Are you ready for some pictures?

So I've been accused of being the "worst blogger ever" in my comments. I agree, this has been one long hiatus from blog world. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things and post more often. For now, this post should tide everyone over for a long time because I have lots of pictures to share. Some of them even date back to early June, so bear with me.

Sleepover with the Rich girls

NSMC Cancer Walk 2008

First trip mini golfing!

Jenn at her baby shower

York Zoo

Introducing Jenn and Matt's baby Charlie - born on Monday, July 28th

These pictures were taken today. We took a boat ride with the Coughlin family. The weather was great and it was very relaxing. It almost felt like we were on vacation!

What's worse than morning sickness? (Go ahead, laugh.)

Having twins that are both running fevers and taking turns using their "puke bowls". We've been up since 4 on a makeshift bed on the couch. It was a rough night. But Hillary was more than excited when she realized that she is sick just like the kids on a recent John & Kate Plus 8 episode. Or as she likes to call it, "John and Cape". This is the current obsession in the house right now. Thank God On Demand has about 6 or 7 episodes that we can watch any time of day.

Did I mention the morning-noon-night-and-every-hour-in-between MORNING SICKNESS! I currently have a growing list of "things I'll never eat again or at least until I have the baby". Topping the list are ribs, ketchup, and coffee. Strange.

Let's just hope I can keep their germs away from Mallory. This should make for an interesting day!

Pregnant with number 4!

Memorial Day 2008

What a great Memorial Day weekend! The weather was perfect, we accomplished lots of yard work (spending the majority of Saturday and Sunday) and still had tons of fun! Sunday afternoon we had a nice visit with Grammy Maxwell, Uncle Keith and Aunt Nancy. We BBQ'd and they even got to meet Rudy for the first time. On Monday we headed over to Nana and Papa Rich's house for a BBQ/pool party. It was a lot of fun! The girls got to swim with most of their cousins for the first time this season. We also had a birthday cake for Elise (couple of days early). Happy 6th birthday Lisi. You are a cutie!

Tasty Tuesday

Tamale Pie Recipe

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons chile powder (more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons cumin (more or less to taste)
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) can green chiles, drained
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (4 ounce) can sliced ripe olives, drained
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/3 cup water
1-pound of prepared cornbread mix (such as Jiffy or Bob's Red Mill).Whatever is needed according to cornbread mix instructions to make the cornbread batter (water, egg, oil, milk)


Method
1 Preheat oven to 375°F.
2 Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Add the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the ground beef has browned on all sides. Remove from heat. Drain excess fat if necessary (if you are using lean beef, there shouldn't be excess). Add salt, chile powder, and cumin.
3 Mix in tomatoes, chiles, corn, olives, and water. Adjust seasoning. Add more chile powder and cumin if desired. Rub a little olive oil over the insides of a 9x12-inch casserole dish (or use a nonstick cooking spray). Spoon filling into the casserole dish.
4 In a large bowl, prepare the cornbread batter according to the directions on the package. Pour the cornbread batter over the top of the filling in the casserole.
5 Bake for 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over cornbread and place back in oven until melted (10 minutes).
Serves 6-8.

*The changes I made:
increased the salt to 1 teaspoon
increased the cumin and chili powder to about 2 tablespoons (I think it would have been bland otherwise)
added a teaspoon of cayenne pepper (we like heat!)
added a can of black beans, drained and rinsed
served with a tablespoon of sour cream
ALSO, I only bought one box of cornbread mix (8 oz), you'll need two to follow the recipe (didn't seem to matter).

It was very good and the kids even enjoyed it! And the girls happened to be wearing their dresses from Spain today that Nana Marie bought. Seemed to fit in with the theme of the meal!

Through the Eyes of a Child

Ah FIVE posts in one day...can you handle it?

Anyway, just wanted to post something Hillary said to me today. On our car ride home we pass by a cemetary. Because she is only three years old, we've never really discussed the significance of a cemetary. So we're stopped in traffic and she says to me, "Mom, look it's a field of God." It could purely be coincidence that she chose those words or I may be overthinking it, but I don't think so. That's pretty deep for a three year old. Hillary, you are one smart cookie!

School Days

Some random shots before school...and before their hair was brushed!

This one makes me laugh...Hillary is in the background posing!

Ah, it's not just a Coughlin thang anymore...

Who is that strange hooded child?

Oh, it's just Mallory! HA she truly marches to the beat of her own drum!

The Carter's Reception

Congratulations Jenn and Matt! The day was filled with great friends, great food and lots of laughs!

Me, crouching down because Jenn is so short - or I am too tall!

Auntie Mary babysat the girls overnight so Jay and I could enjoy ourselves at the wedding. They had lots of fun!

Always striking a pose!

More Birthday Shout Outs!

Introducing another new baby...

Our friends Ryan and Monique welcomed Summer Ashley-Lynne a few weeks before little Reese. Above is proud Daddy Ryan feeding Summer during a BBQ we had last week.

Also,

Happy Birthday Uncle Andrew!

If you haven't already done so, check out Andrew and Christy's new blog. They've been updating on wedding news and are new homeowners!

You can find them here!

Mother's Day 2008

Only a few weeks behind, right?

The photo above is cousin Kelsey holding the latest addition to the Rich Family Tree, Reese Violet. She is a cutie and I only wish I had a better picture to post - where you can actually see her face! I think she looks just like her big brother, Rex. She is a very lucky little girl (a peanut really) to have such a protective big brother. Rex, I knew you would be caring and attentive! Keep up the good work!