Headed Here...

Guess What?!! In just 3 short days we are headed to Turks and Caicos on an Osborn family vaca. James's mom surprised his dad with the trip for Christmas, and we get to to go too!! We are so excited...

Beach right in front of the house where we are staying

Provo

Picture Perfect!!

I have all my tankinis packed (thanks Jana!) so my 18 week belly doesnt offend anyone. We will be back next week, and I will have lots of pictures!

My first baby...

Happy Birthday Amos!!

(yesterday)

Family Shot

(picture credit Maggie Lewis)

Amos and his best friend Duke eating birthday ice cream

He loved the ice cream, the hat...not so much!

Recipe for Homemade Frosty Paws Ice Cream

32 oz. plain yogurt

4 smashed bananas

4 T. of peanut butter

Blend and freeze in cups, dump out to enjoy!

(and yes, it was said, if you will do this for a dog, what will you do for our child?!)

Southern Summer Staple

A couple of weeks ago, we had dinner with some of James's pediatric residents. We were in charge of a side dish. Both James and I love fried green tomatoes...nothing like them when fried to perfection. I tried the recipe out of the Junior League's Table of Contents (it seems all recipes I have tried from here are spot on).

Fried Green Tomatoes
Serves 12-15

1/2 c self rising white cornmeal mix
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t garlic powder
1/8 t ground red pepper (I doubled for a little more kick)
2 eggs
2 T water
1/3 c veg oil
3 large green tomatoes, thickly sliced (I used four smaller ones)
3/4 c buttermilk  (the key)
salt to taste after cooking

Mix the cornmeal mix, flour, salt, garlic powder, and red pepper in a shallow dish. Wisk eggs and water in a bowl until blended. Heat the oil in a large skillet to about 350 degrees. (We used our awesome fryer that the Raders gave us for our wedding) Dip the tomatoes in the buttermilk until coated on both sides and coat with cornmeal mixture. Dip in the egg mixture and coat the tomatoes again with the cormeal mixture. Fry the coated tomatoes in batches in the hot oil for 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown. Drain and sprinkle with salt to taste. Serve!!

James made a delicious remoulade to accompany them

When they start popping to the top there are only a couple of minutes left (make sure to flip for even browning)

Delicious! Baby Boy Osborn really enjoyed them!

Camping in Pictures

After arriving near midnight on Friday, getting ready to hike to the campsite, in the rain

Maggie is somewhere underneath all of that gear

I prefer a lighter pack

Our feelings going into this adventure

Sat morning, I mean... whoof

Steven sliding down the waterfall, don't worry, Baby O and I just watched

The crew minus the Bobos

The Tuckers

Mitchell using his all-purpose camp soap, who knew that existed?

Sweet Steven helping Mitchell

The suite of tents (thanks Reeds for letting us borrow)

campsite

All Mitchell's camping toys

and his dinner of choice

my entertainment of choice, and yes it is ok to take a book on a camping trip

Supper time, working hard perfecting my hotdog

CKB and the ultimate smore

All in all I think Maggie's face sums it up!

Camping, Me, What???

Oh yes, this past weekend James and I joined my best friends from high school and their husbands for a camping adventure in North Carolina. Probably surprising to those that know me best, those that don't, let me just say sleeping outdoors for consecutive nights is not usually my idea of relaxation. But, it was something our group had never done together, and Steven (Caroline's husband) had planned the trip for us. I have not had a chance to upload my pictures, but please visit Caroline's blog here to get a great trip report. It was fun to catch up the CARM (Caroline, Abbie, Rayne, Maggie-our nickname). We rarely are all in the same place since everyone is more spread out. It did rain the whole time, which made things shall we say, more interesting....I am glad I can tell Baby O we went camping together, because from now on his daddy will have to take him.

It's A....

What do you think???

Since you probably can't read ultrasounds....I will just tell you....

BOY!!!

When you are looking at the picture...you can see the stomach, top of the legs, and right in between is the giveaway. I am only 15 weeks, so it is really early to find out. Thanks to the ultrasound at work, and Dr. Ballard a great OBGYN resident, we got to go ahead and find out. We werent sure if we would actually be able to see, but he was very active yesterday. She was rolling the sensor around my tummy, and stopped, said "well I know what baby is!". I said "well me too, hello, right there, I am pretty sure that is not his foot!" James was able to be there, and of course is really excited. The part that amazed me the most is that she showed us the four chambers of the heart, his cerebellum, spinal cord, all of his little ribs, you could see SO much! I have been doing my own ultrasounds of course, but didnt know what anything was. He even crossed his legs at one point and sucked his thumb! It is strange that all of that is going on inside of me, and I can't even feel him yet.
We don't have a name picked out yet, but now at least we know how to focus. We are so excited the God has blessed us with a son!

Baby O Stats

From the Baby Center:

How your baby's growing:


This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

I am 14 weeks today. Hard to believe only (haha) 26 more to go. I am feeling good other than alot of congestion at night and in the morning. As soon as my head hits the pillow, either I get completely stopped up, or if I take a decongestant, I have a runny nose all night. I am not sure which is worse. I spend alot of time at night blowing my nose and going to the bathroom. James loves it.
Introducing my new friend:

(and NO I don't look that happy when I am using it)

I still look about the same, just no waist. I think I am about to have to start using the rubber band on my pants bc last time I put on my shorts, it got pretty uncomfortable. My running shorts have become the foundation of my wardrobe. (I think they look really good with a big polo!!) I also think it is time to order the belly band thing. Any suggestions on which one?

Michael and Betsy's Wedding

Last weekend we celebrated the union of  Michael and Betsy. The location was stunning, overlooking the Tennessee River in Tuscumbia, Al. We had such a fun weekend!

The view

Rehearsal

the happy couple

So cute! They had been dating for over 6 years!

lovely bridesmaids

gromsmen

James and his long-time friend Ashley (Betsy's sis)

Following the rehearsal, the Osborn's hosted a wonderful dinner. The food was delicious! Everyone had such sweet things to say about M&B. Unfortunately, I don't have great pictures, due to the lighting. (I need to learn how to offset low lighting without turning everyone bright white)

 The wedding day....

with Shelia

James and his parents

with James

I don't have any pictures from this point because I put the camera up to enjoy the wedding and reception. Betsy looked gorgeous, and Michael was so happy. They had a beautiful reception under a big white tent, complete with yummy food and a fun band. The couple just returned from their honeymoon in Costa Rica.

Congratulations! Looking forward to many fun times with them....