Life Around the House

Things have been chill here. I've been enjoying my extra time with boys this month while I'm between jobs. I actually got a new one that will be overnights, and I start orientation tomorrow!! Jacob has kept me on my toes, as always.... And his big brother isn't far behind.

I took some me time to color my roots, and do a facial!

We've had some beautiful weather here and the kids have been outside a lot to soak up the sun.

We even had one day that reached a new record high of 86! Jacob got to wear some shorts that day.

I finally took Brad in for an eye exam.... And he left with 2 pairs of glasses!!! He picked some out that look just like his daddy's.

Yesterday we tried a new burger place down the road, and afterwards decided to stop at an old walk-up Dairy Queen for dessert!

Today Bradley had a birthday party to go to. It was at a local skating rink, and I even got to throw on a pair of skates and join in! He's never skated before, and had a little meltdown at first....But we moved past that and ended up having fun.

We ended up firing our realtor because she sucked....So now we are going on our own for a bit. We are scheduled to see another house in the country on Tuesday! Stay tuned....

Broccoli Cauliflower Ham Casserole

This is a great way to use up  leftover ham  if you have any in the fridge! I actually made this with some leftover Easter ham, and it turned out delicious. You can use either fresh or frozen broccoli and cauliflower. Whatever you have available, or is cheaper! I used frozen for both, so that is what I'm listing in ingredients.

2 bags frozen cauliflower

1 bag frozen broccoli florets

2c diced ham

1c shredded cheddar

1/2c shredded mozzarella

1tsp garlic powder

1tsp onion powder

2tbs olive oil

Salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°. Microwave or steam broccoli and cauliflower until thawed and partially cooked. Mix in large bowl with seasonings, oil, mozzarella, ham, and half of cheddar.

Use cooking spray in a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Evenly spread mixture in dish, and top with remaining cheddar. Place in oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until cheese begins to slightly brown.

This really was a delicious dish that my whole family devoured. I'll be making it again soon! I can't wait for cauliflower to go on sale so that I can try it fresh.

TV Show Date Night

 Last night I planned a fun and surprising date night for Nick and I! Our babysitter got there at 5:45 and we hit the road for our first stop: the Iron Island Museum in Buffalo. I had snagged a Groupon deal for a ghost tour, and Nick and I have been considering doing one at some point. So I figured what the heck? But I didn't tell him what we were doing.

The iron Island Museum  is a small Antiquity Museum  in Buffalo  in a building that just happens to be  very haunted. They do ghost tours  each week, and have been investigated  on the TV shows Ghost Hunters, and Ghost Lab.  You can look at their website HERE

The building looks very unassuming, and the sign just says it's a museum. So even after we walked in, Nick still did not know what we were doing. Once we were in the main hallway, he started feeling that something was not right and could tell that there was paranormal things a foot. So that's when I told him we were here for a ghost tour!

One of the guides took us around the rooms on the main floor and told us the history of the building, and what experiences different people have had and recorded. After that, we went down to the basement with another guide who told us the history and the stories down there. When we came back up from the basement, Nick said his forehead was burning. We went into a well-lit area and you could clearly see three to four scratch marks on his forehead appearing! Needless to say, the guide took a picture for them to add to their record of experiences. Nick is the first one to ever have been scratched.

As you can see, I took several pictures inside but it does not look like I captured anything out of the ordinary. Thankfully, I did not have any experiences myself! It was a very interesting evening, and Nick was definitely caught off guard. We stuck around for a couple of hours after the tour talking to the employees there. They wanted us to stay after hours and investigate with them, but we had to get away for the rest of our date.

That brings me to the second half of our date, dinner at the Lake Effect Diner! They appeared on an episode of Diners, DriveIns, and Dives with Guy Fieri which you can read about HERE.  It's a tiny little place but super nostalgic. They have a very diverse menu, and Nick ended up getting a chicken Souvlaki wrap, and I had a barbecue pulled pork sandwich. The food was great, and it was definitely an evening to remember!

2 Years Old

Monday I took Jacob to the pediatrician for his 2 year check up! He is healthy and growing like a weed. Plus, no shots! Here are his stats:

Weight: 28lb

Height: 35"

At 2 years old you:

• Go to bed at 7pm and wake up between 7-7:30am
• Wear a size 3 diaper, and size 4 at night
• Wear size 6-7 shoe
• Wear size 2T clothes
• Brush your teeth every night
• Take a 2 hour nap at noon after lunch
• Love playing with your brother and daddy
• Love going for walks in your stroller
• Can say many words correctly, but are a little hard to understand
• Love having toast with daddy in the morning
• Are starting to tell me when you go potty, so getting closer to training!

He did ok at the doctor....he was terrified of the strange people--even though they didn't do anything to him, ha! He clung to me like a koala bear and to get his weight, they had to weigh ME with and without him. I didn't have any concerns, and they were happy with his development. At the end, he cheered up and got a sucker for his troubles!

We've been scavenging for some outside toys for him. He now has a total of 3 bikes....and can't ride any of them yet! He is still learning the concept of pushing the pedals to go forward. He'll get it! Hopefully just in time for summer to get here.

Hoppy Easter 2017!

I hope everyone's Easter was good! We had a fun one here, and I think the boys really enjoyed it. We colored eggs on Friday, and Brad had fun decorating them. Jacob just kind of watched, and played with them when they were dry. 

On Saturday, Brad helped me with a lot of the prep work for our Easter dinner. This is my first time making Easter bark! It turned out so pretty.

Saturday evening we all went out for dinner. The weather was beautiful and the forecast was for rain on Easter, so we decided to let the boys do their egg hunt Saturday evening. Nick hid all the eggs in the backyard, and the boys had fun finding 28 eggs each. We had to help Jacob a little.

Easter morning we gave the boys their baskets. They each got a few little toys and of course lots of chocolate and candy. After that, I started working on the feast and we sat down to eat just after noon with our two good friends Stephanie and Kary.

Everybody had a good time together making memories. We read the Bible story of the true Easter so that the boys could know why it was a holiday, and the reason for the season.