Check Ups

Raina and Remy both had well child check-ups this week. Remy is 23.5 pounds and 32 inches; Raina is 37 pounds and 40 inches. Both are healthy and right on track. Remy had 3 shots and needed a little extra TLC for a day or so, but is doing fine now.

Ultrasound

I had my 20 week ultrasound yesterday--my first one that used the 4D technology, so we can see the baby's features without it looking like an alien. True to form, we're waiting to find out if it's a boy or girl. Everything looks good, although they want to do another ultrasound in a month because they didn't get all the views of the heart and cord insertion they wanted because of the position the baby was in. Raina came with me, and when the nurse called my name (Jennifer), Raina said, "That's not Jennifer! It's mommy--mommy Jenny!" The nurse got a chuckle out of that.
Since they put some ultrasound pictures on a CD for me, it's easy for me to share.
Profile (head on the left):

The face, with hand by the nose:

Side view of the face, with hand and arm:

Front view of the face, with the hand still there (the ultrasound tech said it would be interesting to see if the baby likes to sleep with his/her hand up by the face):

Gooseberry Falls

While my family was visiting for a couple of days, we made a stop at Gooseberry Falls. It was nice and warm out, so the kids enjoyed splashing in the water.

Happy 4th of July!

We started out the day with red, white and blue pancakes (blueberry pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream on top). Then we were busy at the store all day. When we got home, we grilled Polish Sausage and hot dogs and also had taco salad and watermelon (which I got for free for buying the Polish Sausage and buns). For dessert we had Cherry Cheese Pie.
While we were waiting for it to get dark, the kids and I watched the Boston Pops Fireworks Extravaganza. Then we went outside where Barry set off some little fireworks in the back yard. We could see many of the town fireworks over the tree tops, and all the kids were quite impressed. We had a fun day!

Cherry Cheese Pie:
1 graham cracker pie crust
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 can cherry pie filling
Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add sweetened condensed milk. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into crust. Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Serve with chilled cherry pie filling on top. Very good and very easy!

Raina Turns 4!

Yesterday was Raina's 4th birthday. She picked vanilla cake with strawberry frosting and sprinkles. We also had cheeseburgers and french fries. She really wanted balloons on her birthday, so we also had lots of balloons for her to play with. She had a fun day, and is growing up so quickly! See her change through the years:

Happy Birthday, Jackson!

Jackson turned 9 years old today! It's hard to believe he's 9 already. We had a pretty low key birthday at home, but he got pancakes and bacon for breakfast, cake and ice cream, and didn't have to do any extra chores. I think he had a good day. Here are a few pictures from birthdays past:

Recipe Time

Sometimes when I get in a rut for meal time, I go through cookbooks and recipes I've collected looking for new things to cook. Tonight we had Teriyaki Chicken Packets.
You need:
4 chicken breasts
4 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-20 oz. can of chunk pineapple
1 medium red pepper cut in strips (I used a small red and a small orange)
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
2 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. fresh ground ginger (I didn't have fresh and used ginger out of a spice jar)
Use 4 sheets of aluminum foil, 12 x 18. Put a chicken breast in the center of each one, top with green onion, peppers and pineapple. Mix teriyaki sauce, brown sugar and ginger and spoon over chicken. Fold the aluminum foil at the top and sides, leaving room for heat to circulate. Cook at 450 for 18-22 minutes. You can also cook these on the grill.
We ate this with brown rice and some (cooked) frozen peas.
By the way, if you've never tried brown rice, you should! It's really easy to cook (1 cup rice, 2 cups water, 1 T. butter or oil, bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 35-45 minutes) and is better for you than white rice.