Baby update

Our current top name favorites are: Logan, Greyson and Grant.
We are less than a month to go here and my doctor said I am already a little dialated and effaced. Now for those of you who know, I was like this with Kate for the entire last month...but, most people have everything go by halves with the 2nd one-- half the labor time, etc. So, we might be meeting this little guy sooner than we think.
I would appreciate your prayers as these last few weeks wind down and I try to care for both myself, the little boy, as well as a very busy toddler. Kate told me yesterday that she needed "marsh-mallows RIGHT NOW". This is my daughter. She is also still cutting teeth and waking up at night, so I am progressively more tired. Therefore...off for a nap :)

Easter recipe

Janis decided that for Easter we were going to do brunch instead of a full-on meal. She made this french toast that was AWESOME. I have had stuffed french toast before (and maybe it has something to do with being pregnant and hungry) but this was a winner.

Stuffed Blueberry French Toast

1 lb. sliced stale italian french bread (larger loaves)
8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 cup blueberries
12 eggs
2 cups milk (1%)
1/3 cup maple syrup
Sauce:
1 cup white sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup blueberries
1 T. butter
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Spread cream cheese on top of half the bread slices and place in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Spread 1 cup blueberries evenly over cream cheese. Top
with remaining bread slices. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk and maple syrup. Pour egg mixture over bread. Cover pan with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, remove pan from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350. Bake 30 minutes covered with foil. Uncover pan and bake for an additional 30 minutes until golden brown and center is set.
To make sauce: Combine sugar, cornstarch and water in sauce pan. Boil over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in blueberries and reduce
heat. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until the berries burst. Stir in butter until melted.
Serve the sauce over squares of French toast.
Makes 8 generous servings.
JoAnn Knupp, Chief Cook at the McCafferty House Bed and Breakfast

Babymoon

Travis and I met up with my brother and his girlfriend in Vegas for our babymoon (pre-baby vacation). We had both never been and we rather enjoyed it. We were super impressed with our hotel suite my brother found for us and we really enjoyed our time together with them. With less than 60 days until the due date, we were rather anxious to get away for some much needed rest and relaxation without our dear little Kate. I promise I am not exaggerating when I say that she grew an inch by the time we got back. I love how obvious it is when you return from a trip-- you just love them even more and more!

We stayed at the Trump International Hotel, where they pump the air in the main areas full of jasmine and cucumber. This was literally our oasis in the midst of a very smoky weekend. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner of sushi (shhh....I know I'm not supposed to eat it!) then a beautiful setting at the Wynn hotel for Italian the next night. We enjoyed our dinner there but then Ashley and I came down with what we think was food-poisoning. Not what you expect from a high-end restaurant!

Our other highlights were seeing a Cirque d'Soliel show called LOVE, based on Beatles music, watching the water show at the Bellagio and, of course, sleeping in... Kate was kind to us this morning though and slept in until 7am.

water water everywhere

You'd think water would be scarce in Arizona.
Not in our new house.
First, it was fixing the sprinkler system in the backyard. Cha-ching.
Then, when the water bill still remained RIDICULOUSLY high, we found out the leaking sprinkler in our front yard was actually our water main needing repair. Cha-ching.
While Travis fixed a leaking faucet in our master bathroom, there was some post-repair repairs that needed to be made to the wet carpet. Home repairs-- oops $$.
Then last night, we discover soft drywall seams in our front room as we try to install our new baseboards.
We were warned.
We knew owning a home wouldn't be inexpensive.
We just didn't expect to get so wet in the process.

Secrets

I have a little secret.

I say little prayers.

Mostly, this is inspired by my mother, who always prays for a parking spot. If any of you have been to Montgomery Mall in Maryland, you know this is a neccesity. The spots are few and far between if you want to be near the Nordstom's entrance, which is the most convenient one in inclement weather.

Then I read The Praying Life. He has a whole chapter on praying over life's littlest things.
As a mom, I could identify over the silent prayers issued when your little one goes to pour milk.
My faith has been renewed reading about those little moments God sees fit to listen to. I have been aware of how much He does listen as he answers little prayers. I beleive it is a result of praying more (because we know He hears us) and watching more for how He will answer.

On Sunday night, I was trying my best to keep my house clean and not make too much of a mess coming upon this busy work week. I hadn't made any definite plan for dinner. Then Travis and I got to talking. At one point in our conversation, I looked up at the clock from my cozy seat and realized it was quickly heading towards five o'clock. I just couldn't muster the energy at that point to deal with it. I prayed, "Lord, help me with dinner."

And then our door bell rings.

Our sweet neighbor, Hayley, was at the door. She said her mom made too much pot roast and was wondering if we wanted some.

Dinner.
Provided for.
He certainly does hear the littlest prayers.