First Camping Excursion of the year!

A few weekends ago, Noah and I met up with some friends to camp near the Skykomish River. The 8 of us had a great time exploring, hanging out, making food, and relaxing. Here are a few pics:
The four guys jumped in right here and floated with the current for a bit. It was some of the coldest water I've ever felt and think they are all crazy for braving the icy waters and the strong current. Here's a decent shot of me and Noah and you can tell my belly is starting to really pop out!
Our good friends Joe and Tracy:

Great success!

A fun week!

Weeks left of teaching:

One 4-day week

Two 5-day weeks

One 3-day week

Hooray! I couldn't be more excited. In addition to counting down the days (17) I just can't wait to transition out of teacher life and focus on enjoying the summer, going on a few short vacations, and getting ready for our baby!

Even though I'm excited for the end of school, it hasn't kept me from enjoying work in the meantime. This week, we enjoyed a surprise event where five Seattle Mariner's and the Mariner Moose came to our school for an assembly.

Then, on Thursday, the entire second grade (over 100 kids) went on a field trip to the Woodland Park Zoo. The kids were so cute and just loved seeing all the animals we've learned about over the year.

Unfortunately, I woke up today with no voice and my sore throat worse than it's been all week. So I thought, "what the heck, I might as well use one more sick day since I'll lose my accrual at the end of the year." The nice thing about this was that I got to see Noah for a bit. He's had so much overtime this month, which is great, but sometimes I can't remember the last time I've seen him awake (he comes home about an hour before I have to get up for work, and has been leaving before I get home). Then, Roxanne and Dawn came over and we all got to go to my ultrasound. My doctor originally ordered this extra u/s to make sure our little guy was growing at the right rate after our last ultrasound gave some smaller measurements. They also said they might change my due date if neccessary. After looking, it looks like they are going to keep my due date at September 24th, but based on the baby's size and gestational age, we could be looking at as late as an early October baby... whoa!

Overall, there are no concerns which was wonderful news. We also had the best radiologist today who was so kind and explained to all of us what we were seeing as she looked at the baby. When she couldn't get a good measurement of his head, she had me get up walk around and jump around a little so he would try to get him to move from his previous position. Sure enough, it worked and we got all of the remaining data the doctor needed. Hooray! Cute little baby feet:

Baby BOY Zech!

Well, we were surprised when the radiologist said boy! It is a wonderful feeling to know and it just makes everything more real in this journey.

So, last night, we had a great time calling friends and family and telling them our good news. Every now and then, we'd catch each others eye and and would find ourselves squealing and practically jumping for joy... not only can we look forward to our son being born, but our life as a growing family as we raise him and love him. God is good!

A day at the Spring Fair

I went with two friends to check out the Spring Fair today. Having been to the one in the fall, I figured it would be the same old stuff. And for the most part, it was. It seemed a little less crowded than the Fall Fair and we got a chance to wander around and take in the sights. I decided to bring my camera along... and I'm glad I did.

My Chili Recipe

Alright friends, you can thank me later for this. I've been making chili that was loosely based off of a couple of recipes for awhile now. And whenever I make it, I almost always wing it and I never manage to write down the ingredients, amounts, and directions. So, today, I did my best and here it is. In short, it is adapted from a publication from Crossfit, a workout program that endorses the Zone Diet and their model for optimal nutrition. Since I really love balanced meals with quality protein, carbs and fats, this chili hits all three of these.

My disclaimer: This recipe can be modified in so many ways, and I usually eyeball the ingredients and substitute when needed. I hate measuring things so when possible I just use the entire item or can instead of measuring it out carefully. You can omit and add items as you like, but personally, I like the combination of flavors as I have it below. This recipe is also very healthy in my opinion, but I have certainly added things in the past like sour cream, cheddar cheese, or beef with a higher fat content. So, give it a try. It's not your average or traditional chili, but is heavy on texture and flavor.

In a large frying pan, saute the following:

• 1/2 onion, chopped (comes out to about a cup)
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1tsp crushed red pepper ( I have subbed tabasco sauce before too)
• 1tbsp + chopped garlic (I use the stuff in the jar when I want to do it quickly... or you can use 3+ cloves crushed and chopped)

Once the peppers start to cook and soften, add:

• 1 to 1.5 lbs lean ground beef

Once it is browned, add:

• 1 can drained black beans
• 1 cup drained kidney beans (1 whole can is a little much for my taste)
• 2 cups tomato sauce (sometimes I use one 8 ounce can tomato sauce and 1 cup mild to med. salsa. You can also substitute canned or fresh diced tomatoes)
• 1 can black olives, sliced (Noah usually sneaks some out of the can first, but afull can makes this chili really heavy on olives, so you decide how much!)

Let boil up, and then simmer for 15 minutes or more. About 10 minutes prior to serving, add:

• Fresh chopped cilantro

Finished product:

Spring is actually here!

I think I made the most of our beautiful weather yesterday:

1) I spent a few hours at Cafe Ladro reading. Right now I am reading From Beirut to Jerusalem, Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, and studying 1 Peter.

2) I bought some spring plants and flowers. This year I only bought plants good for full sun to go on our balcony because almost every year we have flowers and leaves get scorched because it gets so hot up there!

3) I planted those plants, got rid of dead plants, took inventory of the remaining pots and yay, time to go buy more plants today! It was so nice to be working outside. Here is the finished

product:

Oregano and Lavender:

A bigger pot for our Japanese Maple and some colorful flowers :

4) I ate lunch outside on the balcony, soaking up some sun. Cut up the remaining strawberries in our fridge to share with Noah, delicious!

5) Took an hour nap... so nice!

6) Got up and met two friends at Greenlake. Of course it was packed! One friend brought her mom's cute beagle and we walked all the way around. I'm not having many issues with pregnancy related fatigue or discomfort as of yet when I work out. The other girls are 24 and 28 weeks pregnant, and they did great!

7) Finished off the day with a late dinner at Tutta Bella. Pretty good although the pizza wasn't as good as it has been in the past and I was freezing the whole time!

8) Late night organizing session, condensing stuff in our hall closet while watching lame shows on demand. I love organizing!

Spring Break!

I'm so excited to have a week off from my job and my 20 little darlings... okay so most of them are darling, and others are...hmm, I think I'll stop my self there. I am actually very lucky to have a great group of kids and parents, not to mention a pretty good staff. I might do a little work here and there on planning out the next few weeks of school but otherwise I have no plans for this break. It is the best feeling! I got a good jump start to feeling more relaxed this evening though!

Noah and I went out and got a quick bite to eat before he had to go to work. Our little Mexican restaurant down the road is perfect for these types of occasions. I ate about half my meal and was stuffed! I joked with Noah about feeling a food coma coming on, and then we both joked about the term "food baby" (a term that is kind of funny and at the same time totally gross) When we got back, I laid down for a short nap around 5:45pm. I woke up at 10:00 completely confused as to what had happened. When I finally realized all of the who, what, when, where's, etc. I had to laugh. I had been so excited when I got home about starting Spring Break, and then I start it all off with a 4+ hour nap! It's also funny to me because while I have been stubborn lately ad not wanted to blame everything that I say, do, or feel on this little muffin growing inside of me, but there are just somethings that happen these days are so obviously pregnancy related. Lately, anytime I eat more than just a little for dinner, I crash completely!

So, the question was... do I just go back to sleep and hope I can sleep an additional 10 or more hours or get up for awhile? I tried to convince myself that it would work and I needed the sleep. After an hour or so of just laying there and thinking, and texting Noah at work in the dark, I realized it just wasn't going to happen. Anyway I like to go to bed later and sleep in when I have any extended amount of time off because it aligns with Noah's schedule, so I guess I'll be well on my way after tonight!

And now to the coolest part: I'm laying there, thinking, relaxing, talking to Noah on and off... when I realized something was going on. It felt like there was a little something flipping over and over in my stomach. The more I laid there, completely still, the more I was convinced that I was feeling the baby move for the very first time. I was so excited! I wanted to stand up and shout for joy... run and tell everyone I know! I've had a couple times in the last few weeks where I would feel something and wonder, "is that.... ? hmmm, I dunno, maybe. Or maybe it's just...?" but this time I was so much more sure. Some people say it feels like butterflies, and I can see why they say that but I don't think I'd say it felt like "the fluttering wings of a precious butterfly." C'mon, give me a break people! Sometimes those sappy comparisons just drive me crazy! If I had to liken it to anything, I'd have to say it felt like the cross between someone gently rolling a pair of dice inside my belly and a tiny mouse tumbling around in there. And I think that's pretty close to it's actual size right now. Right now our baby is about 4.5 inches long and 3 ounces in weight. His or her heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day. We are at 16 weeks, hooray!

Anyway, so as more of my life changes and I prepare to have a son or daughter (TBA in about four weeks!) ... there will be many more posts about "first this", "first that", and so much more. For now though, I am completely content and confident knowing that whatever is going on in there is miraculous to say the least.

Super Easy Pot Roast!

Since I've taken quite a break from any attempts at blogging, I thought I'd ease back into it all with a quick post on an excellent (and quick on the prep time) recipe for pot roast. You do a minimal amount of work and then let a crock pot do the rest.
















1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 pound beef chuck shoulder roast
3-4 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut in quarters
3 carrots, sliced
1 medium onion, cut in quarters
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 can diced tomatoes (about 7 ounces) with the juice
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Oregano to taste

1) Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the roast and brown on all sides. This starts the cooking process and seals in the juices as it cooks later. Pull the roast out and put it in the crock pot, leaving any oil or fat in the skillet.

2) Add all the other ingredients into the crock pot. Add a little water so there is at least 1/2 inch of water in the bottom.

3) Cook (covered) on low for 8 to 10 hours. I cooked mine on high for the first 40 minutes or so and then turned to low and it was ready after 7.5 hours (I was impatient and didn't want to be eating super late).

You can also make a quick gravy for the roast by pulling some of the cooking liquid from the crock pot and whisking it together with some flour in a saucepan.

Hope you love it... the meat is so tender and this will serve at least 4 hungry people :)

Wild animal week?

I think I've seen my fair share of creepy crawly things this week. First of all, the slugs are out in force right now. Many people may already know that I have an unrealistic fear of slugs. I know they don't really jump or bite, but I really hate them and hate being surprised when I walk out the door, turn a corner, or walk across the grass by a big slimy slug. Then, on Monday when I was on a run w/ the husb, we counted 6 snakes curled up in the grass on the side of the road. Oddly, they don't strike the same level of fear and disgust that slugs do, but it was a little unnerving realizing how many snakes live in the wooded area surrounding our house.

Today, things took a little turn for the better. As Noah left for work, he ran back upstairs to show me who had wandered into the neighbor's yard:























It was actually a little family of 3.... a mom and 2 little ones. We get deer that find their way into the area every once in awhile, but it always reminds me why I like living a little farther out from the bigger towns and cities. I hope they come back soon!

I love summer flowers

Noah and I went to a friend's wedding today in La Conner, WA and it was a beautiful day to drive up there. The wedding was at a gorgeous rose garden. I was of course smitten with the dahlias, because, well... I have a thing for them. I used them in my wedding, I usually plant them each year, and I just love how they look. I would have taken more photos, but Noah is not as snap-happy as I am and there was only so much time we could spend away from the other wedding events. Congrats Natalee and Scott!

And finally, an obliging husband! :)