All this talk about hoping spring was around the corner and then I look out my window this morning and it's snowing! Big, huge snowflakes everywhere. Of course they didn't stick but it was pretty for the 15 minutes it lasted! Only in Texas! You may have to click on the picture to see the actual flakes :) 
Okay, I like cold weather for about two weeks and then I'm tired of it! Especially now that we have Jonah. He's finally at that age where he can go outside and ride on his toys or sit in the grass and play. But right now it's just too cold and the poor little guy is stuck inside all day everday. He's going to look back at all his photos as a baby and wonder if I was one of those Moms that wouldn't let their kid outside for fear of him getting dirty or contracting germs. He's going to think he was the boy in the bubble! And a little Vitamin D might do him some good. So if someone could please turn on the sunshine in Dallas I would really appreciate it! I actually took him outside for a few minutes yesterday evening before it was dark so he could ride his on his toy and when I say a few minutes it was literally like 5 minutes (just enough time for a couple of pics). Then it was back inside to the fire in the fireplace to warm our hands!
We headed South again this weekend! Josh had a fraternity meeting in San Marcos at the Delt house so I stayed with Jon, Amy and Kayla in Georgetown. Opa, Oma, and Aunt Jenn also came down so we got to spend some time with them. Amy and I even managed to get away and do a little shopping sans strollers and diaper bags on Saturday afternoon. Opa and Oma babysat Jonah and Kayla for us Saturday night while we went to Casa Ole for dinner. The green sauce brought back a lot of college memories! It was yummy! Josh and Jon were fianlly able to play a little tennis on Sunday and then we headed back home ready to start a new week! I'm just so glad that we don't have anything planned this coming weekend! It will be so nice to just be at home! Though I'm not sure we'll know what to do with ourselves being at home, it's been so long! 
Jonah and Kayla were fascinated with the doggie door!!
How cute is that face??? I love those cheeks! They are very pinchable! I could easily end up being that one Aunt that always pinches Kayla's little cheeks every time I see her!
Ready for a stroll around the neighborhood with Oma and Aunt Jenn. Of course Jonah fell asleep as soon as we put him in the stroller. He's just like his mom when she gets in the car!
We tried this last night and it was quick, really good, and the best part is it's also healthy! So I thought I would share the recipe. Of course it taste best with Daisy Cottage Cheese ;) Enjoy!!
Enchilada Lasagna
What You'll Need
1⁄2 lb ground turkey breast
1 1⁄2 c reduced-fat Mexican-blend or Cheddar cheese (I used more than recommended)
1 c canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 c low-fat, low-sodium cottage cheese (I recommend Daisy of course)
1⁄4 c canned jalapeño peppers, diced
1⁄2 c chopped scallions
2 tsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic, crushed
9 6" corn tortillas
1 c taco sauce
How To Make It
Brown the turkey in a nonstick skillet. Let it cool, then combine it in a bowl with the cheese (reserving 1/2 c), tomatoes, cottage cheese, peppers, scallions, chili powder, and garlic, stirring well. Coat an 11" x 7" baking dish with cooking spray. Place three tortillas in the dish and top with half of the turkey mixture. Layer three more tortillas, then the remaining turkey mixture. Place the last three tortillas on top, pour taco sauce over them, and sprinkle with 1/2 c cheese. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes. Makes 4 servings
Per Serving
437 calories
34 grams (g) protein
43 g carbohydrates
11 g fat (6 g saturated)
893 milligrams (mg) sodium
3 g fiber
I'm 10 months old today!! 
Riley and Jonah not only share a passion for socks but also share a passion for shredding and eating paper. This is what happens when you leave a magazine on the floor in the Jonah danger zone! 
Enemies beware - you will be eaten alive! (and then swept quickly from Jonah's mouth by me!)
This last weekend we were off to San Antonio - one of three trips to the hill country this month for us. But this time it was just me and Josh. No Riley and for the first time since he was born - No Jonah. It was our first overnight trip away from our precious baby! Uncle Jerod and Lauren came to our house and watched him and Riley for us all weekend while we headed to the River Walk. Our very good friends, (also Josh's fraternity brother and my sorority sister)John McKelvy and Susan Vernor were getting married. Josh was a groomsman so we headed down on Friday for the Rehearsal and Rehearsal dinner.
We both took Friday off but if you could have seen us in the car it didn't look like we took the day off. We were the perfect billboard image for today's modern working couple. I was on my laptop using my wireless connection checking emails and on my cell phone listening to conference calls. Josh was on his PDA checking emails and taking calls from his team. I don't think we actually got to talk to each other or listen to the radio until we got to Temple!
But we finally made it to a very cold and wet San Antonio. Even though we started missing Jonah before we left McKinney city limits, we were looking forward to sleeping in and hanging out together. We were also excited to see a lot of our friends from college.
The rehearsal went well and then somehow (it all happened so fast) I ended up accompanying the guys down the River Walk for John's bachelor party! But I can hang with the best of them. So, after a variety drinks and way past my bedtime I decided to take a cab back to the hotel and let the guys have some fun without a girl tagalong.
The next morning I was wide awake by 6:30am. Josh didn't even move. I finally fell back asleep around 9am and slept until 11am. We both woke up and hung out in our room with John (who didn't seem nervous at all) and then we got dressed and headed to the River Walk for lunch. We ate so much food at Landry's that I could barely move. We headed back so Josh could get dressed and walk over to the church which was directly across from the hotel (loved that!) I got dressed and met some of our friends in the lobby and headed over. The wedding was beautiful. It was in a historic Methodist church downtown. Susan looked wonderful and the preacher didn't mispronounce McKelvy. It was perfect. We headed back to the hotel for the reception. We hung out with everyone and danced and a great time. Afterwards we headed to the hotel bar to hang out with John and Susan, then everyone went to Suede, stayed their for about maybe ten minutes and then left and went to the V Lounge at the Valencia Hotel. We found a comfy couch that seated about 20 (felt like we were in the VIP section) and hung out there until they finally kicked us out. It was great catching up with everyone! It's so funny though how our conversations have changed over the years! It used to be about classes, parties, etc. and now it's about jobs, babies, and recipes!
Mr. and Mrs. John McKelvy
Josh and Monda
Josh and John
The guys - Paul Damico, Mike Orpin, Matt Comer, Josh, and Jeff Deitch 
More of the guys - Marc, Greg, Brian, and Ryan
I woke up Sunday morning after the wedding at 5:30am (isn't that ridiculous??) and of course Josh didn't move. I fell back asleep around 6:30am and slept until 9am and then I was really wide awake. So much for sleeping in! LOL. We bid San Antonio farewell and headed home. Of course we had to stop at our all time favorite restaurant on roadtrips - The Stagecoach Inn in Salado. Then we were finally on our way back north so see our little snugglebug! I was excited. Thankfully Jerod had been sending us pictures of Jonah via text messages throughout the weekend so that helped.
We got home and I think Jonah was happy to see us (probably not as happy as we were to see him but that's okay) Riley was excited too. Jerod and Lauren looked happy but worn out(not that Jonah is difficult - he's just very active and likes to keep you on your toes!) We finished watching the playoff game (Go Colts!) and called it a night! It was a good weekend!
I had to title this major Dallas event something dramatic like the news station does! The storm finally hit and we were iced in on Monday and Wednesday. One of the things I have always loved about living in Dallas is that at least once a year (sometimes twice) we have an ice storm and that means everything shuts down, which is actually good because you don't want Dallas drivers driving on ice. They can't even drive in the rain! That also means no one is going to work even if there is only one icicle on their car! Well, now that I work from home I don't have that luxury so while everyone had a couple of days to hang out and do nothing I still had to work. Fortunately Josh was home and helped me out with Jonah while I typed away on my laptop and took conference calls wrapped in a warm blanket sitting in front of my fireplace drinking hot chocolate! Okay - even though I had to work I was determined to take advantage of the cold weather! 
Since Jonah was home he decided to help me out a little around the house with the laundry. I think at first he was a little overwhelmed! 
Jonah figured if he just ate all the clothes then we wouldn't have to wash them. I'm just hoping that those weren't Josh's socks from the gym! 
Did this pile just get bigger or am I getting smaller?? 
Laundry time turned into a one hour game of tug of war with Riley and Jonah and the socks. Apparently they both share a passion for chewing socks. During the game I think Riley must have just been going for anything white because it looks like he tried to grab Jonah's sock and almost took it off! 
I am going to assume Riley won because I found these socks under our bed the next day. 
Now that I have finished all the laundry I can get back to what I do best - playing with my toys!
Jonah had to stay home again because of the ice on Wednesday. This time instead of laundry I entertained him with a clothes basket (seemed to work at Jon and Amy's) and several plastic hangers! 
All bundled up and ready to face the 20 degree windchill outside! 
We started the week of the 12th out on the wrong foot! Josh had a little fender bender with a mini van on the way to work. Fortunately no one was hurt and there was not much damage to his car. The minivan was not as lucky! I had a very stressful week at work and I also ended up having to take my car in to have the brakes checked out. So we rented a car on Friday and headed down South to Georgetown in hopes that Josh and his twin brother Jon would be able to play in a Tennis Tournament in Austin. But Mother Nature had other plans for us and we ended up stuck in Jon and Amy's house all weekend thanks to all the rain and sleet and the tournament being cancelled! The good thing is Jonah and Kayla got lots of playtime in. We, on the other hand, had to start getting creative on how to keep them entertained. A laundry basket and a set of pots and pans seemed to do the trick! The adults did of course what is expected in a rain/ice storm and hung out in their pj's, started a fire in the fireplace, ate lots of really healthy food(including blizzards from DQ, cotton candy, and Mexican food) and watched movies! For the first time Jonah got to eat tortillas, beef and chicken fajitas, rice, and refried beans! He loved it. We left pretty early on Sunday since the weather was getting bad in Dallas and even though they didn't get to play in the tournament it was still a fun and relaxing weekend for all of us. 
"So Jonah - do you know how to drive this thing because I don't!"
Jonah explains to Kayla how kinetic energy is produced when you collide two atoms!
Entertaining Kayla all day has worn me out! It's time for me to kick back, watch a little tv and maybe take a nap!
..and whipped cream. Wait! That doesn't sound right!
Now that I have finally finished posting all of our Holiday pictures I thought I would add a couple of cute pictures that I recently took with the new camera that Josh bought me for Christmas. I'm still learning how to use it but I absolutely love it. Enjoy and have a great week! 
Doesn't Jonah look just like Josh in this picture?? 
New Year's was actually pretty uneventful at our house this year! Vicky came over we all went out for Italian. The food was really good. Jonah ripped the white paper table cloth off the table and knocked over a glass of water but other than that he did really well at the restaurant. I feel bad for the waiter that had to clean up all the Gerber Puffs off the floor but he really wasn't that great of a waiter so I don't feel that bad! ;) We came back home and Jerod and Lauren came over and Vicky made us Grapetinis! They were wonderful! We put on our PJ's and watched Talladega Nights which was hillarious! At Midnight we all watched the ball drop, had a champagne toast and called it a night! Nothing too crazy but it was the perfect ending to what had been an extremely busy year! 
Jonah and Vicky hanging out in his Tent with his turtle. These were his Christmas gifts from his Aunt Vicky and he loves them!
Jerod and Lauren 
Jonah didn't quite make it to Midnight! I think he was asleep by 9pm! Ha!
Josh and I had so much to be thankful for in 2006! We had a beautiful son, and even with a new baby and all the changes that come along with a new baby Josh and I managed to find a balance and actually had a lot of fun as new parents! I'm lucky to have such a wonderful husband and Jonah is lucky to have such a wonderful father! We welcomed a new niece (Kayla) to our family and we've had several friends that were also blessed with new additions this year. It will be so much fun for Jonah to have all of these friends when he is older - especially all the girls! ;) I was able to find a new job after Jonah was born as a Project Manager where I could work from home and not travel. I loved my job at Perot but the travel was no longer an option for me. My company SoftMed recently merged with 3M Healthcare Systems and I'm looking forward to the new opportunities that will bring in 2007. Josh is still with Daisy and his team is constantly growing and in case you haven't heard they have a new product - Cottage Cheese! Have you had your dollop of Daisy today?? ;)
We started attending the Stonebridge United Methodist Church and are looking forward to meeting new families and making new friends. Josh and I were able to go visit a lot of our friends this year that live in Houston and Austin which was a lot of fun. I'm also very thankful for my best friend Vicky! She has been extremely supportive and alwys there when I needed her. I'm so lucky and blessed to have her in my life.
Even though we've had some scares both our families are healthy and doing well. We have also been able to spend more time with our families this last year which I think is so important especially for Jonah. I'm glad that he has been able to spend time with all of his grandparents and even his great grandmother. Riley is still doing great. He hasn't eaten any electrical cords or had to have any emergency surgeries this year and that's always a blessing! I think he's learned to just stick with the Ceasar dogfood! LOL.
We are looking forward to a wonderful 2007! I don't foresee our busy schedules slowing down any in 2007. Our calendar is already getting full and it's just the second week in January! But that's how we like it - busy and out there living life to the fullest! We hope that all of our family and friends have a wonderful year as well and we look forward to getting to spend some time with everyone!
We headed to Hico on Christmas morning to Mimi's house. We had lunch and opened presents and got to spend time with Josh's Uncle Rick, Aunt Michelle, and his cousin's Elliot and Elizabeth from Atlanta. Gran and Uncle Jerod were there and Jonah's Aunt Amy and Cousin Kayla were also able to drive up from Austin. Jonah had a great time and was so worn out from all the excitement, he slept the whole way back to Dallas!
Jonah was more excited about the bows and wrapping paper than the toys. He wanted to help everyone open their presents!
Mimi's New Gardening Hat! 
Uncle Jerod teaching Jonah how to play Chop sticks on the piano! 
