You're a wild one, May...

Does anyone else have a particular month that just always seems chaotic, no matter how hard you try to plan and prepare? May is ours and this year was no different. There's always hunting, several birthdays, Mother's Day, our wedding anniversary, plus any other activities that always seem to pop up. 

The first weekend, the kids and I spent in Kansas visiting a couple friends of mine and all their adorable little girls. 4 moms and 7 kids under 3 years old in one house. Poor nicki's house is still standing and We all survived. It was so heart warming to see our oldest girls playing together. The girls are all just weeks apart in age and they are what brought my friends and I together. 

We even managed to get out and explore a little! We played outside and took a little stroll then took the kids for ice cream. We miss our friends and hopefully we'll have more adventures together soon!

 

Kyle's birthday usually falls on or really close to Mother's Day. This year Kyle and the kids spoiled me with some shopping, my firsts Tula carrier and a much welcomed lunch at Five Guys and Coldstone ice cream after. 

We celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary in style. Kyle was a groomsmen in one of his buddies wedding so we made a night of it and left the kiddos with my sister. We did a little stay-cation at the local Marriot and took the kids swimming! Our little fishies had a blast! 

A few days later we made the drive to Heber City, Utah to visit some family and then headed to Moab for a little family reunion. Kyle's dad and his wife rented a house big enough to hold his dad, step mom, mom, all 7 kids, 5 of 6 spouses, and 8 of 12 grandkids. Unfortunately, due to a family emergency, we went back to Heber City to help his family.  We enjoyed all the family and fun, but after 2 weeks of constant traveling, we were definitely ready to be home. A hotel is only fun for so long. 

 

Banana Oat "Cookies"

Normally, The inner chubster in me would instantly skip over any recipe where the word "cookie" is in quotations. But I decided to branch out and try one of these healthy/clean eating cookie recipes. I'm working on eating better and of course, some days are better than others. Plus I don't know about you, but breastfeeding gives me the biggest sweet tooth. Seriously I crave sugar all the time and could live off cookies and soda. 

 I had all the ingredients and a few bananas that needed to be used up so I went for it. And man, I'm glad I did. These things are so stinkin' delicious and very versatile! You can add, omit or substitute any ingredients. You can easily personalize the recipe and even play around with different ideas. Plus I don't feel so terrible when I eat a dozen. And now I'm getting hungry, so let's get started! 

B A S E   R E C I P E

2 to 3             very very ripe bananas

1 to 2 Cups          Oats (you can use any kind depending on what kind of texture you're looking for. I used rolled oats. Just remember, Old fashioned rolled/ steel cut = crunchier. Quick oats= mushier.)

A D D  O N   I T E M S

2 TBSP        Peanut butter powder 

~1 cup         Chocolate chips (more or less in any flavor)

1-2 TSP       Chia seeds

1/2 Cup       Coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix banana and oats together. Then add in your additional ingredients till you get a nice dough like consistency. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray (I used coconut oil spray). Scoop spoonfuls on to a cookie sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool on cooling rack and enjoy! I got about 10-14 cookies each batch.

You can easily add or remove whatever items you want depending on your personal taste or allergies. You can add fruit, nuts, veggies, or whatever your heart desires! I did one batch with milk chocolate chips, chia seeds, and peanut butter. My second batch was white chocolate chips, coconut flakes, peanut butter and chia seeds. Both were amazing!! I'm thinking of trying some pomegranate powder or macadamia nuts in my next batch! 

These were a big hit with Linus. Lucy wasn't fooled but I can't say I'm surprised, she's my daughter after all. I'll just keep trying and maybe one day they'll grow on her. 

Let me know how you customized the recipe and your thoughts! 

Playing catch up

It's been too long.

Linus Jay came into our family and things have been a whirlwind ever since. He's now 9 months old and a very large 9 month old at that. Lucy loves being a big sister and she's an even better big sister than we could have imagined. They just love each other and its heart melting. 

First thing in the morning, they both wake up and look for the other. They have their moments where they fight over toys but I'd be worried if they didn't.

Basically we're thriving in our current environment. No big changes. No new house, job, kids or pets. 2016 will probably be on the boring side but we're hoping 2017 will have new excitement and adventures for us. 

Enjoy the cuteness! 

Four

Photo by my awesome sister in law at Birdy O Photo

There is no better way to start a blog than announcing a pregnancy, even though it's been public knowledge for a while now.  But, we are expecting a new baby Buechele. I am due July 1st! We are beyond excited to welcome Linus Jay into our little brood.

We found out I was pregnant just days before Lucy's first birthday and honestly it was a bit of a surprise. We were both very open to the idea of a second baby at the time, we just never dreamed it would happen on it's own and so quickly. It took us two years and some Clomid before I got pregnant with Lucy so we were prepared to go the long haul for baby #2. But we are so blessed and thankful to be expecting again so soon.

 By thanksgiving all of our immediate family members were clued in our surprise. Shortly after the new year we went facebook official and announced to all the other friends and family. With Lucy, we were way too excited to wait so we did an elective scan at 17 weeks to learn the gender. This time we impatiently waited till my 20 week ultrasound (which was scheduled on my birthday)  to find out the gender of our little peanut. It has been confirmed it is a boy and Kyle guessed correctly (again). Since we both still loved the boy name we had picked out from my first pregnancy, it was easy to agree upon a name, Linus Jay. Of course, I've already started shopping for baby boy clothes and accessories. I love shopping for baby stuff and since I hardly have any boy hand me downs from my sister and friends, I have had a blast shopping. It's so different shopping for a boy. I'm just used to all the cutesy frills and ruffles.  I'm excited to be able to shop the other half the baby department.

3d picture of his little face 

Words cannot describe how excited I am for Lucy to be a big sister and have a new baby in the house! Here's a bump shot for the road