2014

Recap of 2014

1. Well we moved again.  This time we are staying put (I swear).  Three moves in the last 3 years has not been fun but we got the deal of a lifetime and are in a dream location and in an actual house.  We are living the small town lifestyle now.  I didn't think that Seal Beach was really for me but since moving in in June, I've completely changed my mind.  I love the kids playing in the street every afternoon, chatting with other moms out on walks during the day, pulling Blake in the Radio Flyer to Pavillions to get stuff to make dinner, pushing Blake in her car down to the park by the pier to play.  They also have so many fun activities going on all the time.  Concerts and movies in the park all summer, a huge 3rd of July spectacular (yes I said the 3rd), a huge Christmas tree lighting at the pier complete with sledding in real snow and Santa showing up by police escort, and the world famous Christmas parade.

2.  Blake turned one

3.  I finished my clinical fieldwork for my SLPA and am now just awaiting my license in the mail and searching for a job.

4.  Blake went on her first plane ride to Cabo.

5.  We hosted Christmas at the new house.

6. Blake hit a ton of firsts.  Crawling, walking, talking, kissing, hugging, etc etc etc.  She is so much fun now but a total handful too ;)

She's going to hate me for this one day but seriously, it's just so freaking cute.  I mean...look at the socks :)

7.  We decided that it was better for our man Cody to go live with Grandma.  He was slowly becoming more and more anxious in our household and was still not completely trustworthy around Blake.  We love that guy so much but we were finally tipped over the edge when Blake stepped on his toe and he reached up and nipped her behind the ear.  Definitely NOT COOL.  He is much happier over at his Grandma's house (he just plain likes her better than us) and we don't have to stress and worry about him peeing on the carpet, barking and waking up the baby, attacking the mail man, or bolting out the door into the street constantly.  We still get to see him regularly so it worked out pretty well.  I really tried everything up until this point because I didn't want to let him go. I'm not sure I could have even done it if we didn't have this perfect arrangement.  We got really lucky.

My goals for 2015:
1. Get a job!! I'm so ready for this next chapter to start. My internship has given me a taste of how it feels to finally be doing therapy and it makes me want it so much more.
2. Let go of small stuff and try to be more present in each moment.
3. Do a few DIY house projects.  Since we don't have a lot of money it makes it hard to decorate this big house but it is slowly going more and more from house to home.
4. Be productive every day.  Even if that means to just get out of the workout clothes and get ready in the morning. Sometimes it feels easier to be lazy but I really do feel better when I start my day early and am getting things done.

Christmas 2014

Picking out our tree.

Two visits to Santa both resulting in this...

 Cookie decorating party at a friend's.

Our tree once it was decorated.

Waaaay too many presents.

The exterior of our house.

We hosted one of the family dinners that week.

And then we hosted Christmas morning breakfast.  

Blake and my grandma MiMi.

Taking a break in her car seat wearing her new boots and hanging with her new Elmo.

Me having a little rest after the chaos before the next family function.

Christmas night.

Checking out lights on Kyle's aunt's amazing street.  It was freezing so we got really bundled up.

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

I found this pin the other day that looked too delicious not to try.  I don't normally even really like teriyaki but it just looked so good.  Luckily it turned out really great...

 because not all Pinterest recipes do.  

Here is the link to the pin.  I thought my picture looked pretty good until I went back and looked at the pin again and saw how great their picture made it look.  Oh well, all that matters is how good it tasted :)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup soy sauce (use low-sodium if desired)
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• (optional toppings: sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds)

DIRECTIONS:

Add the chicken breasts to the bottom of your slow cooker in a single layer.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the garlic, onion, honey, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, and black pepper until combined. Pour the mixture on top of the chicken breasts. Cover slow cooker, and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl and shred it using two forks. Transfer the remaining teriyaki sauce from the slow cooker to a medium saucepan.

Meanwhile in a separate bowl, whisk together the cold water and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved and no longer lumpy. Pour the cornstarch slurry into the teriyaki sauce mixture, and whisk to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and let it boil for about 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and pour the sauce on top of the shredded chicken. Toss to combine.

Serve topped with scallions (green onions) and toasted sesame seeds if desired.