Halfway There

I'm 20 weeks with baby #2, almost 21. I've made it halfway! And since I'm not going the full 40 weeks with this pregnancy, then I'm a little past halfway. Its definitely going faster this time around... Part of me likes that but part of me wishes things would slow down a bit so I could enjoy this pregnancy the way I did when I was pregnant with Riley. Its just hard when you have a 10month old running about. Keeps you busy, which is good on most days:)

This coming Monday we are going to be finding out the sex of this baby... We're hoping for another girl. We're also debating wither or not we should share the news right away or keep people in suspense! We have a few days to decide... You'll know the verdict come Monday afternoon. Pray that all is well with this baby!

Oh and this picture is especially for the grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, great aunts and great uncles:

A Giveaway!

I am doing a giveaway from CSNbaby.com. I had actually never heard of them until recently, but I'm glad that I did. They have everything, from nursery decor to baby gear. I like that they sell so many of my favorite brands like Kolcraft, Valco Baby, Melissa and Doug and Dwell Studios. If its a baby brand, they sell it.

The toy I'll be giving away is the Chomp and Clack Alligator Wooden Push Toy by Melissa & Doug. Push toys are always fun, even if you're past the stage of learning how to walk. Melissa & Doug make great toys and I'm thrilled that CSNbaby.com sells a lot of their stuff!

• All you have to do to enter the giveaway: is be sure you’re a follower and then leave a comment letting me know that you are!

• For a second entry; tweet the giveaway with the following narrative and then leave a second comment letting me know you did:

Green Beans and Little Things is hosting a wonderful giveaway from CSNBaby.com Be sure to enter:)

This giveaway is going to close on October 31st and a winner will be announced on November 2nd!

Baby Riley

We're about a month away from Riley's first birthday. Its hard to believe that a year has almost gone by already. I'm sad its gone by so fast, but I'm so excited for the coming years. I already love the toddler stage (not the tantrums so much...). I think its because I'm now able to communicate with Riley a lot better than when she was younger. I love that when I ask her not to do something she understands. Most of the time she obeys thankfully:) I like watching her come up with words and hand motions for different things. Its fun to read her a book now because she gets excited to turn the pages and point things out to me. And she's funny. I think I'm always laughing at something she's done.

I've been going through photos of Riley from the last few months and its amazing to see her change so much within a short time period. Sometimes I look at her and wonder where my baby went... I don't always recognize the big girl who goes to the pantry herself when she's ready for a snack. or leads me to Leif when I ask her where daddy is. How did we get here?

I am blessed constantly by my daughter. I know people say this all the time, but its true: When you have a child you learn a lot. And I know Leif and I have learned a few things in our first year of parenthood. Hopefully Riley has too? God is so good to have given us Riley and for giving us the opportunity to be parents to her and this next baby. I feel so blessed!

Hashbrown Casserole

My casserole after breakfast

Every other Friday I get together with my friends and we have breakfast. We call it Breakfast Club. I started calling Breakfast Club because I used to meet up with friends at Biola and get breakfast every Friday morning. Its funny that here in Monterey we have Breakfast Club on Fridays too:)

This morning was our second breakfast and I wanted to bring hashbrowns. I didn't want to bring just plain ones, although those are good too. So I searched for a recipe and found a few. Its really simple and you don't even need to follow a recipe really. I was a bit nervous no one would like it but everyone enjoyed it!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of melted butter
• 1-2 pound bag of hashbrowns thawed
• 1 can of cream of chicken or mushroom soup
• 8oz container of sour cream
• 10 oz of shredded cheese
• Either half or one whole chopped onion

Directions:
::Oven should be set to 350 and you should use a 9x13 casserole dish::

• Grease casserole dish
• Mix hashbrowns and melted butter
  
• Mix in onions, sour cream, soup and cheese
• Scoop into dish, sprinkle extra cheese, salt and pepper (or any seasonings you like, I used Lawrys)
  
• Bake for 45minutes-1 hour

*I didn't use the whole container of sour cream, and I didn't use all of the soup. I just used most of it and judged from eyesight. Its really up to you how much you'd like to use. :)