Happy New Year! There has been a lot of excitement in our household for the New year as our sweet baby girl made finally made her debut at the beginning of 2010. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces and was 19 & 1/8 inches long (we think it's really funny that the hospital counts the 1/8th).

We have been home for about 5 days now and are loving being new parents! She is a total angel and we are completely wrapped around her little finger already. Her proud daddy practically beams every time he mentions her! Miss A., as we are calling her on our blog, (to all our friends out there - send us a text or email for more details) - is a joyous addition to our little family and we are eternally grateful to our loving Heavenly Father for entrusting her to us.

Laura is loving being a mommy, and it's obvious that Miss A. already recognizes both of our voices. She is a good eater, great sleeper and loves to peek out at us from half-opened eyes...it's a big world out there! She has the cutest expressions - and her current nick-name is "Squeaker" because she squeaks when she's hungry! :-) Jack-Jack is fascinated with her, in fact, every time she cries he hurries over to make sure she's ok...LOL! Here are a few pics from the past week - more to come!

It's tough being born!

Mommy and baby bonding...love at first sight!

Holding Daddy's hand!

Who turned on the lights?

Dressed and ready to go home!

Mom is so happy to finally be going home - hospitals are exhausting!

Proud Papa!

Finally home...snug as a bug in a rug!

The tree is all decorated...and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care...in hopes that our baby soon will be here! Baby girl Evans will be arriving soon after Christmas - what a wonderful blessing and gift!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
May Heavenly Father bless and keep you throughout the holiday season and into the New Year!

MERRY CHRISTMAS Y'ALL!!
Who says it doesn't snow in Texas?!

Jack-Jack couldn't figure out what the cold white stuff was!

Our Magnolia tree.

Does anyone find it ironic that our sago palm is covered in snow?

We got about 2.5" of snow that day - and set a record for earliest snowfall in Houston.
Take that global warming! :-)

Homemade Granola! YUMMY!

My mom and I were talking over the weekend about the yummy healthy granola she used to make all the time when we were kids. I have always had a love for granola, but I have never found a store-bought one that I really liked that wasn't full of sugar and other fillers(not to mention expensive!). I found this recipe last night and decided to try it out - it is really similar to what my mom used to make - and it turned out AMAZING! I used what we already had, so ours contains almonds, flax seed, unsweetened coconut, dried tart cherries and golden raisins. I also used Texas wildflower honey instead of agave. We have some vacuum seal canisters that came with our Tilia food saver that I finally got to use - so our granola should stay nice and fresh for at least two months! Brian tried it and it got his seal of approval, so we probably won't be buying store-bought granola anymore - which is fine with me! :-)

Healthy Homemade Granola

Dry Ingredients:
6 cups rolled oats (you can also use a combination of rolled grains)
2 cups of raw almonds and/or walnuts (or other nuts)
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds or pecans)
½ cup whole flax seed
½ cup wheat germ or ground flax seed.
Optional: ½ cup unsweetened coconut,
½ cup dried fruit (add after cooked and cooled) –date pieces, cranberries, cherries, apricots, mango

Wet Ingredients & seasonings:
2 individual cup unsweetened applesauce (about 1 cup total)
1/3 cup agave nectar (or brown rice syrup, honey or maple syrup)-I usually use honey or agave
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
½ tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together, and then stir into dry ingredients. Stir well to mix thoroughly.

Spread the mixture into two baking dishes. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until evenly golden brown. Stir every 10 – 15 minutes to ensure even browning. If you use fruit, stir once it is cooled. Store in the refrigerator.

We're having a G-I-R-L!!!! We found out a couple of weeks ago - visions of pink are now dancing in my head! The doctor's appointment went really well...but the technician was really upset because this is only the second time she's been wrong (she thought it was looking like a boy at 12 weeks). She is very happy and healthy and loves to kick me all the time already!

A really neat thing happened Wednesday night. I picked Brian up from the airport - he was returning from a quick trip to Utah to visit the fam. When we were getting ready for bed, she decided to start kicking up a storm - and Brian got to feel her kick for the very first time! It was so special - she gave him 10-12 really strong kicks that were actually shaking my abdomen a bit. Brian was so excited - he kept trying to see if she would kick some more. Those were the strongest kicks I had felt to date - we decided she was doing her happy dance since her daddy had just come home.

Pregnancy has been really cool so far. Especially now that the first trimester fatigue has lifted. I was able to completely avoid morning sickness, haven't had any heartburn (knock on wood for the last half of the pregnancy), I'm feeling great and I've been able to workout regularly at the gym. I'm still anti-chicken (a hold over from the first trimester) and we still joke that she's a vegetarian, although I can do some meat in small quantities. It has been so amazing feeling her kick and move during the day (and especially at night). I'm sure when she gets bigger it will get uncomfortable, but for now, it's a real joy. I really love how in love with her Brian is...he is always touching my tummy and saying hello to the baby - he is going to be a wonderful father. Now, if only we could narrow down that list of names - it's still a page long! :-)

Yes, I know it's been a while since we've posted...I can only plead life...it keeps interfering! ;-) The last few months have been super busy, but also super exciting! As you can see, we are expecting a little bundle of joy right around the new year...he (or she) will be our first and both of us are over the moon! I always knew I married a wonderful man, but his wonderful traits have only been magnified since I've been pregnant. It has been a really easy pregnancy so far...no morning sickness (I am so grateful!), just a strong dislike of anything meat related...especially chicken. We joke that the baby is a vegetarian. The tiredness of the first trimester is beginning to lift, I am fine as long as I sneak in a 30-45 minute nap, but I have a tendency to forget and by 9:30 in the evening I am so ready for bed! I have been able to workout regularly without any problems as well - as long as I get in a morning session I feel pretty great all day. My sweet mom gifted us with a comfy rocker and ottoman for the future nursery, and we have begun looking at items on Craigslist. It has been a strange but exciting experience so far, and we look forward to seeing our adorable little one around the new year. We will keep you posted!

HAPPY SPRING - OUR GARDENIAS ARE BLOOMING!!!