Why send gifts?

On top of having a great time at Kiera's cousin's place for a birthday celebration, she also got one here at her home with her family, and nana, pop-pop, auntie mimi and unkie b - via skype. She was in heaven. Not only did this girl get a cupcake at her cousin's place but here too! She was in sugar heaven! And trust me, we paid the price, that girl was HYPER after that. But she had a great time opening all the gifts. Once all the gifts were opened and all the items out to play with, she picked one pair of shorts her auntie mimi and unkie b gave her, insisted on wearing them and then begged to be put in the box that her gift from nana and poppop came in.....and well, sometimes all a kid wants for her birthday is something to make a huge mess with!

p.s. i wasn't able to upload the second video....too big :( once i can get it downsized, i will upload it for your enjoyment.

Kiera's Birthday

While Kiera was out visiting her cousins, Lisa, Paul's sister, had a little birthday party for Kennedi and Kiera who are only a few days apart. Kiera got to open gifts and play with her cousins :D How better to spend a birthday? Kiera even got to eat a FULL cupcake. She never gets to eat sugar so this was quite a day! She loved the cupcake so much that she picked up the word "cupcake" quite quickly.....hmm, motivation huh?

Where did my baby go?

I took this picture because I thought...how cute is it that my little baby wants to wear her rolling carry-on bag as a backpack? But little did I know that the moment I took that picture, Kiera went from my little baby to my little girl. Where did the time go? Where did the little bundle I rolled out of the hospital with, go? Her little chubby cheeks are long gone and the toddler face has taken its place. Her dependence on me is history and independence now waves its flag. *sigh* I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, but honestly, I was hoping for later. Somehow I feel like 16 is right around the corner.

**WARNING** Not for the faint of heart

This was one rough day. Kiera spent her entire "nap time", either crying for me to come back and get her out of the prison that I had put her in.....trust me, that is what she would say if she could speak full sentences....or playing in her crib. After about 2 hours of listening to her cry and play she finally got quiet. Whew! Finally.....or so I thought, 10 minutes later she was back to her coo'ing and playing. I figured, oh well, I will just go and get her and we will just play together. So, I roll into the room and see on the floor all of her clothes....okay, she has been trying to do master taking off clothes and put them on, no biggie. Then I saw the diaper. Okay, no biggie again....When I was a wee little one, I was known to take of my diaper from time to time. I like to think that I was a free spirit.....hee hee. Then - I saw it. **Insert Psycho shower scene music here** POOP all over her and her bed! After I took a moment to gather myself, take a deep breath, mini-vomit into my mouth, I stepped over to her crib. There was a large chunk of poop and then all the rest of the poop smears were her PLAYING with her poop like it was finger paint. *gag* Needless to say, that girl was instantly in bath city! I don't think that I have ever scrubbed her more than I had scrubbed her that day. And as for the sheet, yeah, it is now in a dump somewhere fading into the circle of life.

Enjoy the "finger paintings" Kiera did for us!

Easter

It was an absolutely gorgeous day on Easter. We spent it over a delicious brunch, time with the beautiful cherry trees and finished up with a walk around the Shirlington area. Here are just a few pictures of our day and a video of Kiera...doing what? Well, nothing other than just being her cute self!

Enjoy!

Rock on Kiera!

Photoshop Fun

I've been having fun with my photos and trying to learn photoshop. Although, I have been posting most of my photos on Facebook, I have also been uploading them to deviantART.com. For those of you who do not have facebook, I thought that I would share my fun little adventure....right along with my new recipe fun...which, sadly, has taken a back seat to work since Clinique is currrently in bonus mode. *whew* 40 hours a week with late nights and no weekends is wearing a girl out!
Anyway, here is the link to my profile if you would like to check it out. Enjoy! :D

http://ripsiara.deviantart.com/

Favorite Sunglasses

So, Kiera has officially made these her favorite sunglasses. She loves to walk around with these on her little face and if she is not wearing them, and sees them lying on the ground......straight onto her face. Is she ready for Disneyland or what?

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

2 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs

1/2 chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup BBQ sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes

1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar

Put everything in a crock pot, cover, and cook on low for about 7-8 hours. Ours was finished in 7 hours. It will seem soupy, but don't worry-take out the chicken and shred with two forks, then add juices and mix until it seems well coated and moistened. I had some sauce left over which was fine.

Serve with toasted buns to pile the meat into at the table.

Serves 4-6.

Kiera Reading

I think that the video speaks for itself.

A lazy Sunday

After this church this past Sunday, we decided to go out for a nice breakfast and a walk around Georgetown. It was just a beautiful day and Kiera had a ton of fun.

Video of Kiera jumping!

Our little bug learning to jump! Too cute!

Spicy Bean & Cheese Burritos

This weeks yummy recipe! The only bummer is the wasted beer since both Paul and I dislike beer....so when you make this bad boy invite over a beer lover to drink the remaining beer. :D

Spicy Bean & Cheese Burritos
Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

One 15.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed

1/3 cup pickled jalapeño chiles, drained and chopped

1/2 cup Mexican beer, such as Corona

One 15.25-ounce can corn kernels, rinsed

One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, rinsed

Juice of 1/2 lime

4 large flour tortillas

1-1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Stir in the black beans and jalapeños and cook, lightly mashing the mixture against the side of the pan, for 2 minutes.
2. Stir the beer into the black bean mixture and bring to a boil. Cook, continuing to mash, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the corn and tomatoes and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice; set aside.
3. Lay the tortillas on a work surface. Sprinkle the cheese in the center and spoon about 1/4 cup bean mixture on top. Fold the tortilla burrito-style.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the burritos folded side down in the skillet and cook until browned, about 1 minute on each side.