Ryans First Six Months!

Thai Curry Chicken

This dinner was very tasty, and super easy.

2 Chicken breast

1 can coconut milk

1/2 to 2 teaspoons red curry paste

1/2 can bamboo shoots

1 red bell pepper

1/4 cup basil

1/3 cup chicken broth

1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Chop up chicken into bite size pieces, put in hot saute pan with slat and pepper. Saute until golden brown. Take out of pan so that the chicken doesn't dry out-set aside while getting everything else ready.

Put coconut milk and curry paste in the same pan and simmer for about 5 minutes. I don't like things spicy at all and I can tolerate about a 1/2 a teaspoon of the curry paste. The original recipe call for 2 tablespoons!!! Now you can add the bamboo shoots(I bought the sliced ones) sliced red bell pepper and chopped basil. Let that simmer until the bell pepper becomes a little softer. Now add the chicken broth, brown sugar and add back in the chicken. Let that all simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Serve this with jasmine rice!! It really makes a difference and taste so good. The rice is a little fragrant and sweet so it goes well with the chicken.

You can buy the bamboo shoots, rice and coconut milk in the Asian aisle in the grocery store. The red curry paste might be a little expensive but it should last you FOREVER!!

This is enough to feed two people and is very quick. Start your rice first so that everything will be done at the same time.

This is my lame attempt to recreate something at the Thai Kitchen-even though it taste nothing like anything there.

Also these are my new dishes that I got for Christmas!! I love them.

My house was clean yesterday so you missed it!!

Okay so those of you who know me, know that I'm not a very organized person. With this new year I made some goals. The first one was to clean out my closet. I should have taken a before picture, but that would be WAY to embarassing!!! So here are the after shots, now I like to just stand in my closet and look around! I's also like everyone to know that I did this all by myself without any medication. The very scary part is that I removed 1o bags of clothes from my closet, and as you can see I still have plenty of clothes!
What an incredible invention!!! A shoe rack!!
I've always had one secret--I've always color organized my hanging clothes!! If they weren't separated by color I'd NEVER be able to find anything!!

So my closet has been like this for 1 week now and I love it-but my problem has always been follow through, so we will see what it looks like in and month or six months from now--Everyone place your bets!!! I'll keep you posted!

Bath time and Bedtime!!

Ryan loves to be in the water! Bathtime is always a blast! I hate taking him out because he is just so happy in there.
We are still trying to catch up from the holidays and the new church schedule(9am, that even early for me!) Ryan fell asleep last night while I was feeding him dinner. He slept there for about 30 minutes.
We are so blessed to have such a happy baby. I can't believe that he will be 6 months old this week. The time has truely gone by SO fast. I've loved every moment of being a mother!!
It looks like we've got a double chin going on there!! It's he getting so big!!

The Best Christmas Pagent Ever!!!

Ryans first Christmas!!! He was pretty happy!
Baby Jesus and Mary
Do angels get any cuter?
Jared even dressed up as Joseph--all those years in theater really paid off!
Isn't she angelic?!!!

Katelyn sewed all these wonderful costumes for mom as her Christmas present. It was really fun and will be a great family tradition for years to come.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub little baby in the tub

Bath time pictures are just so much fun!!!
Ryan was taking a bubble bath with the Jacuzzi on at Grandma Jo's house. Ryan really loved the jets.
He kept trying to eat all the bubbles
He LOVED this rubber ducky, it was the first time I've really heard him laugh a bunch, he was really giggling at the duck.
This chair was the best ever!!!
Ryan played in the bath tub for over 45 minutes and loved every minute of it.

Spending time with my Auntie

Delaney wanted to hold Ryan in her new house. He's not quite sure what to think...

Christmas Eve with the Kings

Accaila, Caisa, Aaron opening their Christmas gifts. The girls kept saying "This is just what I always wanted!!!" and then Caisa opened one gift and exclaimed,"I can't believe my eyes!!!"
Accaila opening the Webkinz that Jared and I bought her.
The Christmas tree at Grandma and Grandpa Kings with the girls.

The pic's from Christmas at Mimi's and Graps are soon coming....

Only the pure of heart can make good soup" Beethoven

So here is the recipe for the Chicken Tortilla Soup-as previously blogged about!! This is truly the easiest dinner to make-especially for a crowd, every time I make I get rave reviews and it is so simple!!!! Hopefully I get the directions right because I'm just a dumper--I guess, if I think it looks right, then I taste it. So play around with the spices until it taste right to you!!

1 roisteree chicken (I get mine from Costco-cheap and very big)
2 cartons of chicken broth
1 large onion sauteed
1-2 cloves of garlic through a garlic press. ( if you burn the garlic start over...)
2 stalks of celery also sauteed ( I don't like celery so I chop very fine)
okay here's where the measurements get questionable....
1-3 teaspoons of garlic power more of you don't have fresh garlic
1-2 teaspoons of salt
Couple dashes of liquid smoke ( you don't have to have but it makes it taste like it's been cooking all day, it's really cheap and in the with the condiments I think, it will last FOREVER)
1-2 teaspoon paprika
1-2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon of chili powered or red pepper( more if you like it really hot- I have a really weak mouth)
About 3/4 of a bunch of chopped cilantro
2 cans of corn with juices
1 large can of rotel or 2 small cans

With the spices add the smallest amount first and then add more if it doesn't taste right. Sorry I can't give more accurate measurements.
Cook until everything is hot!!! I put in a crock pot and let it cook all day but it truly makes no difference in the taste- It should take about a half hour from start to finish

Serve with avocado, sour cream, cilantro, cheese and of course tortilla chips. I break mine in the bottom of the bowl before I add the soup...but whatever. This will feed about 10 people good size bowls.

"Beautiful soup, so rich and green
Waiting in a hot tureen!
Who for such dainties would not stoop?
Soup of the evening, beautiful soup!
Beautiful soup!
Who cares for fishGame,
or any other dish? Who would not give
all else for twoPennyworth
of beautiful soup?"
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

"C is for cookie, it's good enough for me; oh cookie cookie cookie starts with C."

I forgot to take pictures before we started the cookie exchange- so this is the aftermath!!!
Reindeer peanutbutter cookies-Too cute! These were my mom's cookies, it's so nice that mom is near by so we can have these kind of parties toghether.
I made a huge crockpot of chicken tortilla soup! It was great, and SO easy if I do say so myself!!
The hot coco was to die for too! Nothing beats homemade whipped cream, with rich mint hot chocolate.
This is my great friend Karina who was so kind to host the party!! She has such a beautiful house, and she says she really enjoys cleaning....CRAZY!!! Like someone else I know...So I made the food (her cookies) and she hosted. It was such a fun night! Thanks Karina

I LOVE SPIDER SOLITARE!!

This is my highest score! Okay I'm a nerd but Dad this is for you!!!! Can you beat it?

Bye,bye, bye

Ryan was born with a little skin tag on his right ear. Jared told his nieces that it was he antennae- that he got XM radio directly in his ear. Little kids were always concern about this little extra piece of skin.
We went to a plastic surgeon two weeks ago and had him look at it, he said he would remove it in office with just a shot of a local. We went back the next day. They normal strap babies on to a papoose board, but since I still swaddle Ryan I just brought his blankets and wrapped him all up. He cried for the shot in his ear, and then sucked on his binkie for the 5 minute procedure, where they removed the extra skin and cartilage behind it.
Ryan had his stitch's removed 7 day later. He fell asleep while waiting for the doctor and slept through the stitch's being removed. Now you wouldn't even know there was something there.

Ryan sitting up

He is getting so big so fast. He weighs 17.9 lbs!! What a chunky monkey! He is getting better and better at sitting up, it's so fun to watch him try new things!

Where's Waldo???

Can you find Waldo?????????????????????

So I bought these pj's for Christmas and when Katie was here the other day she said "he looks like Waldo" Remeber the Where's Waldo fad....Anyways for some reason I have tons of stuffed animal, maybe because all our friends had babies before us and I had to keep them busy at our house, so we piled them all around him and got a few good pic's. Needless to say the pile of animals is still in his room infront of his closet door, so actually they are now spread around the room because I have needed to get into the closet several times. Oh well they will get picked up at some point...

My hands taste GOOD!!

Caught ya!

First Trip to See Santa Claus

Checking out SantaThe decorations were wonderful
Family picture with Santa(dad even smiled for this picture) : )
Ryan sitting with Santa
We had a nice breakfast this morning and then went and sat with Santa. I think Ryan told him that he wanted a Johny jump up.