Baptism

There was a lot going on while we were back home. But, one of the main reasons we made the 1,500+ mile trip with an almost four month old was to baptize the little man.

Upper left: Proud Mommy and Daddy with the little monkey.
Upper right: Godfather Tyler and Godmother Carolyn
Bottom: Grandma and Grandpa D and Grandma and Grandpa M

Newly baptized!
Check out that sweet bow tie :)

Even my bestie, Amy, her hubs, Kevin, and their little Lolo made the trip for the baptism!

Upper left: The babes right after the baptism
Upper right: Spending some quality BFF time together.
Lower left: The babies doing well for yet another photo op.
Lower right: Two point five seconds later, the kiddos had enough.

Below is a quick, 12 second, clip of my big guy getting blessed with holy water. I was sure he'd hate it. I was pleasantly surprised by how well he did.

Thank you to our family and friends for making the trip to partake in such a special moment for Marcus. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such love and support.

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such a these."
~Matthew 19:14 (NIV)

BBQ Baby

It's an absolute MUST that we stop by Oklahoma Joe's when ever we are back in Kansas City. Sure, sure, there are about a billion 'que joints in the city, but this one is consistently reviewed, and revered as one of Kansas City's BEST!

It's inevitable, he's going to grow up lovin' him some good BBQ.

Marcus even got to meet Ryan!
Thanks for joining us for lunch Ryan.

Joe's sauce is now being sold by the bottle.
You'd better believe we stocked up on this stuff and flew it home with us. :)

We didn't let the little man have a taste, but he sure was eyeing my sandwich.

Turkey Z-man, only the BEST. sandwich. EVER.

The original joint is found in a gas station near downtown. How cool is that? If you're ever in the area do yourself a huge favor and grab some slow smoked goodness!

Marcus and Lorelei

Words can't even begin to describe how thrilled I was when I found out my best friend, Amy, her hubby, Kevin, and their little angel, Lorelei, were planning to visit us while we were in Iowa.

To have our little ones together made me happier than I'll even be able to express. My heart was bursting with joy and love as our babies were introduced to one another.

We didn't plan it but our kiddos were decked out in team favorites.

If Amy and I have anything to say about it, these two will become best friends! Let's face it, we're  not really going to give Marcus and Lorelei an option. They're going to be BFFs and they're going to love it. :)

Amy brought her super sweet camera and we had an impromptu photo session.

Marcus was having NONE of this.

Lolo posed like a pro!

It quickly became obvious who was the better subject for the pictures. Of all the pictures snapped of Marcus only one made "the cut." Lolo, on the other hand, was a champ. She had several photos taken, all of which turned out ADORABLE.

To have our babies so close in age (five weeks apart) is nothing short of a miracle. As Amy says, it's as if God had it planned all along. 

Jalapeno Corn Dip

While in Kansas this past week/weekend I had the perfect excuse to make a dip I'd been squirming to try. My sister-in-law is expecting October 2, and we were celebrating her little peanut with a baby shower. She's not finding out if she's having a boy or girl and it's killing me - however, I believe I'm psychic, and firmly believe she's having a girl. I digress... Back to the dip...

Holy geez-oh-Pete's. This stuff is so, so, SO good. I did a little taste testing before the shower and it took a heckuva lot of will power to stay away from the dip after the first bite.

Jalapeno Corn Dip

5 cans Shoepeg Corn
5 jalapenos
2 green onions
1 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt
4 cups of Mexican blend cheese

Drain the cans of corn.
Slice, seed, and chop the jalapenos.
Slice the green onions.
Add all ingredients to a large bowl, mix it up well.
Serve and experience instant addiction.
P.S. Don't let the Greek yogurt scare you. You will never, ever know you're eating yogurt, pinky swear. The original recipe called for mayo and I knew I could health-ify the recipe with my beloved yogurt.

Pretty sure everyone who tried this dip fell in love. I can't tell you how many people asked for the recipe. For the love of corn and jalapenos, try this dip out and bring it to your next party/BBQ/pot luck.

Source: Adaptations from Never Trust a Skinny Cook

Happy Marcus Monday!

Marcus made another trip to the Midwest! We packed in a LOT during our time home. And, we were greeted to the heat and humidity that only Iowa and Kansas can offer.

With all the cute clothes hanging in my son's closet I try to keep him well dressed.

Stylin'.

My little monkey.

However, it appears we will have to rock the birthday suit more often, especially when it feels like a sauna when you open the front door.

Happy Monday!

Cousins

Over the 4th, and through the weekend we had some very special visitors.

Our little monkey finally met the rest of the family!

Cousin Ethan and Marcus.

Some of my favorite memories from my childhood involved countless holidays and summers spent at my Grandma's spending hour upon hour playing with my cousins. I hope for the same for my little man.

Cousin Nick and Marcus.

The whole gang, at one of our favorite local Italian restaurants. 

Thanks for visiting Aunt Susan, Uncle Bryan, Cousin Ethan, and Cousin Nick. We loved having you!

Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Skillet

One skillet. Check.
Twenty-eight minutes to make a meal. Check.
New fast dinner favorite. Check!

There's no time for any elaborate meals around here. And, quite frankly, who needs elaborate? It's summer. This dish is easy, it's fast, it doesn't heat your whole house to a million degrees, and it's good.
Add those all up, and that equals WINNER in my world!

Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice Skillet

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tsp plus 1 Tbsp veggie oil, divided
1 can Mexican-style corn
1 tbsp Pampered Chef Southwestern Seasoning (if you don't have the Pampered Chef seasoning Mrs. Dash makes a Southwest Seasoning that would work well, or taco seasoning could do the trick, too)
2 cups uncooked instant white rice
2 cups chicken broth
16 oz salsa verde
2 Tbsp snipped, fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

Add 1 tsp of oil to a 12 inch skillet; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes, or until shimmering.
Drain corn; pat dry with paper towels.
Add corn to skillet in a single layer. Cook without stirring for 5 minutes, or until caramelized on one side.
Remove corn from skillet and set aside.
While corn cooks, cut chicken into 1-inch cubes.
Combine chicken and Southwest seasoning. Add chicken to skillet and cook over medium heat 5-7 minutes, or until center of chicken is no longer pink, stir occasionally.
Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil to skillet.
Add rice; stir until well coated with oil.
Add broth and salsa; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover skillet; reduce heat to low.
Simmer 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

To serve, spoon chicken over rice mixture in skillet.
Sprinkle with cheese and corn.
Cover; let stand 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with cilantro.

I just love how the cheese melded together with the rice, and the chicken seasoning was awesome; not too spicy, but added a nice boost to liven up the flavor.

Enjoy!!

Source: Slight Adaptations from Pampered Chef: 29 Minute to Dinner: From Everyday to Gourmet

Happy Marcus Monday!

Someone got a new toy this week...

Related

My cousin and I became mommies about six weeks apart.

Can you tell these boys are related??

I wish we lived closer to home. Home being Iowa. Kansas. The Midwest. I would love nothing more than to have these two little boys growing up together.

Key West Grilled Chicken

It's been awhile since I've posted about food! Much to my dismay, my freezer meals have vanished, and we've been living off left-overs and easy staples.

After reading a few of my favorite foodie blogs I came across this Key West Grilled Chicken, twice. It was a sign. I had to make this.

And I did.
And it was glorious.

Watching the news, it sounds like things are SCORCHING in most parts of the country. This is a great dish that requires zero time cooking in the kitchen. You don't really want to turn your oven on right now, do you?

Key West Grilled Chicken

For the chicken:
4 chicken breast
1/4 cup soy sauce (do yourself a favor and use the reduced sodium kind!)
1/4 cup honey
3 Tbsp veggie or canola oil
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice (1-2 limes worth)
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 jalapeno, seeded

For Mango Salsa:
1 mango, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 green onions, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper, to taste

Chicken:
In a large bowl whisk soy sauce, honey, veggie/canola oil, lime juice, and garlic.
Place chicken in a gallon-size freezer bag.
Pour marinade over chicken.
Drop the 1/2 jalapeno in the bag and seal 'er up.
Allow to marinade in the fridge for at least 1 hour, up to 8 hours.
Grill on medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes per side, baste with left over marinade a few times.
*I also used the left over marinade to coat some corn, and grilled that up as well. De-lish!

Salsa:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Refridgerate until ready to use.

When your chicken is done top with some salsa. If you're tempted to eat the salsa straight out of the bowl with a spoon I won't judge. Fact of the matter is, I probably did that myself.

 Even the Chunky Monkey knows a good meal when he spots one.

He was veeery interested in what Dad was eating.

"C'mon Dad, just a little bite?"

Source: Slight adaptations made from Iowa Girl Eats and Never Trust a Skinny Cook

Happy 4th!

From my little monkey...

Have a safe and wonderful holiday!!!

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me.
~Lee Greenwood

Newport Beach

It's very possible we have the best neighbors. E.V.E.R. This past weekend they invited us to hang out with them in Newport Beach. We couldn't decline such an enticing offer.

We loaded up the Jeep with all our stuff - between Drake, the little monkey, Scott and me, it looked like we were moving across country - and headed to the sunny, sandy beach.

Not to be deterred by all the STUFF we had to bring, we had a BLAST!

Newport Harbor

The view from the house. Not too shabby.

Scott and I agreed, we'd have no problem living on the beach!

Drake was SOOOO excited to get in the water. He smelled the salt water blocks before we arrived. The Jeep door was barely open when Drake bee-lined it to the water. 

 Scott hopped on the paddle board. Drake tried to hop on, too. 

The guys making their way through the harbor.

 More time was spent on the water, kayaking. 

 I was perfectly content on shore, with my little man. 

 We had fun putting our toes in the sand, for the first time.

The minute Marcus' toes hit the sand they would curl up. 

There was an attempt at sand prints.

Due to the curling toes, it was difficult to capture a really good sand print.

My little beach bum baby.

Watching Marcus take in everything, from the sand, to the water, to the bright sunny sky and fresh air, was a gentle reminder of how great God is. To see the wonder in my little man's eyes as he experiences so many new things makes my heart smile.

A big, big THANK YOU to our neighbors, Rick and Amy, for inviting us to spend some much needed, and much appreciated, quality time together!

Happy Marcus Monday!

We had our three month photo shoot!

He looks like a little fighter in this one: "Put 'em up. Put 'em up!"

I know he's going to hate me for putting the adorable newsboy hat on him. :)

Hehe. I love his little loafers.

Insert melted heart, here.

My precious little boy.

HA! He's totally thinking, "Really, this is ridiculous, mom."

The beginning of the end of our session. Things rapidly declined after this shot.

Love those little eyelashes.

He has a good grip; not only on my hand, but on my heart.

Side note: Apparently the people at the studio are not aware of an infants short attention span, and very short lived opportunity to get good, smiley photos... I was a little disappointed in the lack of attention we had during our photo session, but pleased we were able to walk away with a few quality photos.