And We're Rolling!

This past week was my first week back at work :(  It was really hard going back and I missed Jack so much, but fortunately my mom came to visit and take care of him while I was back at work.  We had a great week with Gammy and really appreciated all of her help!  It was sad to see her leave today, but Gammy and PopPop will be back in 3 weeks and then we will be visting Maryland a few weeks later :) 
Today Jack hit a milestone!  He rolled over from his belly to his back.  I had just gotten home from taking mom to the transportation place and the grocery store and decided to have some tummy time for Jack.  As soon as I put him down he rolled right over!  Here are a few pictures, a few smiles and a few of him working on his neck strength!

Spring Break

Well, Friday was my last day of maternity leave, but at least this week is spring break :)  Another week with my baby!  Sunday we headed down to Gulf Shores for a softball tournament, my first tournament back coaching.  It is about a 4-5 hour drive and over all Jack did pretty well.  We only had to feed him once during the drive and he otherwise slept the whole time.  It was pretty exhausting having to pack for all of us, especially all the extra stuff you need to bring for a baby!  I mean his clothes bag was pretty small, but between diapers, the pack and play and a stroller, his stuff took up the most room!  Usually our Explorer is packed to the brim for the beach when it was just the two of us!  We did have a good time in Gulf Shores, it is absolutely beautiful down there!  Tuesday morning I got to wake up to the sweetest sound, Jack giggling!  He has been smiling and giggling a lot recently and has also become very vocal cooing more and more each day!  Monday night was great, we sat in the room with Jack and he put on a show for us!  Giggling and smiling non stop!  We came home yesterday, the girls went 6-1-1 over the 3 days we played.

Sadly he seems to be losing his hair; which looks funny because it is visibly thinning in certain areas on his head.  Today was his 2 month check up.  He now weighs 12 pounds and 4 ounces and is 23 inches long.  He unfortunately had to have 3 shots today.  He did not seem happy about being stuck with the needles but I think it was just the icing on the hungry/cranky cake!  He was already not happy because it was time to eat.  Fortunately after his shots, they let me stay in the exam room and feed him before we left.  After eating he seemed fine.  Today we bought him a mirror for his crib and he loves it!  He loves looking at it and cooing.  I recorded a video of him on my phone and Mom and Dad couldn't believe how much he was cooing.  He has come pretty close to rolling over but is just not quite there yet.  He can roll over his bottom half but can't get past his shoulder to get the top half over as well.  We are excited for Gammy to come visit us this weekend.  She is staying for the week to take care of Jack my first week back at work.  I am excited to see her but a little sad because that means I am going back to work.  Only 5 weeks left of school though, hopefully it won't be too bad.  I took Jack around school Friday to visit a few people and I ran into one of my students who told me she couldn't wait for me to come back.  Those are the ones who make me LOVE my job :) 
Here are a few pictures from Gulf Shores, nothing too fun, just Jack being super cute!

Happy Easter!

We hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter!  Jack had a great first Easter :)  First we went to church with Gingersnap and Pop, after the service our church held an Easter lunch.  It was such a nice day we were able to eat outside.  After church we came home and took a couple pictures as a family while Jack was all dressed up in his Easter outfit.  After pictures I finished making dinner; we had deviled eggs, pork loin, mac and cheese, green beans, rolls and for dessert lemonade pie.  For Jack's first Easter dinner we were joined not only by Gingersnap and Pop, but our friends Bradley, Lea and their son Bennett from our small group at church.  We also got to use the beautiful china Grandpa gave us for Christmas that once belonged to Bryce's grandmother.  Jack's Easter basket was full of all kinds of goodies-books, clothes, and toys.  Jack and I also got to talk to my family via webcam today.  I am glad they got to see him and I can't wait for them all to meet him this summer!  This time of year reminds us of how blessed we are to have such a wonderful God and Savior who loves us very much!  We pray that Jack will never go a day that he doesn't know Jesus and the price He paid for him and we also pray that Jack has been chosen as one of God's children.  He is risen!  Here are a few pictures from the day.

This next picture is from Saturday, but it is a good one because I was able to capture Jack's smile on camera, which is a rare occasion!

Several people have recently asked me for my macaroni and cheese recipe. I honestly probably don't make this dish the same way twice.  Sometimes I just open up my cheese drawer and add in whatever we have on hand, but here goes the basic key you can follow.
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
2 cups of milk
1 can of cheddar cheese soup (you could also use velveeta or cheese whiz, whatever you have on hand)
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and hot sauce to taste
8 oz of a gooey cheese shredded (Swiss, mozzarella or muenster cheese are good choices)
8 oz of an extra sharp cheddar cheese (I like to do half of a white cheddar and half yellow)
4 oz of Parmesan or ramano cheese (really any hard tangy/salty Italian cheese)
1 pound of macaroni noodles

Preheat oven to 350
Cook macaroni noodles as directed on the package, I under cook them slightly because they will finish cooking in the oven
Melt butter
Add flour and cook together for a few minutes
Slowly add in milk with wisk
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and hot sauce to taste (I just add enough cayenne and hot sauce to make the sauce have a warm feeling, not to make it spicy)
Wisk in cheeses
Stir in noodles
Pour into baking dish

Depending on how thick or runny you like your sauce, you could add more or less milk.  2 cups was just an estimate by me, I just eyeball how much I think I need.  Same with the cheeses, if you like a really sharp taste you could add even more cheddar cheese.

Optional Topping
fresh bread crumbs-take old bread (I prefer white bread for this and I trim the crust off) and blend in blender or food processor until finely ground.
Lightly toast bread crumbs in butter then spread evenly on top of Mac and cheese before putting in the oven.
Bake at 350 until bubbly and top has slightly browned, usually about 30 minutes.
Enjoy!






   

Jack Jack meets the Easter Bunny

Just wanted to post a picture of Jack and the Easter bunny!  Everyone have a blessed Easter!