Yummy Soup

This is an excellent recipe. It is actually a Pampered Chef recipe but I've changed a few things along the way. My revisions are along the bottom.

Chicken Posole Verde
1 T Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves
1 can White Hominy - drained
2 c. Chicken Broth
1 c. water
1 c. Med Green Enchilada Sauce
1 t. Oregano
2 c. Diced Cooked Chicken
1 c. thinly sliced green cabbage
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime

In a med. sized pot, saute pressed garlic in olive oil for about 1 min - stir constantly or it will get hard. Add rest of the ingredients to the the pot. You can save the cilantro and cabbage for garnish.

My variations: I don't always have enough chicken broth so I add extra water and some chicken bouillon (chicken base). How much you add depends on how salty you want it. I also add some cilantro as it cooks. I also add about 2 cups cabbage as it cooks and then save some for garnish. Sometimes I add more or less chicken depending on how much I have.

This is one of my favorite soups!!

Just some ramblings....

Here is my beautiful daughter Amaya smiling at her daddy

Last Thursday during her nap I saw her on the monitor and she was putting her hands inside her diaper and then wiping them on the bed. I was very concerned since there is always a chance that she is what we call "poopy." =) So I had Chad go up there to check. He was making noise and she heard him so she started running to the other end of the crib and by the time he got to her she was completely naked.....LOL. Sooo funny!

Last Thursday night Amaya was crying as I put her to bed saying, "rock-ie a little bit." That's what she says when she wants either Chad or I to rock her more. Usually when we put her to bed she has already been rocked so tonight was no different. I gave her a "talking to" and told her that Mommy and Daddy go to bed just like Amaya. She said with her big tear filled eyes and voice, "and Makiyah." So I said yes and she actually went to bed without a big fuss. Lately it's been more of a challenge but she's always fallen asleep on her own. After I told her that we went to bed too she actually seemed to understand. Again I'm amazed at my daughter...and yes Samaria, "she's pretty smart, I must say." =)

Wednesday a week ago we had a great couples life group. The discussion was about fighting fair. We talked about things that have worked for us and things that haven't worked so well. It made me think about how I deal with an argument. I often shut down and don't say anything. Growing up there was no room for discussion in the arguments I saw. I really don't like to argue so I would rather say nothing. It doesn't mean I'm not angry or mad inside, it just means I don't express it. A few weeks ago, I was praying and the Lord told me I need to "speak more." I know this is so true. I pray that God helps me to open up and talk more to express myself better. I have so many thoughts on the inside of me. God made me this way and it's ok. I have to tell myself this over and over.

Pastor David reminded me of my ring story....if you've never heard it, let me know and I'll post something about it. It has to do with an argument Chad and I had shortly after we were married. It's pretty crazy.

Proud Papa

...that's what I think God is when we realize (with joy) that only God could have caused a situation to turn out a certain way. He looks down on us like a PROUD PAPA because He sees our joy and happiness.
The inspiration for this blog post comes from a friend who sent an email to me today. It came through facebook and totally made my day. The subject of the email was 'From Death to Life.' In the email was a story of how the doctor wanted them to schedule a DNC (scraping the uterus) because he was sure their baby had died. Instead the parents requested an ultrasound...and what did they see? A beating heart. Oh and the story does not end there...that baby with the beating heart in the ultrasound is now a healthy 5 day old. All of the above took place last summer.

As I was reading that email, I just thought of how God must have been looking down at that moment and just smiled like a proud papa does when something happens that his kids really like.
Even as I write that it doesn't seem to do justice to the way He feels about us.
I love that she sent me that email because even as I'm sitting here typing this, I feel His overwhelming love for me!!
God loves me...He loves me....He loves me....HE LOVES ME!!

Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross so that I can "feel" that love anytime I want. Thank you Jesus for being totally selfless and willing!

I pray that you have moments like this today, that you have moments when you can feel His overwhelming love for you! I pray that you feel that love right now!

Good-bye Goober

This past week our outside dog Goober went to doggie heaven. On Tuesday morning Chad was out and about with Amaya and I was at home when our neighbor called to let us know that Goober had died and was outside his house. She liked to go over there at night since his renter liked to let her inside. We still don't know what happened. It could simply be old age. Chad said he thought she was about 15 years old. Here is a pic of her about 5 weeks ago with Chad and Amaya in the last big snow storm we had. I wasn't that attached to her but I am sad that she is no longer around. She's been around ever since I've known Chad and it was always nice to see her when I got home at night. I also found comfort knowing that she chased the coyotes away. She was also great with Amaya and other kids. I'm finding that I do miss her.

Cute Sayings by Amaya

1. "Whoa...what was dat?"
She said this after we went over a little hill in the van. Must have tickled her belly.

2. "No daddy that's my potty."
This is what she said to Chad when he was sitting on the toilet. LOL

3. ""No Zinger that's my too-ooys (toys)."
We were at Chad's grandmothers's house and her dog was smelling her little stroller with her dolls in it and she wanted to let him know that they were her things.

4. "Barack Omama...Yay"
I have to set this one up for you. On the day of his inauguration, we were listening to a talk show pretty much all afternoon where they were talking about him. (Chad and I hadn't talked about him much so she never heard us say his name.) I had a doctor appointment so we were in the car listening to another talk show when all of a sudden she said, "Barak Omama." It was so funny and totally out of the blue. Obviously she can't say it quite correctly adding to the humor of it. Later that night we were watching TV and they must have said his name because all of sudden she said the above phrase. We laughed so hard.

5. "Amaya Kaylan Bolltors"
Yep yep she knows her full name...can't quite pronounce her last name yet but it's not exactly Smith ya know. =)

6. "Makiyah Lane Bolltors"
And she knows her brother's name too.

7. "He's eating"
This phrase started almost the day we brought Mak home from the hospital. Everytime I start to feed Mak, she says it with a shake of her head..it's quite cute.

8. "See you in the mo'nin"
Every night when we tuck her in bed, we tell her, "we'll see you in the morning." One day she was playing with her baby dolls and her baby doll pack and play and she put (more like threw) her baby doll in the pack and play and said, "see you in the mo'nin"

9. "Turn off the moon"
She calls the light in her room the moon. So every night after we tuck her in, she says this.

10. "I drink all my milk"
This one isn't so cute but it is the first full sentence that she said.

11. "Good Job Amaya"
We use this phrase a lot - (positive reinforcement) so she started saying it when she accomplished something or said something that she felt was good. =)

I can hardly believe I have a little girl saying sentences. Time flies so fast. I look at her and I'm totally amazed at her. God has blessed us so much!! One day you have a baby that says a lot of things in mumbo jumbo fashion and the next you have a toddler that is saying sentences.
I hope you all enjoy a good laugh because I do every time I think about these!

Update on Amaya

I posted Thursday about starting Amaya on antibiotics. On Friday the lump under her skin in her neck had grown so after talking to our doc at Riley we decided to go see him on Friday. He was perplexed as to why it had returned this time because he had completely tied off the tract that was supposedly causing the lumps or cysts in the first place.
He stuck a needle in the lump to see if he could draw any puss or fluid out. Nothing came out which is good. He explained that the tissue was just inflamed - causing the lump. He also noticed what looked like one of the stitches poking through the skin. They were supposed to dissolve but didn't so that is potentially what the infection is from....which would mean that it's not same thing as before...Praise God!

It is good to hear some potentially good news (meaning it's not the same as the original infection).
Have you ever wondered when you're finally going to get some good news about a situation? It can be trying at times.

So many things...

Amaya had surgery for the second time at the end of January. Tonight Chad and I both noticed that the surgery scar had a bump under it. Bumps are why she had surgery in the beginning. Right now I'm frustrated and a little concerned that it seems to be returning again. If you are reading this, please pray for my little girl...we appreciate it!
I'm tired of giving her antibiotics.

So this week has been a week of not getting stuff done.
Yesterday I started washing dishes. When I was almost done, it was time to feed Mak. So I never drained the water.
Monday, I went to Walmart to get some ingredients to make soup on Tuesday. I still have not made the soup. The soup requires a lot of chopping and cutting up so it takes time and I still have not made it.
I started clearing off my huge kitchen counter...it gets cluttered again before I'm even halfway done.
Tonight I started washing dishes and well the water is still there. I had Mak in a carrier the entire time and was doing a little "go to sleep dance."
There's a ton of laundry in our bedroom needing to be folded....

....this post is halfway done and guess what? Baby Mak needs me

Ever have one of this weeks? Whew....

Here's the most recent pic of our little man.