Cleaning to Packing

Thank the Lord, I am done worrying about having our house immaculately clean (or as close as I could get with a newborn and 2 year old!) As of today, our house is under contract for the exact amount that we have been praying for since we put it on the market. We really do serve a God who is sovereign over all things, including quickly selling houses when the market is certainly less than ideal. In the 3-4 weeks it's been on the market, 7 people came to look at it. (And it hasn't even made it into a real estate book yet!) Yesterday a couple put an offer on it, we countered this morning, then they came back and offered $1000 less than the number we had been praying. We decided that was close enough, so we accepted it. When Kevin spoke with our realtor, he told her that we were hoping for $1000 more, but we were ok with what we were getting. Without us knowing, she called the other realtor and basically told him we would take the original number we were hoping for, and the deal was done. In the meantime, Kevin and I had both individually been praying and walking in faith that God would make up the extra $1000 somehow along the way. It is so awesome to see God so specifically answer our prayers!

Kevin is going to take one last trip down to Clemson on Thursday to look at a few more houses, and hopefully we will be able to make an offer on a house there soon.

So now, on to packing, and praising the God who always faithfully provides!

Big brother

Well, we made it through our first day without my mom here and Kevin having to work most of the day. Krieg was less than pleased with just having me around to play with and has figured out that having Karis around means less attention for him. But as much as that disappoints him, he still really likes her! He has been such a great big brother! He loves to show her things-toys, games, and all the things he can do. He has been really helpful to bring things to me for her, and he loves to rub her head and give her kisses. What a sweet kid!
I have been super thankful that Karis has finally figured out her days and nights, and I've actually been able to get some sleep. She is proving to be a better sleeper in general than Krieg, which for anyone who knew Krieg as a baby, is such a blessing. He was a horrible sleeper, both night and day. She, however, seems to get the whole napping and nighttime sleep pretty well. I have been praying since the time we found out we were pregnant that she would be a better sleeper than Krieg, so I'll chalk this one up to God's grace toward me!

She's here!

Karis Jordan was born on Tuesday at 11:30AM. Labor was fairly short and without many complications. The doctor let us come home from the hospital after just 24 hours, which we were super thankful for. Now we are all hanging out at home trying to adjust to life as a family of four (with the addition of my mom for a little while!). Here are a few shots of Karis, and his proud big brother. I have to admit, there are a lot less pictures this time around. Seems Kevin and I's hands are both a bit more full and busy this time around.

recipes

A few people have asked me for these recipes lately, so I thought I would just post them up here for anyone else that's interested...

Peanut Butter Hummus

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Peanut butter
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbps minced parsley (I usually omit)

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Add water to desired consistency.

Thai Chicken Pizza
(I'm not very exact on measuring in this one-sorry!)

1/2 cup peanut butter
about 1 tsp rice vinegar
about 1 tsp soy sauce
few shakes of ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
about 1/2 small chopped onion
1-2 carrots, shredded
12 oz or so chicken breasts in bite sized pieces
pizza crust (I use pillsbury)
shredded mozzarella
cilantro

Combine peanut butter, 1/4 cup warm water, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, red pepper. Set aside
Cook chicken in skillet over medium heat with a little oil. Remove from pan and toss with a spoonful or two of Peanut sauce to coat.
Cook onion, carrots and garlic in same pan until tender crisp
Roll out dough on sprayed pan. Cover with Peanut sauce. Top with chicken, carrot mix and cheese. Bake 11-14 min on 400. Top with cilantro before serving

Turkey Burgers
(This in one of our family favorites-Krieg included!! Even the college boys that come over like them.)

1 lb ground turkey
1 small/med zucchini, grated
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
a few shakes each of garlic powder, minced onions and basil

Combine all ingredients and form into 4-5 patties.
You can cook on grill, on a grill pan on the stove, or broil in the oven. All work great.

Top with favorite condiments and serve on a bun or Kaiser Roll.

It's what boys do

Today was a great reminder that Krieg is all boy! It was beautiful out, so after his nap, Krieg and I went outside for the afternoon. We joined Daddy in shoveling mulch into the wheel barrow (I gave Krieg a trowel, which seemed to satisfy him.) Then after 30 min of scooping up mulch, he discovered the large mounds of dirt left over from where we cut two big trees down a few months ago. I guess it never occurred to him that he could dig/scoop/climb in all of it until today. But he was as happy as could be just covered from head to toe in it. I'm thankful for one mom that I used to babysit for that taught me to let her kids play in mud and dirt b/c her clothes only cost 50 cents at the consignment sale. She didn't think twice about the stains all over them! What a great philosophy of parenting- especially for a boy!
Another 1st for the day- roasted marshmellows. Kevin was doing some burning in the yard and last week we read Curious George Goes Camping. It was only fitting that I buy some marshmellows for Krieg to try! He loved them and had them all over his face! (Sorry I didn't get a picture of that one. My hands were covered in marshmellow goo!)

So what do you do when you've been up since 5AM not able to sleep, wishing that it was because you were having contractions? Post cute pictures of your kiddo of course!
In honor of the olympics, we pulled out the ski goggles. Can you see a pattern going on in our house. Actually, I think it's more boredom than anything. Any of you moms of toddlers have some fun ideas for not expensive activities for us to try? Yesterday we spent at least an hour and a half playing with dried beans- scooping, dumping, measuring, you name it. I'm anticipating being stuck in the house even more than normal once Karis is born, and dreading Krieg's boredom of his toys even more. So I'm trying to amass all the ideas for creative playing while I can. I'd love your help!