Mexican Stuffed Shells

So I am the newest member of Pinterest (I know I am a little behind). It's a website to "pin" your "interests". They have ideas on everything from outfit ideas, craft and holiday ideas, to recipes. I am pretty much in love with it. You can check it out here http://pinterest.com/

The first recipe I tried was a huge hit. To quote Nic "Quite possibly one of the best things you have ever made". This recipe is for Mexican Stuffed Shells. Here is the recipe link...

http://apinchofthisandthat.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/mexican-stuffed-shells/

I made a couple changes to the recipe. For any Mexican recipe I always add green chili's and corn, so I added that to the meat mixture. I also stuffed cheese in the shells with the meat. I used 8 oz of cream cheese instead of 4 oz and I used the whole bottle of taco sauce.

It went really well with green salad. I highly recommend trying this, easy and tasty!

25 Weeks

We are approaching the 3rd Trimester, that feels exciting and scary!

This pregnancy has been so much easier than the first time around. You never know if that's because you know what to expect or if it is a lot easier. All of my pregnancy symptoms seem to be more mild.

One difference this time around is that I am already feeling uncomfortable. I don't remember feeling that until the last month or so with Sam. I already have a lot of trouble sleeping because of back and hip pain. Maybe I won't go over my due date this time??

Thinking about having another child still feels very overwhelming. I am glad this pregnancy has gone slowly because I still need time to prepare. I do feel really grateful that I am feeling so good. 15 weeks left :)

PS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY SISTER JESSICA TODAY!

Things Samantha Says...

"Last week when I was a baby I wore diapers"
"I can smell my big fart"
"Chocolate makes my belly happy"
"Jesus healed the cut on my hand"
Anytime Nic uses the restroom "Good job Dad, I am proud of you" or "Good boy dad"
"I want something delicious"
"Let's talk about this"
"That's not perfect for me"
"When I wake up from my nap will it be summertime?"

You gotta love 2 1/2 year olds! She keeps us laughing everyday.

Sacramento Zoo

We took advantage of Nic being off on Monday and took off to Sacramento for the day. We thought that it was only 2 hours away, but it was a little closer to 3. The drive there was gorgeous through the mountains. We took I-80 back and it was just as pretty as the way there. My main objective was to go to the Sacramento Zoo. I have been missing doing that kind of stuff with Sam since we moved here. We had fun at the zoo...however there were 2 downfalls. First was the cost, it was $12 for adults and we had to pay for Sam as well. Secondly, it was really small. I assumed (because it was Sacramento and because of the cost) that it would be a good size. I am still glad we made the trip just so we could take advantage of visiting Sacramento while we live so close, but I don't have to go back.

Johnny Rockets

Awhile ago we watched an Undercover Boss that was about Johnny Rockets. I thought it looked like a cute place and I was happy that there was one here in Carson so we could finally try it out. It's a 50's style diner that has a fun atmosphere and the food was great too.



Stir Crazy

From October-December we have been able to keep busy with holidays, traveling, and adjusting to our new lives here in Nevada. But now that January is here I am going a little stir crazy. I get so bored staying home, I have to have things to do with Sam to keep my sanity.

Everyday I just wish I could go to Tracy Aviary, Hogle Zoo, Discovery Gateway, Utah Gymnastics, a playdate or lunch with one of my best friends or sisters, toddler/mommy dance class, the list goes on and on. I used to have something to blog about every week that we were doing....now I am struggling to find any kind of activities like this.

Although I feel better about Carson than I used to, I still feel like there is nothing to do here. Especially for kids and families. You can only go to the Library so many times. I realize that Salt Lake is just a much bigger place so it will obviously have more to do, but I have to find something here to occupy my time and brain.

So, for my friends who live here in Nevada, please tell me where you take your kids and what you do for fun!

2 1/2 Years Old

She is growing up way too fast.

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January, really?

Not only can't I believe that it's January, I can't even believe that the holidays have already come and gone. I honestly feel like it's September. I am going to be lazy and skip over posting my 400 Christmas photos. We spent a week in Utah for the holidays and every minute was literally packed with family events and get togethers. It was so great to see everyone but I almost wish that we would have come the week after Christmas so that we could just have a relaxing time with our family and friends. I liked being able to do some family Christmas traditions, but I think next year I would prefer doing our own Christmas at home and then visiting family afterwards. I don't know, we will see what next year brings. We had a very Merry Christmas and we hope you did too.

So on to other updates...

Potty Training: I was right on how much I was dreading potty training. It has been a challenge and a huge learning experience. I have been reading a lot about potty training since Sam turned 2. We started the 3 Day Potty training last Wednesday. A lot of people recommended it. I followed her advice completely and Sam did pretty well. She was no where potty trained by the end of the 3rd day though. The lady is really against sitting them on the toilet just to try, basically they won't learn their bodies signals of when they need to go if you force them to go at certain times. Well we had stayed in the house for almost a week, and I was going crazy, so over the weekend we would make her try to go before we left. This seems to be a much better approach for Samantha. She has had no accidents at all for 2 days now and she does go on her own without prompting most of the time. So, I think we are almost there.

I am feeling very comfortable living out of state now. You never know if you are just more used to a new place or if your opinion has really changed. I still am not really an advocate for Carson City, but I have found that I enjoy living and experiencing a new state and place. I definitely miss family but there are a lot of neat experiences that you get to have by living on your own.

As far as New Years resolutions go, I only have one. It's to be better at studying and reading my scriptures. I think that if I do that I will be better in every other category in my life. (It's nice to be pregnant and not have the weight loss goal this year LOL!)

Happy New Year to you. To all of my friends, I am so sorry that I didn't get to see you while I was home. I hope to plan another trip home soon!!