures don't do this justice - the temple is HUGE.

Upper left: A prayer alter, that some Hawaiians still use, today.

Hanging out at Wawaloli Beach, enjoying the tide pools.

Upper left: Waiting for the sun to set.

Upper right: The waves crashing against the natural break wall.

Lower left: Soaking up the last few rays of daylight.

Center right: Some of the marine life in the tide pools.

Lower right: Tide pool flora and fauna. 

Each star represents the places we visited. Both of us were hoping to make our way to Volcanoes National Park and see Mt. Kilauea. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to make that stop... Next time :)

Proud to Be ONE

0-18, that's how many times Iowa State has beaten a #2 ranked team.
Until last night...

A nail-biting double overtime win  over OSU, 37-31.

So proud to be a CyclONE!

Photo courtesy: Iowa State Athletics (Picture by Brandon McCauley)

Oahu

On the top of our "To Do" list while in Hawaii was a trip to Pearl Harbor, which is located in a bay just off Oahu, near Honolulu. Veteran's Day seemed like an exceptionally fitting day to visit the memorial.

Upper left: The entrance to the Memorial.
Upper right: The Mighty Mo (USS Missouri), the site of the official Japanese surrender of World War II.
Lower left: It rained a bit in the morning, and with rain comes rainbows.
Lower center: A view of the USS Arizona Memorial and USS Missouri from land.
Lower right: For each ship that was downed, a marker has been placed where the ship was (or in the Arizona's case, where the ship is).

Spending time on/in the Memorial was brief, but incredibly sobering. 

Upper left: The marble wall with the names of all those who perished.

Upper right: The dedication plaque.

Lower left: Seventy years after the Arizona was sunk oil still seeps from the ship, also known as the "tears" of the Arizona.

Lower right: The gun towers.

After departing Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona we had some time spend on Oahu. We decided to check out Waikiki Beach.

A view of Diamond Head Mountain from the beach.

Loving life.

A Day of Snorkeling

With bright, sunny skies, and such an inviting ocean we headed out one morning/afternoon to get in some snorkeling.

 Upper left: Monument to Captain Cook - a British explorer and first European to make contact with the Hawaiian islands (there's a lot more to this monument and explorer, but I'll spare you a history lesson).
Lower left: The sail to our boat (which held no actual function, it just looked cool).
Upper right: Our vessel for the morning/afternoon.
Center right: A view of some of the Hawaiian coast.
Lower right: Scott making a graceful cannon ball entrance.

Upper left: Scott in his finest underwater form.
Upper center: Some of the coral and fish.
Upper right: Such a becoming photo.
Lower left: More underwater flora and fauna.
Center right: Enjoying a gathering of some fish.
Lower right: Snorkel trip a success.


I think we took a hundred photos while snorkeling. Too many to post them all. Instead, I thought a little clip (with our underwater camera) would sum most of the trip up.

It took a bit for me to get my underwater camera skills in check, and by that time the battery (and space) on our camera was wearing thin. 

We were also treated to a sighting of Spinner Dolphins just as our boat was leaving. Unfortunately, the dolphins were a bit too far away to get a good photo.

Lu'au

A trip to Hawaii wouldn't be complete if there wasn't a lu'au experience. Fortunate for us, our resort had a lu'au on the grounds. Not so fortunate for us, and in true travel fashion (for us), we had to make slight changes to our lu'au plans. Due to some pretty significant winds our lu'au, which was supposed to be held outside, it was moved to a ballroom within the resort. Although the lu'au food was good, and the entertainment great, all it needed was a sunset to top it off.

Upper left: Hula dancing.

Lower left: Hula dancer - this particular dancer is the Big Island hula champion, as well as the hula champion in Tahiti.

Upper right: Extracting the pig from the pit (gross, right?!).

Lower left: The fire show to end the evening.

And, what's a lu'au if you can't enjoy some entertainment from the crowd? Scott participated in a little hula action. Talk about smoooooth. :)

What good form he has.

A Peak at Baby Macke

Yesterday we met with our OB to check in on Baby Macke. Everything looks great! Baby is healthy and growing well. We're right on schedule.

We also found out if Baby M is a boy or girl. Buuuuut, we're waiting for just the right time to tell our parents. Give us just a bit more time; we'll make the announcement soon. :)

For now, we'll leave you with a little peak of Baby M on the move.

I could watch this video over and over. It takes my breath away, seeing the little ribs, and spine, and legs, and arms, fingers, and toes. I can't wait to kiss this child's precious little head.

Around the :45 mark you'll see Baby M looking right at the camera. 

 Because Baby Macke (and the doctor) were on the move while taking the video I've added a few "still" shots.

Babymoon - The Big Island

As mentioned in my previous post, Scott and I had same time to take one last trip before Baby M makes his/her arrival.

We threw around a plethora of places we'd like to go, things we'd like to see and do. Eventually we agreed upon Hawaii. More specifically, the Big Island (not to be confused with Oahu, which we also visited).

Our first full day on the island we thought we'd kick back and just enjoy not having to do anything or be anywhere specifically, and it was glorious.

The view from our room. Getting used to seeing this every morning wasn't hard to do.

We may, or may not, have crashed another resort. As you can see, we were not disappointed by the Hilton.

Upper left: The dolphin exhibit at the Hilton - for a very hefty price one could swim with the dolphins. 

Upper right: Toying around with the underwater setting on our digital camera.

Middle: Hanging out by the waterfall.

Lower left: Enjoying the private beach.

Lower right: Hilton's private beach, looking towards the entrance of the resort.

After hanging out at the Hilton we decided to enjoy the beach our resort had to offer.

Unlike Oahu, or even Maui, the Big Island seemed much less touristy, and had a very quite, calm ambiance that was incredibly refreshing. 

Baby Macke Update - Week 20

After a short hiatus, I'm back! It was great to get away, but it's always good to get back home.

Scott and I had the opportunity to take one last pre-baby trip, so we jetted off to the Big Island of Hawaii for a few days.

While there we snapped a 20 week baby bump photo.

Looking out over Pololu Beach.

We hiked to the bottom and were greeted with a black sand beach and a stunning view of the Hawaiian coast.

Tomorrow we'll find out if Baby M is a boy or girl! We'll wait to make the announcement until we tell our parents. 

Throughout the week I'll get more posts up regarding the trip. 

Little Kicks, Big Emotions

Sunday night I was thisclose to falling asleep when Baby M started in on a gymnastics routine. The kicks were pretty substantial, and I thought Scott might finally get to feel the peanut on the move.

I was RIGHT! Scott was able to feel the little one moving about.

The pregnancy has been amazing, but this was such a special moment.
Only one more week and we find out if Baby M is a boy or girl!!

Crispy Baked Chicken Strips

There are just some days I do not feel like making a grocery store run. I hit up Ralph's (the local grocery store) almost every day. I was bound and determined to find a recipe that required minimal effort, and one where all the ingredients were at my disposal.

Lucky for me, Pinterest led me to The Way the Cookie Crumbles (Remember that word I despise saying/spelling???).

I introduce to you a childhood favorite that I can now say I've made on my own, and did not purchase in bulk in the freezer isle of Ralph's!

Crispy Baked Chicken Strips

Chicken strips without the frying process - yum!!

1/4 cup salt (if you're looking to cut back on your sodium intake you could probably reduce the salt, some)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into approximately 1-inch long strips
1/4 cup flour
2 cups finely crushed corn flakes (all I had on hand were the frosted flakes, so I used 'em, and the strips were tasty!)
1/2 tsp Paprika (optional; I love paprika, and with the frosted flakes I figured I'd use this spice to counter the sweetness some; loved the outcome)
Note: Using four chicken breast I found I totally ran out of the cornflake coating, next time I will probably up the amount of flour to 1/2 cup, and crushed corn flakes to 3 cups.

1. Dissolve salt in to a container holding one quart cold water. Add the chicken to the salt-water mix, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the cutlets from the brine and pat dry.
3. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 400. Place an oven safe baking rack in a baking sheet.
4. In separate bowls place flour and butter. In a third bowl place the crushed corn flakes.
5. Dip the chicken cutlets in the flour, then the butter, and finally the corn flakes.
6. Place the coated chicken on the baking rack in the baking sheet.
7. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.
8. Serve and enjoy!

To compliment this childhood favorite I paired it with another childhood staple --- mac n cheese (I told you I wasn't stepping foot in Ralph's)!! To add some sort of healthy proponent I thew some steamed veggies on the side of the plate (and ate them last... Just like a kid:)

Please try this one out, it's easy and good.
Your inner child will thank you!

30 Days of Giving Thanks

With Thanksgiving just around the corner I figured it would be a great time to jot down the things that I am thankful for. 

I give thanks for:

1. God's amazing grace - He has blessed us with so much.

2. Scott - his unconditional love is simply awesome.

3. My parents - no matter how many miles separate us, if we need them they're here in a heartbeat.

4. My brother - who would have thought I'd ever give thanks for his crazy ways and ridiculous humor?

5. My mother and father-in-law - I'm so blessed to have such amazing people in my life

6. My sisters-in-law - I've always wanted a sister, and upon marriage I got two!

7. My nephews - they are filled with so much energy, and they are always able to bring a smile to my face.
8. My wonderful girl friends - I truly have some of the best friends a girl could ask for. Even though we are hundreds, if not thousands of miles apart, I can always count on them.

9. Drake - my four-legged child and snuggle buddy.

10. Seala, my little pan-face - though she's much more independent than Drake, she still has lots of love she shares.

11. The roof over our heads - not only do we have a house, we have a home, and I know there are so many who are not as fortunate.

12. Our vehicles - some people are struggling to obtain/maintain/keep one vehicle, we are so fortunate to have two well functioning, totally paid off vehicles.

13. Scott's job - he works so hard, and his career has enabled us to reach goals we thought were only possible in dreams.

14. My education - and though I'm currently working on growing a human, my education, and four (and a half) years at Iowa State were priceless.
15. The support I receive from Scott when it comes to any and all life choices I decide, or have decided, to make.
16. The ability to run to the grocery store at anytime and pick up food to put on our plates.
17.  My closet full of clothes - I know it sounds silly, but I've seen so many people (especially out here in SoCal) that clearly haven't had a change of clothes in quite some time.
18. Our washer and dryer - such a luxury that so many don't have.
19. My health - even with the car accident last year there are no serious illness or injuries restricting me from living life.
20. My cell phone - how would I even function without it?! Knowing I can text or call any of my family and friends at anytime is so comforting.
21. Our computer and iPads - without these technological wonders we wouldn't have email... or Pinterest, or Facebook... more great ways to communicate with friends and family.
22. Skype - how wonderful is it to speak AND see our family and friends?!!
23. My iPod - without it workouts would be (even more of) a struggle.
24. Holy Trinity - our parish - a place to go each week and feel rejuvenated and refreshed. 
25. My blog - this space is mine, and I'm able to flex my (rusty) journalism skills, write whatever I want, and express however I feel.
26. Swimming pools - specifically lap lanes. It sounds funny, but there aren't many other places where I feel as free (or weightless) as when I'm knocking a few laps out. Swimming pools also led me to a career which I love, and miss.
27. The dishwasher - laugh if you want, but there was a time, no so long ago, when we were doing dishes by hand.
28. Coffee - even though I can't have the brewed bean right now, there is nothing better than the flavor and aroma of a freshly brewed pot in the morning (and these days I may cheat a bit and consume a cup of decaf).
29. The places we have traveled, or will soon be traveling - we have been so fortunate to travel to some amazing places, both within the country, and out.
30. Last, and certainly not least, I'm so thankful for the life growing within me. There are no words to express how grateful I am for this gift that will soon change and bless our lives.

Crock Pot Lasagna

A few years ago I discovered a crock pot lasagna that I loved. Did I save said recipe? Nope. But, I'm pretty sure I was able to successfully recreate the dish.

I love veggies, Scott not so much. To compromise I used (mostly) his meat of choice, and I added veggies that I love. With that being said, the next go-around with this dish I'll probably dice the veggies up even smaller (if he can't see them he won't know, right?), or I'll just play it totally safe and omit the veggies completely (why do guys not like mixing veggies into anything?!) -- Scott likes his lasagna veggie-free; I'm used to all vegetarian lasagna dishes.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Half a package lasagna noodles
1 jar tomato sauce (I prefer the Ragu light)
1 jar white sauce (is found near the spaghetti and tomato sauces)
1 pound ground turkey/beef (Scott is a big sausage fan, so I used 1/2 lb ground turkey and 1/2 pound Italian flavored turkey sausage, cases removed)
1 small onion, chopped (optional)
1 small-medium zucchini, chopped (optional)
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (optional)
2 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped (optional)
2 tbsp Italian seasoning spice (optional)
1  15 oz. container cottage cheese (I used small curds, and reduced fat)
1 cup ricotta cheese (again, reduced fat)
3 cups Mozzarella cheese (2%)

No need to boil the noodles. They will soften in the crock pot.
Chop the veggies you wish to use, combine the veggies, garlic, and Italian seasoning spices in a bowl.
Keep the spinach in a separate bowl, it doesn't play well with others.
In a skillet brown your meat.
Add a light layer of red sauce to the bottom of the crock pot.
Place a layer of noodles down.
Continue to layer in this order:
red sauce, white sauce, mixed veggies, spinach, meat, sprinkle cottage and ricotta cheeses, Mozzarella.
Start each layer with lasagna noodles.
Repeat the layers until your crock pot is full (and it will be full).
Lastly, layer with noodles, a light layer of red sauce.
Top with Mozzarella.

Top photo: The lasagna before four hours of crock pot love.

Bottom photo: The lasagna ready for consumption. Hello cheesy goodness!

Set your crock pot on low, come back in 4-6 hours. Mozzarella should be a bit bubbly.
If you're in a rush cook on high for 3 hours.

I'm guessing this would happily feed a small army, or four to five very hungry guys. Around here we'll have left overs all week, and I'm all about the left overs. :)

For those of you planning to use spinach, or ever use spinach and find it a hassle when you have to thaw spinach and dry it out... Let me introduce you to one of my new favorite kitchen gadgets.

The above photo is a salad and berry spinner from Pampered Chef. All you do is throw in your wet/washed fruits and veggies, press the nifty little handle atop the contraption and waah-laah! Spun dried fruits and/or veggies. Talk about a time saver in the kitchen!!

Enjoy!

Cozy

There is so much I/we miss about home... Being close to our family and friends in the Midwest; not having to jump on a plane if we want to travel to our respective hometowns; missing out on televised Big XII football; even the change of seasons.

With that being said, when we eventually make our way back home there will be a few things I really miss. Among them, the weather that almost never disappoints.

 Here it is, November, and we're lucky enough to sit around the fire on our back patio... In shorts and t-shirts. 

This will be hard to give up upon our permanent arrival back to the Midwest. 

Where ever you may be, I hope you're enjoying the weather you have, too!

Cutest Models

Awhile back I posted about custom baby jackets. A few of those jacket recipients have been kind enough to send pictures of the kiddos in their new threads.

 Oh. My. Gosh! With models that ADORABLE they can make any school/team look good!! :)

Baby Macke Update - Week 18

The post title coincides with the picture of baby bump at week 18. By now we're on to week 19. Let's just face it, I'm going to be about a week late posting photos. And, the bump is now a bit more predominant.  In just 13 days we'll find out if Baby M is a boy or girl, the anticipation is almost too much!

Though I'm still squeezing into most of my jeans, I have to admit, I'm much more comfortable when I can unbutton the top button :)

There's definitely a bump!

And, as usual, everyone gathered for the photo.

Baby M is on the move more and more. We're not quite to the point where Scott can feel the movements. I'm hoping to share that feeling with him soon. There just aren't words to describe to him how amazing and magical it is to feel the little one...