Recently...

It's been such a long time since I updated. We have been super busy trying to get ready for these girls and I just haven't had time to post anything.

So far I have had a really good pregnancy. However, Monday I started having contractions and had to go to the hospital to get shots to stop them. Thankfully the shots worked and I was able to go home that night. I went in for an ultrasound on Tuesday and was told I needed to be on bedrest for the next 3 weeks. The babies are doing great! Both looked really good and are weighing 3 pounds, 10 ounces(baby A), and 3 pounds, 8 ounces(baby B). I went to see my regular doctor again today and I am now on weekly visits with her and weekly visits with my specialist. I will see my specialist once a week to do a stress test. Basically, they put a heart rate monitor on each baby and observe over an hour period to make sure they aren't under any stress. The only frustrating part about that is my specialist is downtown (a good 45 min drive). All these appointments will make for a busy time, but I bet it will make the time go by quickly until I meet my sweeties. :)

Now that I am on bedrest, I will be able to update more. We can't wait to meet our little angels and neither can Eden. She is so excited. She talks to them several times a day and has been practicing with her dolls. She is going to make a WONDERFUL big sister.

Happy Friday,

Obsessed?? or just Pregnant??

Ok yes, I realize I have been absolutely horrible about updating this blog. I'll try harder. We have been busy with a lot of things lately. We had to have our bathroom re-modeled because we had 5 leaks. It was pretty annoying to have to do it, but on the bright side, my bathroom resembles a spa now which this pregnant lady is pretty happy about! :) I'll get my pictures together and make a post about the bathroom next. Also, being pregnant makes me lazy about blogging. Oh and chasing a toddler around all day makes it hard too. LOL.

SO, lately I have been completely crazy with cleaning. It's weird. I mean I do clean on a normal basis but this is just getting out of hand. I keep finding new things to clean. For instance, my house was already pretty clean but I totally got out some sponges and started scrubbing baseboards and pretty much any hard surface in my bedroom the other day. I remember the "nesting" phase when I was pregnant with Eden, but it was much later in my pregnancy. I am only 23 weeks today and can't stop cleaning. It must be because of twins - maybe it starts sooner?? Anyone know??

I really think it's because of the clean smells. I'm obsessed with them. I also have some other really weird pregnancy things going on to - like I feel the need to chew ice all the time. I've been through like 2 bags of Sonic ice in the last few weeks. (Don't worry - they checked my blood on Friday to see if I was anemic; should find out the results soon as apparently ice chewing can be related to low iron). I also feel the need to brush my teeth like 4 times a day. I'm telling you, it's weird I know but I just can't help it. I think Nick is going to start hiding the Febreze spray soon just so I will stop spraying our house. Haha.

Here is what I have been completely obsessed with lately (brace yourselves it's mostly cleaning supplies):

Swiffer Wet Jet is AMAZING! I used to use a steam mop, but this is way better and smells soooo good!!


Febreze Air Refresher is wonderful. I spray too much but oh well. My favorite scents are Linen and Sky and Lavender Vanilla & Comfort (it's heaven).


Febreze Fabric Refresher. I have been using the antibacterial one b/c I'm a germ freak anyway, but I just saw that they have the fabric spray in the Lavender Vanilla & Comfort and I will be buying that one as soon as I'm out of the other.


Mr. Clean Multi-Surface Cleaner w/ Febreze (Lavendar Vanilla again). This makes any room smell good after you clean with it and you can use it on most hard surfaces.


Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It's really magic! Except on colored walls - it takes the color off. But, it gets tough hard surface stains out!!


Bar Keeper's Friend. This stuff is GREAT! My kitchen sink is white and gets black scuff marks on it. BKF takes it right off and makes my sink shiny and clean.


Sonic Ice. There is something about Sonic ice that I crave; maybe it's because it's a little softer to chew on and I don't feel like I'm ruining my teeth?? I dunno, I just know I love it. Just for your info you can buy bags of it at Sonic.


Coke! For some reason I craved it when I was pregnant with Eden and here I go again. It's just so yummy and I don't drink it when I'm not pregnant - so I use the pregnancy excuse to drink it. Plus, diet has the artificial sweeteners which I don't think is good for the babies so why not indulge a little??


Ben and Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Crunch. Just try it - you won't want any other kind of ice cream ever again! :)

What is she saying?

See if you can guess what Eden is saying.

What is she saying? from Carissa V on Vimeo.

What are you making?

What is with this weather? It is absolutely freezing here. Just about 3 weeks ago Eden and I were wearing shorts and now it's in the 30s and 40s! Crazy.

Anyway, I am looking forward to making a yummy meal tonight to keep us warm.

Here is what I am making.

Delicious Chili
Peanut Fudge Pudding Cake (in the crock pot!)
Hot Chocolate

RECIPES:

Chili
Ingredients
1 Green bell pepper, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
2 TBSP Olive oil
1 Clove garlic, minced (or a TBSP of garlic from a jar)
1 Pound ground beef
3 Cans diced tomatoes (I buy the HEB brand Chili Style diced tomatoes - makes a yummier chili)
1 Can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
Fritos
Grated Cheddar

Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large stock pot (dutch oven) on med/high heat
2. Saute chopped green bell pepper and onion until onion is translucent and pepper is tender.
3. Add garlic, cook for another minute
4. Add ground beef and cook until completely browned
5. Add all cans of tomatoes
6. Add all seasonings (you can add the seasonings to fit your taste)
7. Stir and let simmer 30 minutes or so on med heat
8. Add the kidney beans last
9. Serve with fritos and cheese, YUM!!!

Peanut Fudge Pudding Cake
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup milk
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water
Chopped peanuts (optional)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions:
1. Coat crock pot with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Combine flour, 1 cup sugar and baking powder in medium bowl. Add milk, oil, vanilla, and peanut butter. Mix until well blended. Batter will be thick so you need to spread it into the crock pot.

2. Combine remaining 3/4 cup sugar and cocoa powder in small bowl. Stir in boiling water. Pour into crock pot over batter. DO NOT STIR!!

3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until toothpick or knife inserted into center comes out clean. Allow cake to rest 10 minutes, then scoop into serving dishes.

***This recipe makes it's own fudge topping so be sure to spoon some from the bottom of the crock pot.
This cake is so yummy we don't usually add ice cream and peanuts. The chocolate gooey fudge is just enough!!

We will also be enjoying some yummy Butter Nut or Ghiridelli hot chocolate!!

What will you be making this cold winter night??

Enjoy your cold evening and stay warm!! :)

Update

Wow, it's been a long time since I have really updated this thing.

Eden is just growing up too fast these days. She is VERY vocal and repeats EVERYTHING you say. She is doing really well with putting words together too. She isn't making sentences quite yet but she is getting very close. The longest thing she says is part of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star - she says "How I woner what chu are!" So cute. She knows her numbers 1 through 10 and she knows about 5 colors. I can't believe she will be 2 in just 3 short months!

My pregnancy is going really well so far. I struggled through my first trimester with Eden so I wasn't really looking forward to being pregnant again for that reason, but God has been so wonderful in keeping me healthy. I have had some rough days but not nearly as bad as with Eden. I still take Zofran (anti-nausea) when I need it and that really seems to get me through my days. The babies are doing great. I went in a couple weeks ago and they were both very active and wiggly. They look like little gummy bears. I go in next week for another ultrasound and can't wait to see them again.

In December we had Ryan Price - a talented photographer friend of ours from College Station take some family photos. He is amazing and did a fantastic job. Here is his website if you want to check him out. Here are some of our favorite pictures he took that day.

Go Away Sickness!

Sorry for lack of postings. We found out Friday that Eden has Strep. Poor baby. She is so much better today. I, however either got Strep too or a sinus infection. Thankfully, I was able to get some medicine and I'm feeling better today too. We are so tired of being sick around here! Eden has had a few little colds/fever within the last few months and that combined with my morning sickness and Nick having a cold a few weeks ago has not been too fun - we are DONE!!! No more is allowed in my house! Go away!

While I have the chance, I would like to brag on my amazing and wonderful husband. He has been so patient with me as I have been dealing with morning sickness and has done so much around here. I know it's hard for him to understand how I am feeling (and I think he will scream if I tell him something else stinks - my smeller is acting crazy) but he has been there for me picking up my slack and I am just so blessed to have him as my husband. By the way, I didn't blog about this because our December was just so crazy, but on December 16th we celebrated our THIRD anniversary. I'm still in shock that we have been married for 3 years (amazing years!). This year we were just thinking how crazy it is going to be that next year as we celebrate, we will have 3 kids not 1. Wow! God has really blessed us and we are so grateful. I couldn't imagine living this life with anyone else. I love you, babe!

Vann Pop. 5 !!!!