Life as of Lately

I have gotten back into the habit of just doing "Weekend Recaps" so I decided to just do an update on Life in Minnick House lately so that all my posts aren't just about our weekends!!!

Well, first of all, we have the sickies...well, Luci and I mostly. Luci came down with a stomach bug last Wednesday. Wednesday was a big deadline day for me...and Mitch was working on closing a property at work...so Mimi to the rescue!!! Luci really didn't have the bug too bad...She threw up a few times, and by the afternoon, she was fine. Fast forward to Monday... I started feeling bad at work around 9am. By 10, I was green. I wanted to go home, but I reallly wanted to stick it out because a. I didn't want to throw up in my new car on the way home, b. I really needed to be at work, and c. I really didn't want to throw up in my new car on the way home. I left work around 2:30ish and headed home...just in time. I spent the afternoon and evening in the bathroom. Bleh. I absolutely hate being sick at my stomach. It is seriously the worst feeling ever to me. I had morning sickness with Luci all but about 6 weeks that I was pregnant with her. Again, I can not stress enough how I hate being sick at my stomach!!! I stayed home from work on Tuesday to finish recovering. Wednesday was better, but today I feel almost 100%!!!

Little Miss really didn't want to go back to school after spending the day before getting loved on by Mimi!

Luci and Daddy found things to do while Mommy was sick!

In other things...Luci really likes playing with my hair...and seems to think she can fix her own! One night, I let her have free reign...and I wasn't sure I would have any hair left by the time she was done!!!

She finally produced the finished product with a lot of detangling spray...and a gray bow!

Another thing that Luci enjoys doing all the time is "hiding" under the covers! She plays this game a lot!! It is so cute to me that she thinks she is invisible as long as she can't see you! The innocence of a child is so special. I hope she can hold on to it as long as possible.

In this particular picture, we were hiding from Daddy underneath the covers! :-)

In other news, I mentioned previously that we are getting ready for our annual fall family pics. I decided that Mitch needed a new pair of jeans...and I really wanted him to get a more "tailored" look of jeans...so, not so baggy or relaxed. He wasn't in the mood for shopping, so I told him I would pick up a few pairs, and he could try them on at home. Unbeknownst to me in the guy world...."slim "means skinny. Ok, well maybe not skinny...but skinny for a 6ft 2.5in/ 250lb guy. I grabbed a pair of slim jeans (amongst my other choices) and thought that would mean they would be a little less baggy. I got home and took them out for him to try on...and well, ... I laughed forever...and then took his picture...and then proceeded to text the picture to our closest friends...It. was. hysterical. He didn't think it was so funny (ok, we were both laughing!)...but I will be laughing about it for a while! Yes, the jeans went back. And yes, we found him a pair that worked! So, the lesson of this story is...skinny jeans aren't for everyone.  

So, here it is...My 6ft 2.5in /250 lb hubs in "slim/skinny" jeans. He said he could barely get them over his calves! We have all got a good laugh out of this pic!

And now, just another random pic to close out this post. I love these two. My two favorite people in the world.

They both decided to pass out during story time... :-)

Weekend Recap- Soccer and Pumpkin Patch

We had a fun weekend!!! I am currently home from work recovering from the stomach virus of the year that Luci ever so lovingly passed my way...but more on that another post...back to our weekend...

Friday night we just ordered in take-out from Fuji and stayed home for the night. It was nice just to relax at home!

On Saturday, we woke up realllly early for soccer pics and a soccer game. Mimi and PePaw came up to watch the game. Luci was in a mood and didn't want to play for the first 2/3 of the game...but in the last quarter, she did sooo good! She took the ball down the field twice!!! Progress!!! She was so proud of herself!

After soccer, I drove over to get my hair done by the lovely Amanda! She got my hair all fixed beautifully for our family photos that we were supposed to have that night by the ever so talented Jessica Meinardus!!...but the weather was not in our favor. We have rescheduled for the end of the month. Amanda and I still had a great time catching up and eating cupcakes while she highlighted by hair!

I was feeling a little icky Saturday night so we just stayed in, and I cooked a quick dinner.

On Sunday, we woke up early, grabbed a quick breakfast at the Egg and I, and then we headed out to Porter, OK to meet up with the Oklahoma crew for a trip to the Pumpkin Patch!

At the house before we headed out to the Pumpkin Patch!

Livesay Orchards

Luci and her Oklahoma Cousins!

I just think this pic is so cute!!!

Hay Ride out to the patch!

Trying to find us some good pumpkins!!! There were so many of them!!!

Hay Maze!

Sack Race!

It was so much fun!!! The weather was beautiful, and we all just had such a good time! We got a few pumpkins out of the deal (that we will be carving next week!), some homemade peach butter, and peach salsa!!! Yum yum!!!

Weekend Recap- Cold, Wedding, Bday

Wow! We got quite the cold snap here this weekend! We actually turned the heat on for a bit Sunday morning! I didn't expect to do that until November!

By Friday night the temperatures had already started dropping, so I put on a big pot of chili, and we had frito chili pies for dinner! Yum!!

We woke up Saturday morning, and it was soooo cold and rainy! Luci's soccer game was cancelled, so we ran a few quick errands and then came back to watch Ellie for a bit. The girls played, Luci napped, and then we got ready to attend Kerri and Taylor's wedding reception at the Bonneville House! It was sooo nice, and we had such a good time visiting with everyone! Kerri looked beautiful, and I was so excited to see her in her dress!! Well, I can't leave Taylor out...He looked pretty snappy himself! :-) 

I was so proud of Luci! She was on her best behavior and acted exceptionally well! We were there a good two hours, and she never had a 3 year old moment at all! Sometimes I feel we are doing something right!

After the reception, we came back to the house and stayed in for the night. We have all been nursing nasty coughs and colds for the last few days. We ordered in a pizza, played a little Hello Kitty Bingo, and watched Cinderella together!! 

On Sunday we went to Paris to help celebrate Quinn's bday!!! Mom cooked a big meal that was delish, and Quinn got a lot of really fun gifts!!! Renata, Jordan, and Jathan were there as well to help us celebrate!

Some of Nana's grandkids!!! Ahem, Jocie.

After lunch, we headed back home and just relaxed and played for the rest of the night! Aside from being sick, it was a great weekend!

Magnetic Doll Mania!

Daddy Halloween Shirts

5 months- "Daddy's Lil Pumpkin"

1 year- "Daddy's Under My Spell"

 

2 years- "Daddy's Under My Spell" 

3 years- "Daddy's Under My Spell"

Where are all the Mommy shirts?!??!?!

New Recipe- Chicken Pasta with Avacado Sauce

So, I found a recipe on Pinterest that used an Avocado sauce as a replacement for Alfredo sauce...You get the good fats from the avocado and eliminate the heavy cream fats. I kind of adapted the recipe to make it our own and incorporated things we liked.

I made this to feed Mitch, myself, and Luci, and there were a little bit of leftovers, but if you were going to make this for a family of 4, you would definitely want to double the recipe.

Oh and side bar...this pasta dish ended up being right under 500 calories per serving!! Now, if I can just eat one serving!!! :-)

Ingredients:

1 3/4  cups of whole wheat pasta (I used penne)
2 cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, shredded
1 avocado
1/4 cup of low-fat greek yogurt
2 tsp of olive oil
splash of milk
1/2 cup of fire roasted tomatoes (I used the canned variety since it incorporated peppers in it...but you could certainly roast your own)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook and drain pasta.

Sauce- Scoop out avocado. Puree avocado, yogurt, oil, and milk. Add a little pasta water to get your desired consistency.

Toss sauce and tomatoes with the pasta.

Top with shredded chicken and a little shredded cheese!!!

Soccer So Far: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

We decided to sign Luci up for soccer this year. I wanted her to be involved in something that encouraged her to be active and learn to work with a team. Mitch and I have both said that if she doesn't like it, fine. She will only play for this season. But, we both think/thought she would really enjoy it since she has shown lots of interest in kicking the ball in the back-yard. So, we signed Luci up...Mitch signed up to Coach...and K & T signed up for Assistant Coach...and Assistant to the Soccer Mom aka #1 Cheerleader!!!

So...fast-forward to 2 Monday's ago. Luci had her first soccer practice. She was all out there ready to go...and then it was time to get started. She got shy. She stood back and watched the rest of the team do their "drills." I encouraged her, but didn't force her to go out there. Finally, during the last 15 minutes or so of practice, she warmed up and really got out there kicking her ball!!!

She missed the first game of the season since we were in San Antonio. K & T took over the coaching duties.

Her first official game fell last Thursday. Thursday was cloudy, dreary, and rainy. For some reason, the games were not cancelled...so we loaded up and went to play in the rain. Luci was so excited about her first game...until it was time to actually play. She whined. She cried. She refused to play. Sigh. Then, after a lot of encouraging (and a little bribing), she decided she would go out for the last quarter (6 quarters at 5 minutes each). She took her place on the field. The ball was placed in her direction, and she gave it 2 good kicks!!! Then, it happened. Someone kicked the ball away from her...and. she. lost. it. I finally had to go pick up my sobbing child off of the field (mind you it is still raining) and carry her back to the sidelines. I'll be honest with you. I was embarrassed. Well, a little. The other children weren't angels...and let's be honest, they are 3...and it was raining.

After the game, I talked it out with Mitch, and we evaluated the situation (You know, because I think everything needs a good, long, proper evaluation). We both came to the conclusion that even though Luci knew some things about soccer, we don't think she ever really understood the "point" of the game...That the goal was for people to kick the ball away from you. Yeah, try to explain to an only child about something getting taken away from them! Lol!

So in the days after the first game disaster, we had long conversations about soccer and about what was going to happen when she was playing. I also explained to her that it was ok if she didn't want to go out there and play. No one would be mad or disappointed. However, it was not ok for her to get out there and throw a fit. That would be unacceptable and not tolerated.

So, Saturday was her second game of the season. Luci opted to go out on the field for the 1st quarter! She was smiling and excited. The ball was placed, and the game started...and Luci didn't move. She stood in her spot and smiled and waved at us! She did that for quite a while. I think she ended up kicking the ball a few times, but mostly stood in her spot and smiled and waved! Hey, at least she wasn't crying! She was happy to be out there, and I was happy she was having fun!!!

On Monday, we had another practice. She really got in there and was trying! She was kicking her ball and running with it. She even did pretty good on the "stop and go" drills. I am proud of her! I don't care if she is a soccer star...or if she is ever really good. I just want her to be active, work with her team, and most importantly, have fun!!

I will tell you what I have learned so far...watching 3 year olds try to play soccer is really comical!!! And Mitch and Taylor are saints for coaching!!! :-)

I will post another update mid-season!

Ready for her first practice!

First game! I guess I should have known by the look on her face that she was a bit nervous! Ha!

2nd game!! Happy to be on the field. Note that no one else is around her...because they are actually playing soccer while she is posing on the field! At least she was happy!!!

Kerri, Mitch, and I got a little crafty!!! Our shirts!!!



Weekend Recap- Grandparent Visit, Soccer, Church

We had a super weekend!! Mitch's folks (Grammy and Granddaddy) came and stayed Friday night and all day Saturday with us!! They got to see Luci "play" soccer, and we just had a great time visiting! Susan and I were even able to get a little shopping in!

Soccer!!!

Sunday was "Round-Up" day at church. A day to "round-up" all the visitors and bring them in! Well, you are supposed to dress in Western attire...and anybody that knows me knows that I don't own one single item of western wear...so we just decided to wear jeans! Luci looked cute anyways! :-)

The many faces of Luci!

Check out how much her hair has grown in 3 months!!! I had Amanda trim a good inch off back in June just to give her hair a kick-start...and boy did it!!!

(Btw, her hair isn't red...there is an instagram filter on it and so the pic on the left gives her hair a little red tint)

I am going to an entire post with a soccer update soon!!