Peanut Butter Pie

Today is Paul's birthday (happy birthday babe!)

To celebrate, I made Peanut Butter Pie.

I kind of adapted this recipe from two I already had; one from Kraft and one from Tasty Kitchen.

Ingredients:

1 Oreo pie crust (6 oz.)

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed

1/4 cup hot fudge (ice cream topping)

Beat cream cheese, sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until blended. Fold in Cool Whip. Spoon mixture into crust. Drizzle hot fudge on top and gently swirl with a knife. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

This was the first time I've tried this recipe. I brought it to the field house (Paul had to work on his birthday. boo) and it got the seal of approval from all of the coaches, which in my world, means it's a keeper. 

Enjoy!

first trimester in a nutshell

Even though we just broke the news on here last week, I feel like I've been pregnant forever (yikes, I still have over 5 months to go)! I am officially in my second trimester, but I thought I'd do a little recap of the first one.

Week 4: I found out I was pregnant when I was 4 weeks along. I felt really good: excited, a little tired, sore boobs, kinda crampy, but otherwise normal.

Week 5: Same as week 4, but a new symptom revealed itself: heightened sense of smell, which was particularly bothersome when walking anywhere near the school cafeteria. Ew.

Week 6: This is when it all went downhill. I started feeling nauseous-I wouldn't really call it "morning sickness," more like "all day sickness" woof.

Week 7: Constant nausea, throwing up, loss of appetite, and bad taste in my mouth. We took a trip to New York to visit a friend and lets just say, I now have an aversion to New York. The smells, the heat, and the crazy cab rides do not mix well with pregnancy hormones. We also had our first ultrasound this week where we got this beautiful picture. It was a relief to see the heartbeat and know that everything was looking good so far :)

Week 8: Nauseous, throwing up, no appetite, bloated, tired. This is the week I officially stopped wearing pants unless they has a stretchy waist. All other pants felt so uncomfortable when they pressed on my stomach. This was also the last week of school before summer break wahoo!

Week 9: Same symptoms as above. Thank goodness I was on summer break because it was hard to do anything but lay on the couch. The only thing I could manage to force down my throat was carbs-this is what my kitchen counter looked like.

Week 10: Same symptoms as above. I finally called my doctor in desperation and he prescribed me some anti-nausea medication. It wasn't a cure-all, but it helped!

Week 11: Same symptoms. We had our 12 week appointment and got to do another ultrasound which I was thrilled about! It was amazing to see how much the baby had changed in 4 short weeks. What looked like a bean before, looked like a baby now. We got to see him/her move its little hands and feet. That was the coolest experience. I wish I could see that every day!

Week 12: Same symptoms. Even when I wasn't feeling terribly sick, I just didn't feel normal. I felt like a stranger in my own body. I went up to Boulder and my mom took me shopping for my first maternity clothes.

Week 13: Same symptoms, but slowly starting to feel less nauseous. We went to visit Paul's parents for the week and it felt so good to float in the lake every day!

Week 14: Second Trimester!! Finally starting to feel better. Still feeling nauseous on occasion, but not nearly as often. Praise the Lord!

I've been trying to take a belly pic every week since I found out. I missed a few here and there, but here's what I did get..

So there you have it, the first trimester in a nutshell :)

So Excited...

And We Just Can't Hide It!!!

God has blessed us with a baby due in January!

We are OVER THE MOON!

Pink or Blue?

My friend Rachel had a little gender reveal dinner last week. It was really low-key with just a few people, but it was so fun! She had us meet at a restaurant in Boulder. When we came around the corner, this is what we saw...

Her husband, Ben, is so funny. He jumped up and said, "It's a BOY!!" Poor guy is gonna be out-numbered :)

I'm so excited they're having a little girl! We had all been trying to guess for the last few weeks and couldn't wait to find out.  I'm pretty sure everyone guessed girl. Rachel had looked up all of the old wives tales and gender charts and everything was pointing towards pink. She even did some crazy test where she threaded a strand of her hair through a needle and held it above her wrist. Apparently, the needle swung in a circle which meant she was having a girl. I usually don't believe in old wives tales, but I guess in this case it was true!

I wish I would have taken a picture of the adorable little hat I bought for her (I bought a boy gift too, just in case). It was purple with a big flower on it-so fun! 

My fellow CW's in Boulder. I just love these girls. We sat at the restaurant for 4 hours, and I seriously could have stayed longer. We had so much fun talking and catching up. 

I'm so happy for Rachel and Ben and I CAN NOT wait to meet little miss Cora Michelle in November!

Happenings

Here's what we've been up to lately...


* A spring break trip to Oak Island, NC where I got to see my parents' house that's in the process of being built. I had never been to this part of NC and it was so fun to finally see it in person instead of just imagining it! I absolutely love the island and the little town, Southport, that's nearby.

The house will be finished this summer and I can. not. wait. to hang out on the deck and soak up this view..

 Looking forward to making some wonderful memories here with my family in the years to come :)


* An Easter egg hunt with my kiddos at school..

Man, those kids are crazy for some candy. It was so funny to see them run after the eggs as if their lives depended on it.

And celebrating Easter in Boulder with family and friends..

I just love Easter. Not only because of what it represents, but also because it's the day Paul and I got engaged. This year was extra special because Easter was on April 8th, which is the same date Easter fell on when we got engaged 5 years ago.


* The CSU-P spring football game..

My parents came down from Boulder for the weekend and Paul's parents came up from MO. We had gorgeous weather which made for a perfect day to watch some football. It definitely got me excited for football season..only 4 more months! It was so fun to have our parents here for the weekend. I know I've said this on here before, but I just love that my parents and Paul's parents are such great friends. Paul and I feel so blessed by that.


* Blue Tie Gala for the Pueblo Child Advocacy Center..

This was a fun event that we went to with some of the other coaches that Paul works with. Not only do I love an excuse to dress up, but this event was for a cause very close to my heart-supporting victims of child abuse. I've seen enough from working in the school district this year, to know that child abuse is a very real problem that affects way too many children. Please pray for those affected.

I love seeing the hub all dressed up :)

* Getting ready for the end of the school year (3 more weeks!) and Pre-K graduation. I can't believe we only have 3 weeks left. Tami and I have been working on the kids' portfolios and the slide show for graduation. I'm so excited for summer, but truth be told, I'm really gonna miss these kiddos.. 

Well, that about sums it up. It's been a great Spring!

Spring Has Sprung

Happy First Day of Spring Everyone!

The temps are rising, the flowers are budding, the days are getting longer.....and I'm loving every bit of it. 

So, in honor of this lovely season, it's time for another addition of Things I'm Loving Right Now.

1. Arnold Palmer (the drink, not the golfer)

For those that don't know, Arnold Palmer=1/2 lemonade, 1/2 iced tea. I've been drinking these everyday. 

Y'all know how much I love iced tea anyway, but add a little lemonade to the mix, and nothing is more refreshing on a warm day. I really like the Gold Peak tea and the Newman's Own lemonade, but nothing beats the homemade Arnold Palmers that my dad makes :)

2. Reading on my back porch after school

Last week the temps were in the high 70s/low 80s. It was so gorgeous! Combine that with an extra hour of sunlight (thanks daylight savings!) and a good book, and that's what I call a great afternoon. I just finished The Kite Runner and now I've moved on to this one. It's pretty good so far-a nice, light read.

And speaking of books, that brings me to number 3.

3. The Hunger Games-the movie

via

I seriously can't wait for this movie to come out. I've been counting down the days (3 more left!) I loved reading these books, and the best part is, so did Paul. He's looking forward to the movie just as much as I am. I think I see a date night in our near future!

4. Pretzel M&Ms

I have nothing else to say.

5. Essie nail polish in lilacism

I am just loving this color for Spring. It's the perfect shade of pastel purple and I think it's so cheerful.

6. L'OREAL tan towels

I'm not usually a big "self-tanner," but on a whim, I decided to try these, and I was pleasantly surprised. They're pretty much fool proof-no weird orange streaks for me!-and they leave you with a subtle glow. Just enough to make a few of my co-workers ask if I had gotten some sun.

7. Spring Break

via

Next week is my Spring Break and I can. not. wait. I'm going to Oak Island, North Carolina with my parents to check out the house they're building on the beach. I've never been to that part of NC, so I'm anxious to see it, and the progress on the house. I also get to see my sister!!! I haven't seen her since her wedding in November, which is way too long. I miss her. I'm so looking forward to a relaxing week with family!

What are y'all lovin this Spring???

Dr. Seuss Day

Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday!

We had fun celebrating in my class all week long.

We read a different Dr. Seuss book each day and then did an activity to go along with it. 

Some of the things we did were so cute that I just had to share.

On Monday we read The Cat in the Hat and then the kids made their very own hats. They even cut them out all by themselves  :)  Once they were finished, we did a little parade around the school so the "big" kids could see. 

I wish I could show you these little darlings' faces. They are so sweet!

We made these Thing 1 & Thing 2 characters (also from The Cat in the Hat) out of the kids' hand prints.

I found this idea on Pinterest via this website. So stinkin cute!

On Tuesday we read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. 

I found these printables on this website and had the kids practice their counting with colored goldfish crackers. Then they got to eat them, yum!

Wednesday was Bartholomew and the Oobleck. That book is a long one. A little too long for my kiddos, so we kinda had to paraphrase. They loved it anyway and LOVED getting their hands dirty in the Oobleck.

This stuff is so cool; it acts like a liquid when it's being poured, but it feels solid when you touch it.

Here's the recipe: add 1 cup water to 1.5-2 cups corn starch and stir until smooth. You can also add a few drops of food coloring, but we opted not to. 

And of course, Green Eggs and Ham on Thursday. 

We decided to do deviled, green eggs. It was fun for the kids because they got to make their own. They each got two halves of an egg and then they mixed up the yolks with some mustard, mayo, and food coloring. For the ham, we put a few drops of green food coloring in a ziplock bag, added deli ham, and shook it up.

Not gonna lie, it looked so disgusting.

But I was so proud of my kids because they ALL tried it. And guess what?  They loved it!!! They seriously scarfed it down haha.

Such a fun week!

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
-Dr. Seuss