I won, I won!!!

No I didn't win a million dollars or a cruise, but I am proud of what I did win:) I actually beat Steve in Monopoly for once in my life! Last Friday Katelyn fell asleep around 6:30, which turned into disaster later but we won't get into that haha. It was so nice to have a quiet house and just hang out with Steve. Anyone who knows my husband knows he really likes strategic games and I don't stand a chance. Anyway, we decided to play Monopoly and we had soooo much fun! It got to the point where he had hotels on some property and owned the utility company in between and I was pretty much out of money. If I landed on it...game over. Well he mortgaged the utility company in between his hotels and I got super lucky and landed on it 3 times! Whew! I was able to get free parking money, pass go a few times and bought 4 houses on my property which he ended up landing on and I won!
Okay I will quit gloating now. Besides winning my favorite part was just staying home and having date night without stressing about a babysitter or spending money. It was one of the best dates we've had. Our lives are usually pretty hectic and our child doesn't like to sleep...ever. So it's a rarity that we get quiet time at home just to relax and spend time together. Sorry that this was kind of a lame post but it's all I got haha.

Crystal

Oh Summer How You've Flown By

I can't believe summer is almost over :( Don't get me wrong, I love fall but I dread the season after! We've had a pretty fun summer though so I can't complain too much. We've been to the Tracy Aviary, Hogle Zoo, Chuck E. Cheese, camping, Gateway fountains and Thanksgiving Point. Below are some pictures of what we have been up to and just some fun ones of Katelyn in general!

Move Over Betty Crocker :)

I've been trying really hard to cook dinner lately (shocking I know), but I've been pretty good the last week or two. Last night I tried my hand at chicken parmigiana..the way we like it. Steve actually had seconds which is why it's considered blog worthy haha.


It looked something like this only with alfredo sauce on the noodles instead. I would have taken a picture but it got eaten up so fast!

Here is the recipe, tell me what you think!

Alfredo Sauce
1 1/2 C. Heavy Cream
1/3 C. Parmesan Cheese ( I use the Kraft blend of parmesan, asiago and romano)
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Cream cheese
garlic powder to taste

Mix all ingredients in a pan on medium heat. Melt and bring to a boil. Stir often and then let simmer for 15 minutes or so. Pour over any noodles you like. I used angel hair pasta.

Chicken
I used the Great Value brand of Italian Bread Crumbs. I mixed it with some parmesan cheese and coated chicken tenders with the mixture. I baked on 350 for about 20 minutes and then poured some spaghetti sauce on top of the chicken along with some mozzarella cheese and baked for another 5-10 minutes.

It was really easy but really yummy! We'll be making this one again!

2011 = BUSY year!!

Well everyone I'm back after more than a year hiatus! 2011 has been full of change for our family and it's only July :) I hope the last half of the year slows down.
For starters Steve got a new job back in March. He works at Fidelity and loves it so far. It hasn't been a walk in the park though that's for sure. The interview is a grueling process so he was lucky to get hired. After that he had five weeks to study for his series 7 exam which is a six hour test. 70% is passing but if you get a 60% you can retake it. If you don't pass the second time then SEE YA, they let you go. Steve was under a ton of stress and had study classes all day at work and then literally had to study until 11pm at night just to keep up. After the series 7 you then have to pass the series 63. Anyway he passed both thank goodness and is in post license training. I'm so proud of him!
I made a big change as well. I left R.C. Willey after working there for almost 8 years and haven't looked back!! I work at a mortgage company with a really good friend from high school and I really enjoy it. Not to mention I get casual Fridays!!
June was our health issue month in the family. Steve had nose surgery to correct his deviated septum and two fractures. I had two minor surgeries of my own but it's over and hopefully we all stay healthy!
Katelyn is getting so big and cuter by the minute. She talks just like a little grown up and knows all her colors, most of her shapes, her ABC's and can count to 30! I think that is pretty dang good for being only 2 1/2! She keeps me laughing every day and leaves me utterly exhausted by bedtime. It's hard to juggle life sometimes but I love being her mommy!
Well this post is super long but my goal is to keep it updated. I have to admit though I'm a little overwhelmed at all the cute blogs out there. I'm inexperienced so I've tended to shy away. I feel like those old people that shy away from technology and refuse to be one of them haha.
More to hopefully come soon!

MMMM....

Katelyn is growing up so fast and is picking up on things like none other. It's hilarious to watch her mimmick what Steve and I do. For example Steve and I have the habit of making the "MMMMM" sound as we feed something to Katelyn so she will eat it. Well the other day I gave her a chocolate chip granola bar (she loves those). She wasn't in the mood and Steve was sitting on the floor so she walked over to him and put it up to his mouth. Steve took a bite and then Katelyn says "MMMMM". It was SO funny! She kept putting the granola bar up to his mouth and everytime he would take a bit she would say "MMMMM". Kids are so cute!

The Last Month, or So...

So the last month and a half we've been up to some fun stuff! We went and saw one of our favorite comedians, Brian Regan, we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary, we also took a trip to Saint George to visit some friends and family. Here are some pictures :)





On our way to Brian Regan

I was so excited to eat at the Blue Iguana but the wait was too long :( We ended up wandering around in the snow

The night was saved because we ended up eating at Christopher's. We had steak that was very yummy. I even tried a bite of some type of sea food but I can't remember what it was. It wasn't too bad but I still don't know if I could ever actually crave it.

Waiting for Brian Regan to come out and make us laugh:)



Katelyn at the park playing with her buddy Talon in Saint George

Race for the Cure

I've always wanted to run a 5K or a marathon. Not sure if its just so I can say that I have, or that I would feel accomplished, or maybe a bit of both :) There is just one problem...I HATE RUNNING. None the less I've decided to not let that stop me. Instead of thinking of how cool it would be if I could do something like that I've decided to get off the sofa and actually do it!! I'm going to do Race for the Cure this year and I'm stoked! I started training this week and have about 7 1/2 weeks until the race. So far my relationship with running is still a hateful one but I'm hoping over the next few weeks it can be turned into at least a "love hate" relationship haha! Wish me luck!