Pineapple Onion Pork Chops

Since I haven't given you a recipe in a while, and I had this one in my editor from May 2010, I thought I would share one.

Pineapple Onion Pork Chops

Ingredients:

6 boneless pork chops

1/4 cup all purpose flour (I just eyeball it)

1/2 teaspoon salt (I just eyeball it) 

1/4 teaspoon pepper (I just eyeball it)

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 cup water

1 medium onion thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups pineapple juice

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey mustard (I used regular mustard and added honey)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Coat pork chops with flour mixture. In a skillet, heat butter and brown pork chops on both sides. Transfer to a baking dish and add water. Place onions over chops. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

While chops are in the oven, combine pineapple juice, brown sugar, and mustard in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour over pork and bake uncovered for 5-10 minutes more.

It seems a little time intensive but it really isn't and they tasted really well.

Two Months

Sweet baby boy,

You are two months old now and growing super fast. You are 12 pounds 7 ounces now and keep getting bigger each and every day. You have started to smile this month and when  you do, it melts my heart. You are really attentive to people and things when you are awake, but you really like your sleep. You are sleeping through the night and like to nap most of the day. You have laughed a few times and it is the sweetest sound ever. You are adorable and we love you more and more each day!

Entering a new phase

Remember this post? Well, I am back to talk about my newly found extra free time. Well, I guess not free time, but more time at home.

Before Kevin and I got married almost 9 years ago, we had some long serious talks about what we wanted for our family when we had one. We both really wanted me to be able to stay home with our children and me to raise them. Unfortunately things haven't worked out that way until now. As of March 11, 2011 I am officially a stay at home mom. Not that I won't be working here because believe me, I think being home and taking care of the house and the kids is MUCH harder than going to work each and every day.

With the rising costs of child care and me being a state employee, it isn't financially beneficial for me to continue outside employment. It really was a no brain-er for us and I am very fortunate that my husband is a hard worker and we are both willing to make the sacrifices for me to be able to stay home with our children.

The girls have been out of daycare for about 3 weeks now and we are slowly finding a routine. I must admit, I like having all my laundry done and piles of it not sitting around until the weekend!

Do any of you moms have any tips to help make the transition easier? Any money saving tips? I have just started clipping coupons and I have to admit, I am liking the savings.

Getting crafty

While the temps have been unseasonably warm the last few weeks, we have been spending a lot more time out doors. The sun is shining, the birds are singing and there has been no lack of wanting to be out of this house!

I have been noticing that the birds are coming around more. We love watching the little ones and the big ones and I can't wait until these little visitors return. Hopefully they will bring some friends with them.

Since the birds are out, I decided to let the kids do a craft. Remember the pine cone bird feeders you made in elementary school? We made those!

The girls had so much fun making these but who wouldn't when you are given a plastic knife and a huge jar of creamy peanut butter! I think more pb got in their mouths than on the pine cones!

Korbin however did not have a good time!

They were so proud of the finished products! I must admit it was really fun and I kind of enjoyed myself.

We have been watching out the kitchen window to see if any birds were eating form the pine cones. Sure enough they were. You can kind of see the bird on the pine cone on the left side of the picture. I went out to get a better look and there was no bird seed left on the pine cones. I guess the little birds really liked our bird feeder!

One month

I admit I am a little behind but hopefully I will be able to blog more since I will have more time on my hands. More about that later. Lets get to the fun stuff.

Baby Korbin is a month old! How is that possible you ask? I really can't tell you except that it has gone by fast! He is super adorable and we are totally in love with this little guy! After the girls were born, I would constantly tell Kevin that I couldn't believe that we had a child, or that we had two after Audrey was born. I haven't really said this much to him since Korbin has been born because he just fits so well into our family and it feels like he has always been here.

Anyway, on to his adorableness.

I won't say that I am a photographer. Not anywhere close by any means, but it was kind of fun to get him naked and prop him up and take some pictures. It is pretty easy to do when he can't run from me!

Korbin-you are growing so fast. We are finally getting your reflux under control as long as you don't keep gaining weight at a rapid pace. You are a big boy and mommy has a hard time carrying you for long periods of time. Having a big baby boy is much different than having your tiny little sisters. You sleep well and are getting up twice a night to get a dipaer change and nurse. You are getting pretty fast at nursing and can fill your belly in about 10 minutes. You are still a champion diaper filler and I sometimes wonder how you can gain as much weight as you do when you fill your pants as often as you do.

We are so much in love with you and your sisters adore you. I can't wait to see the changes that the next month brings.

Only in Oklahoma....

Will you find this weather and the following week have this

Mother Nature decided to dump 4-5 inches of snow on us. I think it was officially declared a blizzard with 40-50 mph winds that caused 3-4 foot snow drifts. They might have been deeper than that! 

The temps were bitterly cold so we were only able to play out in the snow for a short amount of time however we took advantage of the indoor family time to do a little bit of cuddling on the couch

and a little bit of baking

We made snow ice cream which I suggest you should try if you never have. The kids enjoyed it and I did too!

             (Please don't take too much notice in my facial expression. Having a newborn in the house has made me tired and silly!)

Korbin got to experience his first snow. Well it was actually his second since there were snow flurries while we were in the hospital but they never stuck to the ground so I can't count it as his first snow.

Just as all of this was about melted, we got pelted again. A week later, we got another 4-5 inches of snow. The temps weren't as bitter so we enjoyed this snow a little more!

Abby did some snow diving. She really had fun and thinks that everyone should try it. She even suggested that I do it but I politely declined.

Audrey found a new friend and was saddened when the sun took him away.

What fun day in the snow wouldn't be complete without a few tears?

AS much fun as the snow was, I am definitely glad to see it gone and don't want anymore until next year. It is hard being stuck in the house for days at a time. We aren't equipped with snow boots and suits to be able to get out of the house. I will take my cold without the snow please!

Playing at the Park

This past weekend we took advantage on the unseasonably warm weather and took the kids to the park for a picnic. We don't get 70 degree weather at the end of January here in Oklahoma very often so we took full advantage of it. It was also Korbin's first trip to the park. Not that he did anything but sit in his carseat but it was a first!

Korbin's 2 week pictures

So my very talented best friend Amanda is back at it taking the most adorable pictures ever. It probably helps that she has the cutest subjects. Not that I am bragging about the adorableness that I gave her to take pictures of or anything. ;)

Presenting Korbin's 2 week pictures to you.

He is pretty cute. I mean I am a little biased.

Introducing Korbin Blake

Korbin Blake was born January 7, 2011 at 12:08 pm weighing a whopping 8 lbs 10 oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. We were certainly surprised at how large he was. I felt completely validated in the complaints I had that I was in so much pain. He was a big boy! My Obstetrician was even surprised at how large he was.

He is waiting on his bath.

Hospitals aren't too fun for kids.

They are so overjoyed that he is finally here!

First family picture.

He is a pretty good baby. He nurses well, sleeps pretty well and is pretty content. He only really cries when he needs a diaper, is hungry, or if Abby is in his face too much.

Hopefully now that this pregnancy is over and I am feeling rather well, I will be back to blogging.

You have got to be kidding me

It seriously has been 3 months since my last post???? Wow. I guess it has been. Over 3 months if you want to get technical but I'm not into technicalities and all so we will just say it has been three months.

To catch you all up to date as best I can, here is what we have been doing.

• Sept-moved the girls into the same bedroom in bunk beds and suffered many nights of Audrey staying up until 11:30 because she thought she could play all night.
• Watched some OU football and ended up having a decent season. Not perfect by any means but not too bad!
• Spent Abby's 6th birthday with a Barbie party complete with a Barbie cake made by yours truly.

• The girls and I spent Halloween by ourselves since Kevin was on his third, and final, work related trip to Maryland.

Audrey was Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Abby was a fairy. You can see that I have a pretty large baby belly there and I can tell you that it hasn't quite shrunk much!

• I had a first experience as a parent in November. I have been proud to say that I have not had to take either of my children to the ER for a visit. At least until November 10th. Audrey lost her balance at daycare while on the playground and fell and hit her head on the screw that holds together a basketball goal post. She had a nice circular cut on her head that would not stop bleeding. She got one staple in her head and said, "OUCH!" in a very monotone voice. It was pretty funny the way it came out.

• We had a great Thanksgiving with both sides of our family. We rented the church youth building and had an inflatable and lots of food. It worked out really well and we are considering doing it again next year!
• We did a little bit of remodel on our living room. It has needed a new coat of paint for a while now and we had a hand crafted built in entertainment center installed. A dear friend of ours made it for us and we are really loving it. Kevin wants a bigger TV now, but we are going to have to wait on that for a little while. :)
• Christmas was such a blessing as it always is. My children are blessed by so many people each and every year and it warms my heart to know how well they are loved. We got to see many family and friends and participate in several holiday parties. (Which was not good for my waistline but WHATEVER! It is Christmas!) Abby is understanding more about Jesus and that we celebrate Christmas because it is his birth. I love that she is starting to comprehend more about God and Jesus even though sometimes she asks some tough questions.
• All our holiday decorations are already down which kind of makes me sad. Our house looked so nice and pretty with the sparkling tree up and now it just looks blah. 

We are very close to meeting our baby boy Korbin. He is scheduled to arrive on January 7th around noon (central time). This pregnancy has been by far the hardest on my body out of all three children. I have been pretty sick with one thing or the other and am going this afternoon to pick up my 6th round of antibiotics that I have been on this pregnancy. Nothing serious, just one thing after another. I have had sciatic nerve pain, severe hip pain where I can't walk, pregnancy induced carpal tunnel syndrome, and severe tailbone pain as he is positioned very far back in my uterus. I don't know if being in my 30's has much to do with it or what, but I am ready for him to get here so I can get back to normal. He is a blessing and we can't wait to meet him. Audrey and Abby are ready to spoil their baby "budder" as Audrey calls him. 

I will make a better attempt to blog more as I hope some of you still read this. I can't PROMISE you anything but I will make a better attempt.