A Thing of Beauty

Cobb Salad? Oh my gosh. Yes, please!!! I had always avoided it for some reason, but when we decided to make it, we were shocked at how much we loved it!! It was GORGEOUS, and the avocado and egg made it creamy enough that you didn't need much dressing. I think next time I will put in some celery and cucumber just to make it a little crunchier. This time we had a bed of romaine lettuce with egg, avocado, cheddar cheese, green onions, tomato, chicken, and bacon. The dressing was Ranch dressing mixed with a little BBQ sauce.

Delicious. Seriously, seriously delicious.

Three pictures of a salad? Yes, yes ma'am.

Cause it is absolutely gorgeous.

Elmo Dancing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zfC_KHgmkI&feature=relmfu

I'm not a huge Elmo fan. This is true, but Elmo dancing on the moon? It made me laugh out loud. Check it out.

I'm in Food Heaven

When you're in St. Louis, you should definitely hit these places. One is Uno's Chicago Grill (obviously you could do that in Chicago also!). This pizza is amazing. The cheese is so amazingly gooey, and there are tons of amazing toppings (or really it's more like fillings because the pie is so thick.) Try it. But know that one piece will fill you up.

Jilly's Cupcake Bar? Heck. Yes. Beautiful, amazing, delicious cupcakes. Amazing.

Gyro Company. This is the absolute best thing you could ever put in your face. This is the Doner Kabob. It's delicious gyro meat with lettuce, tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce inside a Bosnian flat bread. I'd been craving one of these puppies for over a year, and it only amplified when I was pregnant with Emily. I was finally able to get one this week, and my taste buds have been thanking me ever since.

Fresh, beautiful salads and vegetables. Delicious, flavorful soup. Light, interesting, amazing breads. More please.

And finally, a St. Louis icon. Ted Drewes is the absolute best treat you could come up with. Mike and I shared a Big Apple concrete yesterday. It is the perfect combination of apple pie and custard. You never feel like you only have a bite of JUST pie or JUST ice cream. It's smooth, creamy, perfectly sweet.....amazing.

That's right, folks.

I'm in food heaven.

...and please don't resuscitate me.

A Laugh A Minute

This kid is seriously a laugh a minute!!! Yesterday I was feeling horrible that the poor kid has been stuck in the house all summer, so we went to Lend and Learn and then to get burgers (his obsession - seriously.) He hasn't had fast food very much, since we don't eat out very often anymore. Anyway, I pulled up and ordered him a burger. As I pulled forward to pay, I heard a little voice from the back say, "No fwies?!"

I laughed for about 5 minutes. I don't know why it struck me so funny, but I sure do love that little guy.

Funny Face...

As cute as these kids are (and heaven knows they are sooo cute), they can definitely make some weird faces when the camera is on them. These are just a few of the gems from the last couple weeks.

Croque Monsieur...It's What's for Dinner!

So...I've really been excited by cooking again lately. I mean, I always love cooking, but recently I've been EXCITED to make dinner. I've checked out a million and one cookbooks from the library and have been collecting recipes.

Pictured above was dinner last night. Croque Monsieur and Roasted Broccoli. Believe me, it looks pretty, but it tasted even better. The broccoli was a major shock, because I didn't think it would be anything amazing since it was so simple and healthy. It was slightly crunchy, with a terrific roasted flavor. Roasting the broccoli really just gave it the extra oomph that made it spectacular. The Croque Monsieur was also pretty healthy, and the flavors just kind of exploded in your mouth. Loved this dinner.

Croque Monsieur

1. Cut 4 slices of French bread. Cut slice in bread to form a pocket. Spread 1 tsp honey mustard into each pocket. Put 2 oz. thinly sliced ham and 1 slice Swiss cheese.

2. Combine 1/2 cup milk and 3 large egg whites in a shallow bowl; stir with a whisk. Dip sandwiches in milk mixture, turning to coat.

3. Heat a skillet over medium-high head; coat with cooking spray. Cook 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Oven-Roasted Broccoli

4-5 c broccoli, cleaned and stems trimmed

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1-2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Place broccoli on foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat and combine. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 15-20 minutes or until stems are golden brown and slightly crisp-looking

3. Remove broccoli and immediately sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Toss and serve.

Make it. You won't regret it!!! :)

New Loves?

I don't even want to think about how much money I've spent on cherries in the last couple of months. They are amazing.

Breyer's Grasshopper Pie Ice Cream. It's about the best thing I've put in my face...ever. The cookies are soft, it's just the right amount of mint, and oh my gosh. It's wonderful. And it's limited edition? It'll be a sad day for ice cream lovers when this goes off the market.

Park Days

This Friday was finally nice out! We've been having a serious heat wave lately, and so we were so glad that it was okay to get out with our kids. We took advantage of it and went to the park, just the four of us.

Here I am with my big guy, Andrew. He and I were singing and swinging on the big kid swings. This is a moment I'll never forget. I love spending time with Andrew. I just love that kid with all my heart.

He is getting so big. I'm so proud of my crazy guy!

My two favorite boys. They are buddies, and they're my buddies. We had such a fun time at the park and I hope we can always have this much fun! :)

Girly girl

Emily will be 8 weeks on Wednesday. It's hard to believe, but she is definitely leaving behind the newborn look. We love her so much. She's calm, sweet, and has the funniest facial expressions. She definitely lets us know what she's thinking!

We love love love this smiley girl.

I just love her!

Dance moves?

I caught her in the middle of talking. Hilarious!

Updates from the Jacobs

Emily meeting my Aunt Wanda and Uncle David. Boy do I wish we still lived close by them!!! I love and miss them like crazy.

Anyway, yes. We are alive. And busy. That's life, huh? Andrew has become quite the parrot. He is finally taking an interest in talking and has therefore become a little parrot. He says the cutest things, has been really singing along, and has just generally been cracking us up (as usual).

He is such a handsome little guy. He loves to help Emily. He can always be counted on to tell me the instant she starts crying. His shirt here says "Worlds Best Brother" and he is becoming a very good brother now that the jealousy is starting to wear off.

Emily has the cutest facial expressions. This one is her "that's amusing so you'll get a tiny little pleased face, but not funny enough to get a big nose wrinkling smile". She is now 6 weeks old (amazing and so crazy all at once). She's sweet, funny, and such a calm little one. We are so proud to have another amazing kid here in our home.

I love having a boy. A lot. And let me tell you, I am completely digging having a little girl. Is there anything sweeter than a little gal in pink and white? I think not.

Tiny one.

I was also called as the Young Women president a couple weeks ago. AHHHH!!!!! I am nervous, but so excited. I really love working with the Youth, and am already loving these girls. They are amazing.

We are trying to eat healthier. Here is a veggie wheat spaghetti. It's eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, onion, parmesan cheese, some spices, and a little olive oil.

Aren't vegetables beautiful? I couldn't resist getting a shot of the zucchini cooking. So vibrant and so yummy!!

Here are the onions and banana peppers cooking. So pretty. I love all the different colors you can cook with. :)

Here's breakfast the other day - green smoothies. Fruit, spinach, yogurt, and juice. Nutritious and delicious. Such a good way to get veggies into Andrew. (The only way right now. Sigh.)

Emily also got to meet her great-grandma Peat. They took to each other right away. Don't you just love family?

And here's my funny boy writing.

This picture just about makes me cry every time I look at it. She is such a special little gal, and we feel so lucky to have this fun, sweet little family.

I made a jello poke cake for the missionaries and the Bells when they came over for dinner. Make a cake, poke holes in it, dissolve 2 jello packets in 2 cups boiling water, pour over the cake, then cool. Then add cool whip to the top. So yummy and so simple.

Mike has been working so hard this summer. He'll soon have a week that isn't so crazy. We're looking forward to spending time with him. He starts his last (LAST!) year of law school this month. Can I get a WOOT-WOOT?!

Martha Washington?

Cutest Kids Ever

Andrew is such a big boy. I can't believe how fast my baby has grown up. He's cute, funny, and a true ball of energy. When Emily cries, he says, "I back. See cying." Then he'll go try to comfort her. He also has taken to sneezing so hard that he falls over, or his vegetables accidently fall on the floor, etc. I'm not sure I buy it, but it's pretty hilarious. I love this little guy.

Emily is such a sweet little smiler. She does it all the time, but it is almost impossible to get a picture of it.

She is just too adorable.

I put her on her tummy for tummy time, but she got too exhausted... I love that little berry.

She makes the cutest faces. I love this little girl!!!