background

Friday, December 31, 2010

Christmas Recap

Before Christmas gets too far behind us, I want to recap our Holiday!

We always go to Louisville first a day or so before Christmas Eve and stay until Christmas morning. We have time with Mr.Pate's side of the fam and it's always great. This year the Holidays really wore me out though, and I feel asleep at his Aunt Lisa's! Ha! But I promise I had fun too! We ended up playing a game called "What's Yours like" later and had a ball! Ha! Here is a pic from Christmas Eve with Mr.Pate's fam.
Playing Dirty Santa with Mr.Pate's Dad's side of the fam. Love this part! 

I don't even know what he is holding... 

I am so thankful when people buy him cute clothes! Ha!

Some of our cute cousins. 

Me getting a new crock pot! Woo Hoo! You know how I love a crock pot! 

Opening her purse... which I wrapped in a tortilla box.

We draw his name every year, and we get him clothes every year! Ha! But he likes them! 

Yes he is holding up boxer briefs... I couldnt resist posting it! ; )


Then we get up too early on Christmas morning and head to my parents house in TN for more festivities.  This year we got to drive with a snowy scene to look at the whole way! It was great, and the roads were fine so that was good too. Here's some pics from the whirlwind morning in TN. 
Misty and Ash getting a GPS (Mist has the worst sense of direction!)

Mr.Pate with our new Flip video camera! 

This would be me figuring out what my sister's surprise gift was- a Doppler monitor (which is a thing that lets us hear the baby's heartbeat)! Crazy but awesome! 

Oh and what's this?? My mother though this jumper would be a good idea to keep me warm. Mom- I love the thought... but really?? Haha! 

Ash being taken over by his girls! 

Mom celebrating over some gift. 


And to try to commemorate our big news for this year, I tried my hand at a craft. My friend Mandy will now know why I say I am craft illiterate...

I bought some foam snowflakes at Wal-Mart and wrote each person's "title-to-be" on them and the year. Then on the back I put a copy of the ultrasound picture (I wish it had copied better). Thats it.



No they didnt turn out the best ever, but its the thought that counts right?? Ha!

It was a great Christmas and it is crazy to think it will be our last as the two of us. Changes they are a comin!


Dress up fun!

I went shopping for maternity clothes this week, and although I wasn't hugely successful I did find one part extremely fun...



The maternity store gives you a fake baby belly to put on! How fun! That way you can see how things will loom once you get a cute belly. And I must say all the clothes look so much cuter with a big bump!

I got some stuff but I am still in search of some jeans that fit...

- Mrs.Pate via my iPhone

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Meal Plan Monday... I mean Wednesday?


After a several month hiatus it is time for me to get back into the habit of meal planning & cooking! So here is what we are having over the next week or so:


Porcupine Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef           1 box beef-a-roni         1 can beef gravy
1 egg                            1 cup water                   veg. oil
egg noodles

  1. Mix beef, rice only (dry, not flavor pack) and egg
  2. Form meatballs
  3. Brown in a frying pan with Veg. Oil
  4. Drain off oil
  5. Add water and flavor pack ( mix first before adding to frying pan)
  6. Simmer for 30 min. in skillet (covered)
  7. Add water if needed
  8. When rice is soft add can of beef gravy
  9. Serve over Med. Egg noodles
Chicken and Noodles in the CrockPot
12  ounces extra wide egg noodles
31.5  ounces cream of chicken soup (I just use 2 or 3 cans)
3-4 Chicken Breasts (i just throw frozen ones in)
16 ounces    chicken broth

Directions:
 Put cream of chicken and broth in the crockpot and mix until well blended. Add chicken and cook on low for 8 hours. Add noodles about 1 hr before serving. 



Monday, December 27, 2010

13 Weeks and Counting


  • How far along: 13 Weeks
  • Total Weight Gained: 4 or 5 lbs I think
  • Maternity Clothes: None yet, but I am fastening my pants with a rubber band because they wont button without hurting anymore. 
  • Sleep: I am doing ok with sleep. I wake up a lot during the night though. Trying to train myself now not to sleep on my stomach or back, both of which I love! So thats been kinda hard. 
  • Best Moment of the Week(s): Getting to see the baby on the Ultrasound! So exciting!! The funniest part was anytime I laughed and you could see it shake the baby! Ha! 
  • Movement: I cant feel any, but the nurse at the Doctor's office said the baby was flopping all around on Tuesday! 
  • Food Cravings: Not a ton or strong ones yet. A few weeks ago I had a huge craving for Hamburger Helper! So good!
  • Food Aversions: It varies from day to day. Mainly chicken, but somedays it is fine. Weird! 
  • Morning Sickness: I have been lucky and haven't gotten very sick. I am trying to eat something small every 2 hours to keep my stomach full. So far it has worked. 
  • Symptoms: Fatigue, peeing all the time, Mr.Pate says I have preggo brain, a growing mid-section, very sore boobs and shortness of breath when I do anything slightly taxing. 
  • What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach comfortably! 
  • What I'm looking forward to: Not being so tired, having a big baby bump so people can tell I am definitely pregnant, and feeling the baby move! 


Milestones: 
According to Babycenter.com, Baby Pate is the size of a medium shrimp or a lemon (3 inches). Fingerprints have developed this week! 
*My pictures are actually from last week (12 weeks)... 

Why I Love This Week




::: No work all week again!
::: I am spending Monday with my sister and nieces. Good quality time after the chaos of Christmas events.
::: I got shopping $ for Christmas, so I am off to buy some maternity clothes... Hopefully that will go well!
::: I am getting my hair cut this week. Nothing drastic because I am trying to grow it out, but it needs some shaping really bad!
::: Good ole fashioned downtime!

What are you up to this week?

- Mrs.Pate via my iPhone