Friday Favorites

I decided to do a blog linkup today for my randoms posts.

 

1. Several people asked about the bacon penne pasta recipe and I think I have shared it before but not sure.  Maybe I meant to, but never did.  And I don't feel like taking the time to find it on here.

 

1 lb box of penne pasta

1 package of bacon

1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

 

Cook bacon but not super crispy.  We got the Bacon Wave for Christmas and we love how quick and  easy it is.  Cook the penne pasta per the box. Drain the pasta and add the cheese (don't throw it in a clump because it will all melt together).  Do this right away when the pasta is hot so it melts the cheese.  Stir and then add the heavy whipping cream and stir more.  Chop or break the bacon into bite size piece (doesn't need to be crumbled) then stir and eat.

 

We love this recipe however it isn't very good as leftovers.  The reheated cheese ends up greasy and dry.  We cook all the bacon the first night but only use half of it with half of the rest of the ingredients.  Then we do the second half the next night.  However my boys love this meal so much that we may not be able to split the recipe much longer.

 

I know my aunt and her family love this meal.  I would love to know what you think!

 

2. I had to make a quick trip for more heavy whipping cream on Wednesday and I saw these.  Kyle loves anything peanut butter and I love Reese's so I decided to get them.  OMG go get yourself some now.  They are amazing.  We have tried the peanut butter ones before but they are not the same.  So good!

 

Casen agrees!

 

3.  I love the way the boys love each other and they love me.  Casen doesn't love pictures and much as Cooper and I think Cooper was holding on a little too tight.

 

Man I love this boy.  After dinner Casen is normally stripped down to his diaper until bath time.  This week Cooper has wanted to strip down to his underwear hence the nakedness.

 

4. Yesterday I had to keep Casen entertained while I tried to function on little sleep and get ready. He kept himself occupied for a long time dumping my hair clips on the floor and then putting them back in the bowl.  It was so cute and it seems like something I did when I was little.

 

5. On the way to work yesterday I needed to get gas and since I was in a bad mood I decided to get some chips.  I saw these XXTRA Flamin Hot Cheetos and I was so excited.  I got those and the original ones and I plan to do a taste test with my sister and mom this weekend.  I can't wait!

Update on Casen

I wanted to provide a little update on Casen.  My last post was here.

 

In my last post Casen had his second hearing test with the same results.  A week or so after that we met with the doctor to confirm what we had already discussed.  I knew an ABR test (Auditory Brainstem Response) was the next step, but we had to go through the official steps of meeting with the doctor.

 

Casen's test is scheduled for October 3rd and at the recommendation of the doctor we are doing the test sedated.  Some choose to do it without sedation, however we agreed that with Casen's age it was best to do it sedated.  The doctor reassured me that he agrees in having the test so we have more definite answers.  The alternative would have been to continue to monitor him, but we just don't want to wait.

 

Since that appointment I have continued to see improvements in Casen's communication.  He has said bah (ball) several times while holding or pointing to a ball.  He has said momma more but still not consistently.  Though I am starting to think that he knows it is my name and not just mumbling.  This week he has said 'daw' while pointing to or petting our dogs.  He also signs please and all done when he wants to.

 

This week he has battled some fever and fussiness.  Last night he woke up at 3 and I could tell he wasn't comfortable.  He was tired but couldn't settle down.  His bottom molars are trying to poke through so I suspect that is the cause of our sleep disturbance.  With orajel and ibuprofen he still wouldn't go back to sleep.

Then when I got to day-care this morning I saw this.. I wanted to climb back there and nap with him

 

So I wrote this post around 9 this morning and never got to post it.

 

Well at 11:28 (2 minutes before I left work for a half day of vacation) I got a phone call from day-care saying that Casen had been fussy all day and had a rash.  I reminded them (I had already told the teacher that morning) that he was likely fussy because he had been up since 3am.  They said that because of the rash he had to be picked up. 

 

Kyle and I had a meeting for our house and Casen tagged along.  Then we hurried back to north Fort Worth to see the doctor.  The doctor confirmed what I suspected and that it was viral and nothing we could do but let it run its course.  Since we got a doctor's note he can go back to day-care tomorrow which is good because I am traveling for work.

 

I must say that Casen showed off for the doctor a bit and then some more when we got home.  I have been working with him on his basic sign language and it seems to be paying off (day-care uses it as well).  For the doctor he signed more and please.  Then tonight he signed more, please, all done, and thank you.  I couldn't help but get teary-eyed seeing him sign.  Not only is his communication improving with sign language but he also did he each sign after I asked him which proves he heard me.

 

I am very anxious to finally get answers next Friday but I am also scared.  I keep hoping that the results are better than expected. I don't think I am really prepared for them to confirm any hearing loss.  We would appreciate your thoughts and prayers for the next week.

 

 

What a day

Yesterday was our 7th wedding anniversary.  If you want to see some pictures from our wedding day click here.

 

We discussed our anniversary briefly on Sunday because we got a card from Kyle's parents.  Let's just say if that card hadn't shown up someone would have forgotten about our anniversary and it wasn't me. 

 

Monday morning was just another day and it wasn't until I got to work that I stopped to say happy anniversary and I love you to my husband. 

 

I got a phone call at 11 that Casen was running a fever and had to be picked up.  I raced out of the office and it wasn't until I was almost to day-care that I realized I had no way to get into our house.  I called my MIL and asked to hangout at their house, but realized I didn't have diapers, wipes, Tylenol, a sippy cup, change of clothes....

 

So I called Kyle and told him I was coming up to his work to get the garage door opener.  Unfortunately because of his company he had to waste an hour of vacation to meet me for 5 minutes! Sucks!

 

When we finally got home I fed Casen and put him down for a nap.  I did some work from home and watched some of the Twilight movies that I had DVR'd over the weekend. I did get to hangout with this sweet boy while Casen napped. 

 

 

Our anniversary is also Ranger's birthday.  I can't believe he is already 8 years old!

Casen woke up from nap feeling crummy still, but another dose of medicine and he was fine the rest of the evening.

 

 

Kyle and I made Bacon Penne Pasta for dinner because it is a family favorite.  Making the meal is time sensitive because you need to melt the cheese with the hot noodles.  Kyle went to pour the heavy whipping cream in and it was solid!  We had just bought it the day so no clue why it was solid.  Kyle ran to Aldi close by to get more (we don't ever shop there but it is super close) and he came back empty handed.  We ended up modifying the recipe and...IT SUCKED! The noodles ended up soggy and it just wasn't good.  We were so disappointed.

 

After we put the boys to bed I went for a run.  I have decided to up my goal to 2.25 for the next two weeks.  Despite the disappointing evening the weather was gorgeous and I had a great run.

 

 

When I got back from my run I went and got milkshakes for Kyle and I and we watched a new episode of Big Bang Theory before heading to bed.

 

It was just one of those days that was off and disappointing.

 

The good news is that Casen slept all night and is fever free this morning.  Kyle stayed home with him and will take him to day-care later.

Cooper's First Soccer Game

Get ready for way too many pictures but I can't help myself.  Be glad I didn't post all 140 I took!

 

Cooper had his first soccer game/scrimmage this Saturday.  This is our first time to do any sports and we decided to go with a league called i9.  It is a national league that we have no experience with but we went with them because they were one of the only leagues in our area that has a program for 3 year olds.  This league is a little different than most.  They have practice just 30 minutes before the game instead of having a separate night during the week for practice.  This is convenient for the parents.  All of the teams have the same jersey that are reversible between white and navy.  I would have preferred a colored jersey with a fun team name on it but whatever.

 

We did not have any meetings prior to this day so they met their coaches, teammates, practiced, and had a scrimmage all on the first day.  I had no expectations for Cooper because I know it takes time for him to warm up in new situations.

 

Cooper and Aiden are on the same team (we requested it)

 

Listening to the couch. Cooper is #4 and Aiden is #9.

 

Cooper didn't want to practice but after a little convincing he got out there and did great.

 

Looks like a pro to me!

 

The next three below are Aiden.

 

My sweet #4! And I love that he is #4 because his birthday is on the 4th.  My favorite number growing up was always 22 for my birthday.

 

Look at that smile after he kicked a goal!  He was so happy he ran to his cheering section off the field.  Luckily this was still practice time.

 

And his second shot

 

Seriously look at that smile!!

 

Team huddle before the game!

 

Ready for game time

 

Sweet baby brother! Ha! Don't be fooled by this picture.  Casen was all over the place.  He was more into soccer than his big brother.  But luckily we had lots of family there to wrangle him.

 

Ok so in the interest of full disclosure and accurate memory keeping.  The picture below is the only time Cooper touched the ball the entire game.  He was in the game a couple of times but each time he just stood there watching others, watching us on the sideline, or staring off in space. He was definitely not a go getter.  At one point he was in the backfield while everyone else was on the other side.  Then they turned and came his direction.  We all screamed for Cooper to go after the ball and he literally stood there and didn't budge.  It was hilarious and adorable.

 

 

Here are pictures of the rest of the kids.  I took a lot of pictures and hope to share them with the other parents at the end of the season.  We have some great players.

 

Sweet Aiden #9!

 

By the second half most of the kids were 'over it.'  Cooper and Aiden enjoyed playing with the cones!

 

We enticed Cooper to get back into the game by telling him to get the ball and take it to Grandpa.  Well he just ran straight to Grandpa. This makes me think of the movie Angels in the Outfield when they tell the little boy to 'run home' and he literally ran home.

 

By the second half we had lots of parents on the field with their kids to get them out there.  I think this made us all feel better.

 

Tiffany joined Aiden.

 

One little girl (#7) wanted nothing to do with soccer but her dad took her out on the field and carried her around.  She looked like a little player off of a foosball table as he swung her around.  It was hilarious.

 

Daddy was offering to go out with Cooper.

 

He wasn't so sure he cared anymore.

 

After a pep talk he insisted he was done and they came back off the field.

 

 

Cooper had a lot of fun and enjoyed the post game snacks! (isn't that the best part for most kids?) We unofficially (they don't keep score the first week) won our first game 3-2.  One of our goals was scored by the other team : )

 

And of course the all star took the time to stop and take some pictures with his fans.

 

Mimi and Grandpa

 

Uncle Tyler and his girlfriend Katie

 

Babi and Grandaddy

 

 

 

Thank you to all of our family that came to watch Cooper play.  It meant so much to us.  Cooper definitely had the most number of fans.  Cooper is the first grandchild on both sides to play sports so the grandparents loved getting to go to their first sporting event as grandparents.  Plus we appreciated the help wrangling Casen.

 

Cooper did so good and we all had a great time.  I think the kids all did awesome especially considering from start to finish we where out there for nearly 2 hours.

 

I am so excited for next week to see how the kids do.  Our little all star might do a little soccer practice one night this week with his daddy : )

 

Sorry (but not sorry) that this is such a long post.