Easter at Meme & Pawpaw's 2013

We had a great family Easter at Meme's, complete with baseball, sack races, and an egg race.  I believe Theresa and Diana were to thank for the kid games?? !  It's a miracle almost every single person was there, and do you think we thought to take a photo?  Nope, of course we didn't .  Here are a few, though. Thanks Theresa!

Strawberry Picking and Spring Break

Well, my spring break was spent painting....a good, full 3 days.  Our entire house, downstairs and up, is going from blue to brown, latte to be exact.  Updates to come.
We went strawberry picking one day out at Froberg's Farm with the Graves family. It was our first time and lots of fun.  Then we were eating strawberry for a week after until we were sick!  And sharing them, of course!

Crossfit Update March

The 2013 Crossfit Open is upon us!  Which basically means that anyone can sign up, track your progress online, and see how you are ranked world wide in specific workouts.  I'm too chicken, still, to sign up for things like this (maybe next year), but Adam was all for it.  The best of the best end up in the Reebok Crossfit Games.  Of course, that's not us, but it is neat to see where you fall and prove to yourself that you can do it. 
So, on Thursday nights & Saturday mornings for 5 weeks, we've been going up to the gym to watch Adam & cheer all of the people on that are signed up.  It's been really neat.  I love to see our crossfit friends come together as a family and encourage each other! I'm so thankful for this life we have now, and for our crossfit friends at Crossfit Bay Area, and for the decisions we've made as a family to be healthy!

Watching daddy crossfit!

First Staples

Well, Adeline got her first staples in her head! She fell at school and hit a door.  We were honestly surprised it took this long.  She was a real trooper. She didn't even cry at the staples, but did take a look at the little staple gun after staple number 2 and said, "Do not put that thing on my head again!" To which, of course, the doctor didn't listen so she got mad and started to cry a little bit.  I wish I had a picture to share, but we forgot to snag one.  You'll have to use your imagination.

The Janese's Have Moved

We have officially moved into our new home in Seabrook.  Adeline took visitors on tours of our new house all weekend, showing all rooms, closets, cabinets, the pool, the fish,etc! She's becoming a pro. Baylor has been riding his bike down the street to his friend Trenten's house. We live right around the corner from the Graves family! Everyone in the cul-de-sac is so nice & all of the pets (dogs) run around loose on the street and visit everyone.  We sat out in the front yard and gave the community dogs some doggy treats!  We are in heaven.  It's perfect, but I will still be changing things to make it our's. 
I think Adam said it best when he said after the first week here when our kids played in the neighborhood every evening, "Nicole, we didn't know what they were missing at our other house."

The light blue will be changed over spring break!

 Feeding the fish in the pond!

This wooden railing will soon be black!

It's Time to Pack

We are slowing packing up to move the new house. The kids are so excited! Adeline wanted to pack her clothes and I told her not to because that would be the last thing. Well, she did it anyway and then had the task of putting everything back in the drawers. When she finally came back in the kitchen, I asked her if she put all the clothes back in the drawers, and she says, ever so sure of herself, "mom I had to put all those clothes back that Diego & Alicia packed in the box (her imaginary friends). They didn't listen!" How can you not laugh at that? The clothes did get put back, though!

New Year, New You?

It's a new year, and for most everyone I know, that means new goals.  Make this your year.  Eat better, take care of yourself, and get moving.  I would love to preach.  I would love to shout it at you.  I would love to live at the homes of my loved ones and just force feed you, but I can't! So, I ask you to do one thing...learn about what you're doing, read about what you're eating, look up some words in the ingredients.  Try! Commit!  Feel good!  Then, when you feel better, do Crossfit!  Happy New Year's my loved ones and friends!
Go check this out.... Whole9

Crossfit Month 8!  Do I really need to give you an update? Do I need to give more praise to crossfit than I do on a daily basis?  Scratch that....more praise than ADAM gives it on a daily basis! We absolutely love our crossfit community at Crossfit Bay Area, and we love this new life.

I will make it to the top of that damn rope!

Happy Birthday Adam!

How can I let the month go by without mentioning this? Happy Birthday to the most fantastic guy.  Oh, I'm married to a great person, too, you say?  Well, really guys, I know in this age of Facebook , everyone is all about their spouses in their posts "My husband is great", "I love my spouse!", "Look at these fabulous flowers I got from my husband for no reason other than I'm awesome", blah, blah.  But, seriously, Adam Janese, you are the greatest man I could ask for.  There is never a dull moment in our house or our life.  You are fair and kind to everyone. You are a great son & husband, and, of course, the most fantastic dad.  People expect great things out of you, and you never let them down! Our life together grows & gets better every year, and I don't think everyone can say that. You make me laugh, you make me happy, and you make me better. Happy, happy birthday!

Oh, and in addition to a super, fun night of listening to Spazmatics, we were joined by lots of great, new friends for Adam's birthday this year.  Love our Crossfit family!

Delicious Recipe of The Moment: Zucchini Enchilada Boats

Excellent reviews from everyone!  The first time I made it, it seemed a bit tedious, but now I make it often & I double the recipe!  Love!  And all Paleo if you leave off the cheese on top!


This recipe came from Skinny Taste.  Click on the link below for complete recipe & all instructions.
Skinnytaste Zucchini Enchiladas

**Note: I don't follow recipes, usually.  I did omit the chipotle peppers in adobe sauce because they are too hot for my kids & not one of my pantry staples. I also use onions instead of green onions & use regular chili powder instead of chipotle chili powder.

Baylor Update

Baylor is healthy and strong (and stubborn, hard-headed & typical 5th grade boy, but that's another story).  He is no longer producing new bone marrow, but we have no big changes in his health.  His doctor monitors him constantly & we continue with blood and bone marrow testing every 2-3 months to catch anything as soon as possible.  We did start seeing a new ear, nose & throat specialist that will begin monitoring Baylor's mouth & throat. Fanconi's Anemia is commonly linked to mouth and throat cancers.  It's inevitable that a bone marrow transplant is in his future, but that, too, will be taken day by day.  I will continue to update with news!
On a more positive note, Baylor's birthday is this month.  He will be 11!  We are into another decade. Can you believe it?  We are blessed as parents & blessed with family.  Love to all who keep Baylor in your prayers and love him! 

Adeline Quotes

1. "Mom, we don't like this damn food" (sitting at the dinner table with the family)
2. "I love the babysitter. Can you call her on the writing and tell her?" (meaning can I text her)
3.  (crying) "mom, you make me afraid right now" (after I got on to her because she was not listening)

This is such a fun, loving age.  She tells us constantly how much she loves us and stops to say I love you, and how great her family is!  Maybe it's because she's a girl, but I don't remember this with Baylor. She was also so appreciative of all of her Christmas gifts & said they were all the best!  I'm sure I'm leaving out a ton, but that's what I get for waiting so long to update the blog.

Pre-Christmas Fun

We visited the Christmas Train this year at a friend's church, and it was amazing.  Quick, inexpensive, and fun.  This will be our new tradition for Christmas, for sure.  Check it out at Living Stones Church!

 Christmas 2012, Baylor (10) and Adeline (3)

Mini Dance Recital

Adeline had her first mini-dance recital.  I say "mini" because her dance teacher comes to her school for an hour each week, and then they put on this little 10 minute "show off" in December & May.  It really was the cutest thing ever, but you guys....boy, was I worried!  She really is her daddy's child.  She is so clumsy and falls over her own feet and knocks things down. Some of you that know Adam may be saying to yourselves Really?  He's so outstandingly athletic? How can he be clumsy?  Yeah..it's possible!  I used to laugh and say I got it when Adam's parents refer to him as "bull in a china closet", but I was wrong.  I didn't really get it.  NOW I get it! 
Anywho, she did beautifully!  It was sweet and just long enough.  And, she was proud to show her newly learned ballet and hip-hop! 

Sidenote: She looks like a giant in this video because evidently when people say she's tall for her age, they're right!  All of these girls are 3, and Adeline is one of the younger 3 year olds.

Squats and Hiccups

Adeline asked me tonight to babysit her friends Diego and Alicia (pronounced Badego and Balicia. And imaginary, I might add) so she could go to the gym. I said okay, and she went in the garage and rode her car around a bit. Then she comes back in and tells me she did 3 WODS (crossfit workouts) and 4 squats! You can tell she listens to conversations in this house! I told her to go tell her dad & the story got even better. She added 3 hiccups. Confused? So were we! I asked ,"do you mean pull-ups?", and then Adam asked, "or push-ups?". To which she shakes her head yes and says "yes, 3 push-ups!" Good stuff! As for the imaginary friend topic, I have some great stories to document of Baylor's imaginary friends years ago, but that will be another day.

 Dumbbell Squats!

Grandpa Lulue Nicknames

This one is for my dad who gives all of the grandkids ridiculous nicknames that none of them can remember!  One day he was yelling for one of them to come see and Carter (age 4 maybe) looked at us and said, "Which one am I?"

Well, the other night we were discussing it with Baylor because he couldn't remember some of the names & Adeline chimes in listing them all off!

Bossy Much?

She's demanding that Baylor give her more snack & saying "Baylor Janese"!

Thanksgiving Week

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! I love spending Thanksgiving at the deer lease (thanks dad).  The kids get to have their taste of country, the boys get to shoot things, we get a year's worth of deer meat, & it's a few stress free days.  I especially loved this year with our simple Thanksgiving meal with no bread, no sweets, no stuffed bellies afterwards, no TV with football, no STRESS!  We did indulge on all kinds of chocolate, fudge & other crap from Bucee's on the way home, but as my sister-in-law Sarah pointed out, we would've done that anyway, so it's good we didn't indulge the day before as well! Good point. 
I didn't list out all the things I'm thankful for because they still haven't changed.  My husband, my kids, my family, everyone being healthy, etc.  Maybe the only thing to add is our new family at Crossfit Bay Area!  I love the way Crossfit & new eating habits have changed us & mad
e us want to be better & healthier.  It really is like a family where we crossfit & we love it, the kids love playing around up there, and we've made great new friends!

Big Bro

Best part about this picture? Not that we're at wal-mart riding a bull, not that Baylor is so mad, and not that Adeline is obliviously happy.....No, the best part was that one of Baylor's excuses for not wanting to ride was that he might fall off because there is nothing to hang on to.  I tried to tell him that it's a baby toy and wasn't going to go very fast, but he insisted. So when I put the quarters in, and it started to go in slow-mo, Adam started giving him all kinds of hell about it going too fast & saying "whoa, I don't think you're going to make it 8 seconds"!! That kind of stuff only makes me & Adam have the giggles & ticks Baylor off even more.
I seriously love this picture.  It speaks volumes about their personalities!

Ouch!

Well friends, another lesson on why you should not let your little kids have sharp things.... They might fall on them?? Oh no, they might sneeze on it! Adeline was holding the air pump for the basketball yesterday in the car. She sneezed & then started screaming & holding her bloody eye. We just new the needle had stuck into her eyeball. Luckily, Crossfit Bay Area saved the day with a small first aid kit. The needle had scraped under her eye and gauged a little hole in her eyelid. A little bloody, a little bruised, but all is well. Thank goodness your eyes shut when you sneeze.

You can't see the worst of it here, but you kinda get it!

Paleo Shepherd's Pie

Recipe to not miss this week....October 8: Paleo Shepherd's Pie

This is adapted from a Shepherd's Pie recipe from WeightWatchers.  Think you can't stop eating potatoes? Wait until you try my Shepherd's Pie with mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes!  It's delicious! And don't even get me started if your a calorie counter because this dish is next to nothing!

Serves 6, about 200 calories per serving

Ingredients:

1 1/2  large heads cauliflower, trimmed, chopped and steamed until very soft

1/8 tsp table salt, or to taste
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup(s) onion(s), chopped
1 bag of frozen diced carrots & peas (I find this at Kroger)
2 stalk(s) celery, diced (medium)
1 pound(s) uncooked ground turkey breast
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup(s) canned chicken broth, or beef broth
**be careful with the rosemary & thyme! I go light.
• Preheat oven to 400ºF.
Using a hand mixer or food processor, mix cauliflower until smooth.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots/peas and celery; cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add meat and cook until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper; stir to coat. Add broth and bring to a simmer; simmer until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer meat mixture to a  9X13 cake dish. Spread mashed cauliflower over top and using the back of a spoon, make decorative swirls over the top. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.