Ducks Mascot

Jake, Grandpa, and Sophie went to the Arizona/Oregon game on Thursday. Being huge DUCKS fans, it was only fitting that they dressed Sophie appropriately for the occasion. After extensive internet searches for a baby Oregon cheerleader outfit (which we learned were recently discontinued), Jake decided to dress our daughter up as a duck.



Lucky for us, the game was only a couple weeks after Halloween, so we scored this outfit at Target for 75% off.

Needless to say, Sophie was a hit. Jake had 4 different people stop him to take her picture - once by a UofA fan! She absolutely loves the costume, and even liked wearing the hoodie. (sorry-camera phone photos only)

GO DUCKS!

Tomorrow is Stella's BIRTH Day!

Tomorrow, Sophie will get a brand new cousin - courtesy of Mike and Stephanie. We're so excited to meet Baby Stella. Here's what we have to look forward to:

Mabel


Oliver

Are we lucky or what?


*photos stolen from Mike

Update on the Watched Pots

Okay, so they started to grow,
but not enough for Young Women in Excellence tomorrow night.

On to PLAN B

Bangs

Dollar Bin Fashion

Thanks to the Target Dollar Bins, Sophie has been able to keep a seasonal wardrobe. How fashion forward is she?

Summer: Cherries (with cherry socks)
Fall: Halloween Ghost
Winter: Snowflakes (with candy cane striped socks)

note if you buy one for yourself: sizes run big. Sophie is still wearing a 6-9mo in these shirts

A Watched Pot

I know a watched pot never boils.

But what about 10 watched pots?
Will they ever bloom?


Cause if I don't have grass grown in the next week,
I'm in trouble.

Reviews By Sophie - Part II: Unconventional Toys

Part II: Unconventional Toys

Real Phone: 10

Shoes: 10

Desk Drawer: 10
(Check out those tip toes!)

Under the Desk: 10

Flowers: 10

Dishwasher (& fridge): 10

Piano: 10

Obviously, since Sophie picked all of these toys out by herself, she likes them all A LOT.

Reviews By Sophie - Part I: Traditional Toys

Welcome to Sophie's Reviews. Sophie rates things for you on an unbiased scale of 1-10. This review will come in handy if you ever have a Sophie of your own. If you have any other baby, though, the results will probably be different.

Part I: Traditional Toys

Phone: 10
You've seen this toy in action before. It's a classic, and obviously retains its charm in this digital age.






Pop-Up Toy: 7
Sophie loves this. Positive feature: Sings when animals pop up. Negative: Sophie can cheat and pry doors open without twisting the knobs. And the animals do not sing for cheaters




Standing Toy: 11
On a scale of 1-10, this toy is an 11. One more. This toy wins the extra award of longevity. It has withstood the test of time (which is only a couple of months, but in baby time, it's like 1/2 of Sophie's life). A definite favorite in our house.






Singing Dog: 7
Sophie rocks out to all the songs, but gets bored if he is just talking or rhyming.









Rocking Horse: 5
Bonus Award: Fastest rising on the charts. When Sophie first got this horse, she was terrified of it. Now she loves to pat it (but only at an arms reach). She also likes when it "nay"s, but flinches every time it first starts to make a noise.




Lego Door: 8
Stolen from Nana's house, this toy is great for taking in the car, opening and closing its door, and playing peek-a-boo with.






Ball Thing: 1
This toy is never fun.








Mini Piano: 8
Awesome.









Walking Helper Toy: 2
The only reason this toy didn't get a 1 is because Sophie likes to play with the toys attached to the front. But as far as using it to walk - negative. Hopefully she'll like it more when she can use it as a ride-on. Bonus for me: I got it used for $4.






Frozen Teething Ring: 6
Bonus Award: Cry Stopper. The frozen teething ring helps sooth bumped faces and just generally sad babies.







Baby Laptop: 8
Provides only minutes of fun at a time, but can be used DAILY.






Wooden Park: 7
Bonus Award: Surprise Top Toy. I was surprised that Sophie likes this as much as she does. She plays with it daily.

Yea for Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Lego Family!

(also pictured: Sophie & Nana. Don't worry. Only some of those tattoos are real.)

Recipes - Main Dishes

Here are my staple recipes (meaning they're super easy since I make them often)

Stroganoff
(Gook Housekeeping)

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove-minced
1 lb ground beef
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can Cream of Mushroom (10.5oz)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 package egg noodles

Cook onion & garlic in butter until golden (about 3 min). Add beef, flour, salt, & pepper. Cook, stirring, until meat is browned (about 7 min). Stir in soup-heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low & simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in sour cream and heat, but don't boil.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

Chicken Squares
(Xan A. - Ward Cookbook)

3 oz cream cheese-softened
2 Tbsp butter-melted
2 cups cooked chicken-shredded
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup green onions (recipe actually calls for 1 Tbsp chives or onion)
1 pkg crescent rolls
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 Tbsp butter-melted

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cream cheese & butter until smooth. Add chicken, salt, pepper, milk, & onions. Separate rolls. Stretch a little. Fill with 1/8th of filling & roll. (Most recipes have you press 2 rolls into a square before filling, but I like to have more, smaller rolls). Brush with butter & dip in bread crumbs. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Note: I usually don't have bread crumbs, so I just skip that part. I've also made this with Grands biscuits.

Fajitas

(Better Homes & Gardens)

12 oz beef flank steak or chicken - bite sized
1 cup red or green pepper-cut into thin strips
1/2 cup onion - cut into rings
3/4 cup tomato-chopped
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp Fajita seasoning (pkg or homemade)
4-6 tortillas

Fajita Seasoning
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder

Place meat in a bowl & sprinkle with 2 tsp of seasoning. Cover & chill for 1/2 hour.

Wrap tortillas in foil & put in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp oil over med-hi heat. Add peppers, onion, & remaining seasoning. Cook til crisp-tender. Remove from skillet. Add meat and more oil if necessary. Cook & stir 2-3 min until done. Drain well. Add onion/peppers and tomatoes. Cook 1 minute or until heated through. Remove from heat. Add lime juice. Serve with tortillas & if desired, sour cream, guac, etc.

Baked Ziti
(My own invention)

1 pkg rotini (spiral noodles)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/3 lb cheddar cheese-shredded
salt, pepper, & italian seasoning
Optional: cottage cheese, mozzarella, cooked zucchini, browned ground beef

Cook noodles according to package. Preheat oven to 350. In a 9x13 pan, combine sauce, seasonings, & half the cheese. Add any optional ingredients. When noodles are done, drain and add to pan. Mix well. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, and bake for 5 additional minutes.

Hamburger Hash
(Jake's mom Kim)

5-7ish potatoes
1 lb ground beef
1 pkg brown gravy mix
1 cup water
salt & pepper

Brown beef in skillet. Remove & drain juice. Add potatoes to skillet & cook til almost fully cooked. Add gravy & water. Add meat, salt, & pepper. Cook til potatoes are done.

Chili
(Friend from Tempe)

3 cans dark red kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes (28 oz) or fresh tomatoes, but add extra water.
1 onion-diced
1/2 to 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 pkg chili seasoning

Cook in crock pot til hot. (Can also cook on the stove-just brown beef ahead of time)

Journal Jar #21: Food

What is my favorite food?
When I cook for my family, what do I enjoy making most?

I'm going to have to go ahead and say that my favorite food is chocolate. I admit it. Other sweet things I love include ice cream and homemade cream puffs (both of which usually include chocolate).

As far as non-sweet things, I seem to have a love for oriental soups. My top two: Thai Tom Ka Gi, and Vietnamese Pho. I also love fresh Mexican food, authentic Mexican food, sea food, and a good steak and potato meal every once in a while.

When I cook, I really enjoy baking. However, baking usually isn't healthy. So let's talk about healthy-ish foods. There aren't a lot of meals on my recipe rotation. I find myself making beef strogonoff, chicken squares, fajitas, baked ziti, and hamburger hash on a regular basis.

Twinners

Journal Jar #20: My Bedroom

What does my bedroom look like?

Do I share a room? Am I comfortable in my room?

My bedroom is a master bedroom with a walk-in closet and light green walls. I have dark brown window curtains and during the winter months, a dark brown and light green comforter. I love to decorate, but somehow never got around to decorating my room. I think my bedroom is the hardest room to decorate for some reason. It's like I don't want to make a permanent decision about it, so I just avoid it all together. Like having nothing at all is better than trying something I may or may not like.

Anyway, on to question #2. Yes, I currently share a room. Growing up, I also spent time sharing a room with all 3 of my siblings (separately). I was the last person in my family to have my own room - gaining that right at age 16.

Even though I haven't decorated my room, I'm very comfortable in it. I love my bed. It's so soft. When we got back to our house after living with my parents for the summer, I just laid down on my bed and sighed. I was so glad to be back to it.

Animal Noises

(Jake and Sophie reading a book with flaps together)

Jake: What's near the light bulb?
(Sophie lifts light bulb flap)
Jake: A moth! What's hiding in the grass?
(Sophie pulls down the grass flap)
Jake: A snake! Sssssssssssssss.
Sophie: Sssssssssssss
Jake: Yea! That's right! A snake! Ssssssssssss.
Sophie: Sssssssssssss
Jake: Abbie, did you hear her? She made a snake noise!
Abbie: Yeah, that's awesome!
Jake: Sssssssssssss
Sophie: Sssssssssssss
Jake: (continuing with the book) What's inside the shell?
(Sophie lifts the shell flap)
Jake: A snail!
Sophie: Sssssssssssssss

Sophie's First Birthday Party

To celebrate Sophie's first birthday, we had a little party at Nana's house. I wanted to make her a mini double-layer round cake, so I baked 2 9-inch round cakes, and cut smaller circles out of them. And then, wouldn't you know it, I was able to put the remaining 9-inch crescents together and form an "S", so everyone else was able to enjoy Sophie's "S" cake.


Here is the progression of the cake:


Awesome, right? We then took this little one in for a quick sink bath and a change of clothes, and moved on to opening presents. Sophie got a big doll and a little doll and some cute clothes. She loved all of it.

Help from Mabel & Oliver

Poking her new baby's eyes out

Approved!