It appears that pizza dough is the holy grail....

Who knew that a good pizza dough was like searching for the elusive holy grail.... I've tried a pampered chef crust. I've tried a sourdough crust from my own starter that I've since let die. I've tried various and assorted recipes from all over the Internet. They have all fallen short.


I talked to my friend Delia about pizza and bread and she recommended the artisan dough in five minutes.


I decided tonight was a good night to try it.


Jason's first response... It's good. It's crunchy!


I wanted a chicken pizza and red sauce didn't go with my vision. I made the dough, let it rise, cut off my dough ball, rolled it out and precooked it (to work on the crunch). I grilled my chicken and decided an Alfredo sauce would be yummy. But didn't have any... So I made some.


It all came together... My grilled chicken Alfredo roasted tomato pizza with caramelized onions on my very own crust. :-)


I may have found my holy grail.

Jocelyn: 12 weeks

Weight:  not sure

Length:  not sure

clothes:  3 month's

milestones:  she almost rolled over two nights ago.  Jason told her to STOP growing up.  :-)  

Eating:  every three hours during the day.  Every 4-6 at night.  

Favorites:  the Boba carrier (a lot like an ergo) 

Joe-ism:  last night we put Joe to bed and about thirty minutes later, he comes wandering out with his hands over his eyes.  He stays like that...  and I finally get worried:  Joe... what's wrong?  

long pause

PEEK A BOO!  

Little stinker.  :) 

Date night with my Little Man

I can't remember when it started...  but Joe and I started going to Red Lobster and we called it "date night".  I would tell him he was taking me on a date and he would have to hold my hand and give me lots of kisses. 

We would walk in and he would tell the hostess a "table for two, please".  We always seem to get the same booth and he sits next to me and gives me lots of kisses.  The hostess and the waitresses always admire him and tell me what a well behaved little man he is.  They tell me that they are jealous of my "date". 

Last night we took Joe to get his hair cut and after he asked me if he could take me on a date to Red Lobster.  He said Daddy and Jocelyn could come too.  Even though they were there, he sat next to me and gave me lots of kisses.  He asked for a table for three and a baby.  He held my hand. 

These moments...  these precious moments...  are just so incredibly special to me. 

My friend, Meg, told me about a song today...  about Never grow up by Taylor Swift...  and oh how I wish I could keep my two little people... little.  But, I guess that's not what life is about. 

For now...  I hope I get to go on a gazillion more dates with my little man.  Ones where he gives me lots of kisses and holds my hand. 

Pointe West, Galveston with great friends

For the last two years (three if you count this one), the S family, the M family and us have gone somewhere together.  The first year was to Cedar Creek Lake ... looking back at that blog... OH MY GOODNESS the kids were so young!  wowowowowow!  

Then last year we went to Lake of the Ozarks in a 15 passenger van.  It's a multi blog adventure.  We had such fun.  

This year, me having just had baby J...  we decided to just do a weekend and make it close.  So we went to Galveston.  We found a house at the last minute that was on the beach and it was perfect.  A private beach with no cars, no seaweed and very few people.  

 We arrived Friday evening and the kids immediately started playing together.  

The next morning it was a bit overcast (which was perfect) so we went on down to the beach.  Scott got a little Baby J fix...  you look awful good with a little one Scott.  :-) 

 the kids all built sandcastles and tore them down. 

 Abby taking a rest... 

 the outside of our house

 more sandcastles

 Baby J getting some beach time

 Sarah wasn't a huge fan of the salt water in her mouth

 my "sandpeople"...  from left to right:  Abby, Jacob, Sarah, Reagan and Joe

 50 cents.. ha ha ha

 Joe and Reagan were dancing in the surf... 

 We headed back to the house where we had lunch and then headed to the pool. 

 There was baseball with the boys while Jason and John cooked some burgers. 

 "Show me your muscles!"

 On sunday morning we tried to get ONE good picture of the kids...  well you can see how well that worked. 

 but we did get one of us.  :-)

What a great weekend with great friends.  Looking forward to next year! 

Jocelyn: 10 Weeks

 Jocelyn was 10 weeks old a whole week ago...  and I took the picture but couldn't seem to get two hands to get this typed.

I swear she has grown a foot in a week...  she's getting so long.  To me, she doesn't feel small anymore.  To the outside world, apparently, she is.  :-)

I also took the Joe/Jocelyn picture...  it's a bit like herding cats...  but I did finally get them to lay still long enough to take a couple of shots.

Jocelyn doesn't look amused but I got it...  we'll see if I can continue.  :-)

Do you think they look alike?  In this picture I do... but most of the time, they don't at all.  But what is true is their relationship is so sweet.  All she has to do is look at him and she smiles.  He LOVES to kiss her head and pet her.  I really hope they continue to be sweet to each other but I have a sneaky suspicion...  it won't.  

And this pic... I love.  The smile.  The smile captures it all.

Jocelyn is getting to be so much more alert and she smiles all the time.  She hasn't belly laughed but it's coming, I know it is.  She is rocking side to side on her little play mat, not rolling over completely (thank goodness)...  but I fear it's not far.

She's eating well and often.  She sleeps well at night and is all in all, an easy baby.  :-)

Joe continues to just be a comedian.  Things come out of his mouth and I know we'll forget some day.  He slid a "big red" over to Jason with the lid off and Jason told him...  "That is NOT ok we do NOT do that!"  Joe looked at the two of us and said...  "TA DA!"  with his hands up.  We couldn't resist... be burst out laughing.

He's getting so tall and is such a great swimmer.  I have swim video's that I'll work on editing when I have a spare second.  Ha!

Random thoughts on a Saturday Night

People always say that they love their children the same.   Or that you have enough love to go around with your kids.  One child cannot be replaced with another.  Etc etc etc. 

When I was pregnant with Jocelyn, I truly wondered, as all mothers do...  will I be able to love Jocelyn like I love Joe?  Will Joe feel the loss of love from me because I love her now too?  The answer to the first question is yes and no.  :-) 

I remember a friend of mine telling me that she loved her first born even more because she saw them play together.  And this kind of fits here.  Joe obviously cannot play with Jocelyn because she's too little.  But to see the way his eyes light up when he sees her and the smiles that she gives him and only him are truly priceless. 

I have worked really hard at having some alone time with Joe so that he doesn't feel the "loss".  And before I even had Jocelyn, we had Jason take over much of his nighttime duties so that when baby was born...  there really was no change there.  I can honestly say that I love them different but equally as much. 

I love being a mommy to these two kids.  These two kids shape my heart and epitomize that saying ...  I will forever know what it's like to live with my heart outside my body.  Joe's giggle lightens the worst of days.  Jocelyn's smile..  well the new 100 watt bulbs that Jason thought we HAD to have.. they have nothing on her.  Her eyes twinkle. 

I thought I had lived before I had kids.  I had adventures and stories and pictures that I still call upon to remind me that being afraid and doing it anyway is sometimes good. 

But now...  now, my days are filled with little boy kisses, dirty hands, crayola markers marking up his arms, sharpies on my wood (oh my), four year old jokes, "why's", twinkle twinkle little star and the wonder of everything being new. 

Each minute is taken up with thoughts of breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering (yes we ahem I am cloth diapering and it's not your mama's diaper system), fitting in going to work to get some stuff done, oh yeah... maybe try to train for that half marathon I really want to do (you want me to RUN with the baby in 104 degree heat???), and being a mommy. 

I don't always make the best decisions but I make the best decisions I know how to make calling on the instincts I was born with.  I want both of my kids to be free spirits.  To know that their feelings are real and it's okay to be sensitive.  I want them to know that they can be anything they want to be and it's not because I am good at speaking in front of people or that his daddy is amazing at organizing his thoughts and getting things done.  They are who they are and God made them that way.

I am not the mom I thought I was going to be...  but man oh man, do I love being the mom that I was supposed to be.  :-)

Fourth of July Weekend

The week before the 4th, Mom came up to help me because Jason had a conference to go to in Austin.  Each evening we would go to the pool and enjoy a swim to cool off from this dreadful heat.  

Joe enjoyed the forklift. 

On Friday night, my dad came up and joined us.  We all went to the lake on Saturday.  

 we cooled baby J off by putting her muslin blanket in the ice water.  It was then too cold... so mom warmed it up on her head.  :)

 Daddy was REALLY relaxed. 

 This was our little tent ahem... canopy... giving us the much needed shade. 

That evening, the Peck family came over to join us.  We all wanted to go swimming but as soon as we got there it started thundering.  :(

Shelby and Joe had a good time reading together though.  

All of the kids had such a great time.  They played and played and played and Joe was asking of Shelby and Coleman were coming over again the next day.  :-)

Just a random sweet hand shot.  :-)

On the fourth of July...  we went to the pool, hung out, took naps and then that evening, we went out to dinner with the Bird Family and to see fireworks.  

Dinner was excellent and the fireworks were great fun except for the trees.  :-) 

It was a great way to celebrate the birth of our great nation!