It's Summertime!

Summertime summertime sum sum summertime! Summertime summertime sum sum summertime! Summertime summertime sum sum summertime! Summertiiiiiiiiiiime!


Just thought you'd like to enjoy my tropical view... =)

Also, looking for a great Tuna Pasta Salad recipe for summer?? I know that's kind of random, but I've got one and it's AMAZING so I had to share. It comes from Taste of Home's Dinner on a Dime cookbook that I got from my sister Emily for Christmas 2 years ago. Here you go!

Tuna Pasta Salad
1 package (7 oz.) small pasta shells, cooked and drained
1 can (6 oz.) tuna, drained and flaked
1 large carrot, shredded
1/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

In a large salad bowl, combine the pasta, tuna, carrot and onion. Combine remaining ingredients; whisk until smooth. Pour over pasta mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Yield: 4 servings.


Side notes: I usually use 2 cans of tuna instead of just one. I also hate raw onions, but Joe loves them, so I chop them up and just add them to his plate each time. And instead of dill weed, I use Willy Nilly Dilly. So TWF, go for that - it's soooo good! Joe says it's the bomb diggity. =)

xoxox

BEST. PRESENT. EVER.

Happy Father's Day!!

xoxox

3 months!!!

She's growing up so fast... =)

And man, is she on the move!! I placed her in the middle of her playmat, straight up and down, and let her play by herself for a while. After a little while she starts to fuss, so I come over to see what the matter is. And this is what I found!!

She'd scooted her little self sideways and off the mat! Silly little girl...

Also, every morning I find her in a different place in her crib from where I placed her the night before. (And no, Joe is not playing tricks on me. ;) I'll usually put her at the top of her mattress with a couple inches to spare between her head and the headboard. The other morning I came in and found her in the bottom left corner with her legs pulled up and her butt touching the footboard! Then the next morning I found her turned completely sideways and in the middle of her crib. Can't leave this one and expect her to be where I left her anymore!

She's great with tummy time now too. She holds that little head up the whole time, doesn't fuss about it anymore, and kicks and kicks and kicks those little legs. She even scooted a few inches the other day! She's gonna be crawling before we know it...xoxox

Guess who's two?!

Months, that is. =)

We took Kathy in for her two month check-up and she passed with flying colors. All the nurses and Dr.'s commented about "all that hair". That's our girl! She weighed in at a whopping 13.2 lbs. (99 percentile for her age group) and measured 24.6 inches (100 percentile for her age group). She also had so get two shots while we were there, one in each thigh poor little thing. She cried a good one at first but was quickly and easily comforted by Mommy (made me feel great - Ha! =). I really was very proud of her though - she was so brave. My little girl isn't so little anymore! But she still is, I know. Everything is relative.

Speaking of relatives..........

We had a wonderful time having Grandma and Granddad and then Grammy visit over the past 3 months! It was soooo nice to have so much help and support during the very beginings of parenthood. I understand what a huge commitment of time and money it was for them, and I want to be clear how much we appreciated them coming all this way to love us and our little girl.

Though admittedly, there was a collective sigh of relief when we got home from the airport for the last time, walked through the doors of our house and realized it was just us - just the three of us - for the rest of our time here in Korea. ;) The company was good while it lasted, and I'm so very very thankful for it, but it's good to learn how to be our own little family now too. =)

Kathy is a very happy, easy going baby girl with lots and lots of smiles, coos and squeals for Mommy and Daddy. She wants to giggle sooooooo badly but hasn't quite figured out how just yet. She has the biggest, brightest eyes that shine with delight when carrying on a conversation with one of us. She is a kick-and-wiggle machine and has almost discovered that her hands are hers, although she has learned how to use them to bat at and hold onto the toys on her play mat. She loves to listen to music and be read to and sung to as well. She is just as much of a cuddle-bug as her Mommy is, which is just SO wonderful, I might add. =) I am so thankful for our precious little girl!!!! xoxox

Brand New Life

It's the same old thing, but it's brand new. It's happened over and over, but this is the first time it's ever happened. Children have been born every day since the beginning of time, but this is the first one born to me in my time.

It's not a routine thing that I just did by giving birth. It's not normal to suddenly be sharing our home with a baby. There is nothing ordinary about this complete change of schedule. My way of thinking about space, God, myself, and love is forever changed.

It's my brand new life and I love it.

Thank you, God, for the freshness you give to me in the ageless event.

"He put a new song in my mouth." ~ Psalm 40:3

(Taken from: Meditations for New Moms, by Sandra Drescher-Lehman. Given to me by MY Mom. =)

xoxox

She's growing up so fast!

Guess who's one month old today?!?! =)

Decisions, decisions...

Do I shower, eat, nap or cuddle my baby while she sleeps? What about a walk outside, or maybe read the emails that are piling up? (let alone replying to them...) Or should I do a little catching up on Facebook? How about a video chat with family back in the states? And I still have tons of pictures that need to be posted of this precious new addition to our family... Thank God Mom is here to do the cooking and cleaning and help with the baby. I am so blessed (spoiled) to have such support and my Mommy here to care for me while I learn to be a Mommy and care for my little girl...Seems like most days I opt for some combination of the first four options in between feedings and leave everything else for another time. But another time never seems to come...maybe next year. Haha! =)

Still recovering from childbirth/surgery. It's taking longer than I thought it would, and supposedly I'm only half-way there. Patience is apparently a virtue but personally, I think it's overrated. Again, so glad to have Mom here. I'm seriously not looking forward to having to do everything on my own, but I know by the time Mom and Dad and Mama Lisa leave I should be pretty close to completely healed (I HOPE!!) so maybe it won't be as bad as I'm picturing it to be...

The lesson I am (still) in the middle of learning is to take this one step at a time. While pregnant, I was learning to take it one week at a time - staying in awe of what was happening to me and my baby instead of just yearning for her arrival and therefore missing out on the beauty of the moment I was in. Before going into labor, I was learning to take it one day at a time, as I waited for my (late!) baby girl to come out and play. During labor, I was learning to take it one contraction at a time - to focus on what was happening in the moment, be it hard work or relaxation - and not dwelling on the pain of the past or dreading the pain of the future. During these first few weeks of motherhood I am learning to take it one feeding, one nap, one day at a time - soreness, exhaustion and emotional unstability seem to have combined into the perfect storm. Once again, thank God for Mom, who is taking the midnight feedings from me so I can now get a good 6 hours of sleep per night!! It's AMAZING what a little extra sleep can do for one's physical and emotional wellbeing...who knew?? ;)

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. And thank you, thank you, Lord, for this beautiful, precious baby girl you have blessed me with. She is such a treasured gift and I cherish her immensely... xoxox