Monday, September 29, 2008
Eden's 5 Month Photo's
Last night we took Eden's 5 month pictures. It was so fun. She did great and we got some great shots of her. We took her to this little park with fountains and pretty bridges and they turned out soo cute. Here are several from the shoot - the rest we will put up on my website in the next couple days. Click HERE to check them out!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Yummy, easy, and healthy crock pot meals!
I just LOVE my crock pot!! We use it at least twice a week. Here are some yummy recipes that are super easy!! I am all about easy recipes with easy ingredients that are pocket friendly too. So here they are...
1.) Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients:
-1 can 98% Fat free cream of chicken soup
-Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1 Can bisquits (any kind, I use grands or HEB brand)
Directions:
-Pour cream of chicken soup in the bottom of your crock pot
-Fill empty can of chicken soup with water, add to crock pot
and stir
-Lay chicken breasts in crock pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper
-Cook either on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours
-30 minutes before you eat use 2 forks to shred chicken in crock
pot, then add biquits (cut up to size of dumplings you like)and
allow to cook for 30 more minutes,then ENJOY!
2.) Pot Roast
Ingredients:
-Rump roast
-Potatoes (opt.)
-Carrots (opt.)
Directions:
-Season roast with salt & pepper or your choice of seasoning
-Place roast in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours (My mom
cooks her's on high for like 45 minutes first and then switches to
low for the rest of the time and it's great that way, but if you
don't have time it turns out great the other way too)
-*You can also slice your potatoes and carrots and put with roast
and they turn out really yummy. ENJOY!
3.) Beef tips (Thanks to the Mosiers)
Ingredients:
-1 package stew meat
-1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
-1 packet french onion soup mix
Directions:
-Pour can of cream of mushroom soup into crock pot
-Fill half of the empty can with water, pour in crock pot and stir
-Add stew meat and stir
-Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8
-*Serve over rice or egg noodles ENJOY!
4.) Love Soup (stew)
Ingredients:
-1 large can stewed tomatoes
-1 can tomato paste
-1 large can tomato sauce
-1 package stew meat
-2 potatoes (chopped into bite size pieces)
-1 cup carrots (chopped)
-1 cup frozen corn
-1 cup frozen green beans
Directions:
-Add all ingredients to crock pot and stir together
-Cook on low for 6-8 hours
-*Serve with Jiffy cornbread (a great fall time meal!) ENJOY!
5.) BBQ chicken sandwiches
Ingredients:
-Boneless skinless chicken breasts
-1 bottle of Masterpiece BBQ sauce
Directions:
-Place chicken in crock pot and smother with BBQ sauce
-Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours
-*You can shred this up and serve on hamburger buns or just
leave whole and eat with your favorite veggies or salad
***You can make almost any kind of chicken in the crock pot. Just buy your favorite marinade, mix together honey and mustard, or just pour some good ole' cream of mushroom on top and there you go!
- I hope you get to try these recipes and ENJOY!!
Joyfully His,
Carissa
1.) Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients:
-1 can 98% Fat free cream of chicken soup
-Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1 Can bisquits (any kind, I use grands or HEB brand)
Directions:
-Pour cream of chicken soup in the bottom of your crock pot
-Fill empty can of chicken soup with water, add to crock pot
and stir
-Lay chicken breasts in crock pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper
-Cook either on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours
-30 minutes before you eat use 2 forks to shred chicken in crock
pot, then add biquits (cut up to size of dumplings you like)and
allow to cook for 30 more minutes,then ENJOY!
2.) Pot Roast
Ingredients:
-Rump roast
-Potatoes (opt.)
-Carrots (opt.)
Directions:
-Season roast with salt & pepper or your choice of seasoning
-Place roast in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours (My mom
cooks her's on high for like 45 minutes first and then switches to
low for the rest of the time and it's great that way, but if you
don't have time it turns out great the other way too)
-*You can also slice your potatoes and carrots and put with roast
and they turn out really yummy. ENJOY!
3.) Beef tips (Thanks to the Mosiers)
Ingredients:
-1 package stew meat
-1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
-1 packet french onion soup mix
Directions:
-Pour can of cream of mushroom soup into crock pot
-Fill half of the empty can with water, pour in crock pot and stir
-Add stew meat and stir
-Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8
-*Serve over rice or egg noodles ENJOY!
4.) Love Soup (stew)
Ingredients:
-1 large can stewed tomatoes
-1 can tomato paste
-1 large can tomato sauce
-1 package stew meat
-2 potatoes (chopped into bite size pieces)
-1 cup carrots (chopped)
-1 cup frozen corn
-1 cup frozen green beans
Directions:
-Add all ingredients to crock pot and stir together
-Cook on low for 6-8 hours
-*Serve with Jiffy cornbread (a great fall time meal!) ENJOY!
5.) BBQ chicken sandwiches
Ingredients:
-Boneless skinless chicken breasts
-1 bottle of Masterpiece BBQ sauce
Directions:
-Place chicken in crock pot and smother with BBQ sauce
-Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours
-*You can shred this up and serve on hamburger buns or just
leave whole and eat with your favorite veggies or salad
***You can make almost any kind of chicken in the crock pot. Just buy your favorite marinade, mix together honey and mustard, or just pour some good ole' cream of mushroom on top and there you go!
- I hope you get to try these recipes and ENJOY!!
Joyfully His,
Carissa
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Bittersweet
Saturday was a bittersweet day for our family. We said goodbye to my older brother and his wife Kristin and their baby on the way (Cayden). Collin and Kristin were our neighbors and we loved being so close to them. Collin took a new job in Fort Worth and I know that God has amazing things in store for them there. We will miss you guys and we love you!! Pray for them as they transition in the coming months to a new city, new job, new house, and new baby. That's a lot so keep the prayers coming!!
Love ya'll!
Carissa, Nick, and Eden
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
After a long day...
We CRASH!!
I just LOVE it when Eden falls asleep on my chest. It's so cute and I just want to freeze time and hold her forever.
Here are some new pictures of my sweetie pie!! Notice she is getting more hair - yay!
I just LOVE it when Eden falls asleep on my chest. It's so cute and I just want to freeze time and hold her forever.
Here are some new pictures of my sweetie pie!! Notice she is getting more hair - yay!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Having a baby changes everything!
Oh yes it does! Our lives have done a complete 360 since baby Eden arrived nearly 5 months ago. That's right, our baby girl will be 5 months next week. I can't believe it! She is growing up so fast. Here is a list of things that I have come up with about how our lives have changed since having a baby.
- Nick and I usually never eat at the same time. We have a perfectly orchestrated system where one of us holds Eden while the other eats, then switch. Usually I am first to eat because my husband is such an amazing servant!! At home it is getting better because she likes to play with her toys now, although there are some nights she is just too fussy to put down. Eating out is a little different becuase she does not like to be in her car seat if we are not in the car MOVING!
- Our house is now a baby sanctuary! We have had to move furniture out of our living room just to make room for baby toys!
- Nights usually involve about 4 feedings! I haven't had a full nights sleep since before she was born. Baby Eden likes to snuggle and eat all through the night.
- Grocery shopping is a 2 person task. I used to go to the store during the week before Eden was born and Nick never had to step foot in a grocery store, which is great because he really doesn't like it. Now, we go together on the weekends - which is fun for me because I enjoy the company. While we are talking about grocery shopping with a baby, I will share a funny story. Usually when we go to the grocery store, Nick carries Eden in the baby Bjorn front carrier and walks through the store with me as I shop. It's usually about an hour trip and the store is not that far from us. Last time we went, I left the diaper bag at home and just brought my purse. (I think you know where I am going with this story) We were almost through with our shopping when I hear Nick saying, "Uh Carissa, I think we have a problem." I immediately knew what he was referring to. I looked over and all over Nick's hands was Eden poopie! I looked down and it was seeping out of her diaper. I quickly finished my shoppig and paid for my groceries. Luckily I had brought a burp cloth so we used that to protect her car seat. When we got home it was the worst poopie diaper she has ever made. HAHA. It was all the way up to her belly button!!
- Getting ready usually takes a lot longer than it used to. I used to could go from sleep to out the door in about an hour...now it usually takes Nick and I around 2 hours to get ready for church and if I go somewhere by myself during the week when I don't have Nick's help, I usually start 3 hours before I have to leave.
- I usually don't get to take a shower until Nick gets home from work. It just gets so busy around here durig the day trying to get laundry done, dishes clean, dinner ready, and get my work done all while playing and taking care of a baby that I usually forget to shower. By the time Nick gets home from work I usually reek of breastmilk complete with spit up stains. Oh the joys of motherhood :) I have the best husband though because he still makes me feel beautiful regardless of the mess I am when he gets home.
- Dinner is usually a crock pot meal. It's been a while since I have gotten in the kitchen and cooked a meal all from scratch. I am on a crock pot kick and it just seems to work for us these days. I will share some crock pot recipes in my next post so stay tuned (they are GOOD!)
- Lastly, my body!! Oh how I would love to be back in my "skinny" jeans. Loosing the first 15 pounds of baby weight was a snap. Now I am on those last 10 pounds and it is driving me crazy. I am going to start Weight Watchers next week and I'm really excited about it. I will keep you updated on my progress.
I love our life with a baby! I wouldn't trade these things for anything else, but it makes me wonder sometimes what in the world we did before Eden was born!?!?!
What are some ways your life has changed since having a baby??
ps...stay posted for Eden's 5 month photo shoot!!
- Nick and I usually never eat at the same time. We have a perfectly orchestrated system where one of us holds Eden while the other eats, then switch. Usually I am first to eat because my husband is such an amazing servant!! At home it is getting better because she likes to play with her toys now, although there are some nights she is just too fussy to put down. Eating out is a little different becuase she does not like to be in her car seat if we are not in the car MOVING!
- Our house is now a baby sanctuary! We have had to move furniture out of our living room just to make room for baby toys!
- Nights usually involve about 4 feedings! I haven't had a full nights sleep since before she was born. Baby Eden likes to snuggle and eat all through the night.
- Grocery shopping is a 2 person task. I used to go to the store during the week before Eden was born and Nick never had to step foot in a grocery store, which is great because he really doesn't like it. Now, we go together on the weekends - which is fun for me because I enjoy the company. While we are talking about grocery shopping with a baby, I will share a funny story. Usually when we go to the grocery store, Nick carries Eden in the baby Bjorn front carrier and walks through the store with me as I shop. It's usually about an hour trip and the store is not that far from us. Last time we went, I left the diaper bag at home and just brought my purse. (I think you know where I am going with this story) We were almost through with our shopping when I hear Nick saying, "Uh Carissa, I think we have a problem." I immediately knew what he was referring to. I looked over and all over Nick's hands was Eden poopie! I looked down and it was seeping out of her diaper. I quickly finished my shoppig and paid for my groceries. Luckily I had brought a burp cloth so we used that to protect her car seat. When we got home it was the worst poopie diaper she has ever made. HAHA. It was all the way up to her belly button!!
- Getting ready usually takes a lot longer than it used to. I used to could go from sleep to out the door in about an hour...now it usually takes Nick and I around 2 hours to get ready for church and if I go somewhere by myself during the week when I don't have Nick's help, I usually start 3 hours before I have to leave.
- I usually don't get to take a shower until Nick gets home from work. It just gets so busy around here durig the day trying to get laundry done, dishes clean, dinner ready, and get my work done all while playing and taking care of a baby that I usually forget to shower. By the time Nick gets home from work I usually reek of breastmilk complete with spit up stains. Oh the joys of motherhood :) I have the best husband though because he still makes me feel beautiful regardless of the mess I am when he gets home.
- Dinner is usually a crock pot meal. It's been a while since I have gotten in the kitchen and cooked a meal all from scratch. I am on a crock pot kick and it just seems to work for us these days. I will share some crock pot recipes in my next post so stay tuned (they are GOOD!)
- Lastly, my body!! Oh how I would love to be back in my "skinny" jeans. Loosing the first 15 pounds of baby weight was a snap. Now I am on those last 10 pounds and it is driving me crazy. I am going to start Weight Watchers next week and I'm really excited about it. I will keep you updated on my progress.
I love our life with a baby! I wouldn't trade these things for anything else, but it makes me wonder sometimes what in the world we did before Eden was born!?!?!
What are some ways your life has changed since having a baby??
ps...stay posted for Eden's 5 month photo shoot!!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Time for an update!!
WOW! So, things have been crazy around the Vann household!!! I promised that our next post would be an update on our lives and not just pictures, so here it goes!
God has definitely been good to Carissa and I, blessing us with a beautiful and healthy baby girl is what we are most thankful for. However, we are also extremely excited to be joining a new church. We had both felt God calling us to change churches for a while and as we prayed about the decision, there was only one church that would come to mind and that church was Crossbridge Community Church. So, our first Sunday was last Sunday and from the minute we walked in the door we knew that this was where God wanted us. Carissa sang on the worship band at Crossbride in high school so we knew the worship pastor(Tim) and his wife(Melanie). They have two beautiful girls and one baby boy who is a couple of weeks older than Eden. They invited us over for dinner last Friday and we told Eden all day that she was going to have her first date!! We had a blast with them and are so excited about getting involved at this amazing church.
Eden is developing quite a personality! When you put her on her tummy she squeals, squeaks and laughs until she has had enough, then she definitely lets you know she is done! We are pretty sure she is beginning the teething process. She is CONSTANTLY drooling and chewing on her hands. When we go out, her outfits are usually soaked before we get to our destination from all of the drool!! It's hard to believe that she is already four months old!! Time is flying by so fast. Here are pictures from her four month photo shoot. (Didn't Nick do a great job with these!!)
We have two new babies arriving soon. Collin and Kristin, Carissa's brother and sister in law, and Carissa's best friend Hayley and her husband Alex are also having a baby. Both are due in January within a week of each other. When we found out we were pregnant we kind of felt alone in the process as most of our friends had decided to wait a couple of years before they began the endeavor, so we were incredibly excited to find out about the new babies!! Collin & Kristin and Hayley & Alex both find out today if they are having a boy or a girl. So far we have heard from Hayley and Alex and they are having a BOY!!! Possibly Eden's future husband? Are arranged marriages legal in the US???
Check out Collin and Kristins blog to find out what they are having!!
(Collin and Kristin)
Last but not least Carissa turned 24!! WAHOO!! On August 1st my beautiful and amazing wife turned 24! She said this was the first year that she wrote her age on the calender and felt her heart skip a beat!! We spent the evening celebrating with friends and family at the Cheesecake Factory. It was a great time!! I am so blessed to have her as my wife and partner in parenting. She is the most incredible Mom and it has been a true blessing to watch her with Eden.
We both feel so thankful to have found an amazing church, been blessed with a beautiful baby girl and have friends and family to go through the trials of parenthood with. God always provides for us exactly what we need and we are so greatful to have someone much bigger and sovreign then ourselves to trust in!
Beyond Blessed- Nick and Carissa (this post was a joint effort) :)
God has definitely been good to Carissa and I, blessing us with a beautiful and healthy baby girl is what we are most thankful for. However, we are also extremely excited to be joining a new church. We had both felt God calling us to change churches for a while and as we prayed about the decision, there was only one church that would come to mind and that church was Crossbridge Community Church. So, our first Sunday was last Sunday and from the minute we walked in the door we knew that this was where God wanted us. Carissa sang on the worship band at Crossbride in high school so we knew the worship pastor(Tim) and his wife(Melanie). They have two beautiful girls and one baby boy who is a couple of weeks older than Eden. They invited us over for dinner last Friday and we told Eden all day that she was going to have her first date!! We had a blast with them and are so excited about getting involved at this amazing church.
Eden is developing quite a personality! When you put her on her tummy she squeals, squeaks and laughs until she has had enough, then she definitely lets you know she is done! We are pretty sure she is beginning the teething process. She is CONSTANTLY drooling and chewing on her hands. When we go out, her outfits are usually soaked before we get to our destination from all of the drool!! It's hard to believe that she is already four months old!! Time is flying by so fast. Here are pictures from her four month photo shoot. (Didn't Nick do a great job with these!!)
We have two new babies arriving soon. Collin and Kristin, Carissa's brother and sister in law, and Carissa's best friend Hayley and her husband Alex are also having a baby. Both are due in January within a week of each other. When we found out we were pregnant we kind of felt alone in the process as most of our friends had decided to wait a couple of years before they began the endeavor, so we were incredibly excited to find out about the new babies!! Collin & Kristin and Hayley & Alex both find out today if they are having a boy or a girl. So far we have heard from Hayley and Alex and they are having a BOY!!! Possibly Eden's future husband? Are arranged marriages legal in the US???
Check out Collin and Kristins blog to find out what they are having!!
(Collin and Kristin)
Last but not least Carissa turned 24!! WAHOO!! On August 1st my beautiful and amazing wife turned 24! She said this was the first year that she wrote her age on the calender and felt her heart skip a beat!! We spent the evening celebrating with friends and family at the Cheesecake Factory. It was a great time!! I am so blessed to have her as my wife and partner in parenting. She is the most incredible Mom and it has been a true blessing to watch her with Eden.
We both feel so thankful to have found an amazing church, been blessed with a beautiful baby girl and have friends and family to go through the trials of parenthood with. God always provides for us exactly what we need and we are so greatful to have someone much bigger and sovreign then ourselves to trust in!
Beyond Blessed- Nick and Carissa (this post was a joint effort) :)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Oh how I miss Jamaica!
Last night our neighbors, Aaron and Heather, came over to visit for a little while. When they walked in I noticed how tan they both were. They had just recently been to the beach and fishing and it got me missing being able to lay out or go to the beach. This summer has definitely been different with an infant around! I wouldn't trade this summer for anything, but I do miss being able to go out in the hot Texas sun every once in a while! For our honeymoon, Nick and I went to Jamaica! It was a blast and I am dreaming I am there today!! :)
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