Miss, "No, I'll do it!"

Little miss is growing into be her own person..independent, sweet, fun. She hates to be shown how to do something...and wants to be hands on the whole time (like mom).

Valentines Gratitude

Happy Valentines Day..here are some Beignets for you all! I had some this morning.




February was a crazy month for me. About 3 weeks ago I had surgery and a biopsy because of a previous irregularity with a mammogram. It was nerve wrecking waiting for the results-and on top of that I had quizzes to take and a research paper to turn in. Luckily I have very supportive friends and family who have been praying for me, so that really helped. About a week ago, the results of the surgery came back and luckily everything was benign. No abnormal cells found. I'm very grateful, I hear so many stories of situations going the other way. Good health- what an awesome birthday gift!

Santa came !

We had a very laid back Christmas at the Whitlock house. On Christmas Eve morning Lydia and Josh popped popcorn and watched my favoite, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". For dinner, mom made chicken enchiladas, spanish rice, and "REAL" refried beans. We drank hot chocolate and ate more chocolate. We finished the night with reading from Luke, about the birth of Jesus. On Christmas morning , it took about 2 and a half hours to put together the Barbie Townhouse pictured above. Josh cursed Santa for not putting it together himself...but after it was finished, the Christmas spirit reigned again. Lydia loves it, and we're hoping it's structurally sound.
We hope everyone had a relaxing, happy Christmas. Now to focus on New Year's resolutions...

Christmas Fun

Singing "Silent Night"

She's already 'boy crazy"..we're in trouble

Making our yearly gingerbread houses with Grandma and Grandpa

Decorating Cookies at Lydia's school

Stuffed of stuffing

Being that the Whitlock's hate clean up and left overs, we decided to go out for our Thanksgiving dinner...and I'm so glad we did. We went to the North Harbour Club and sat as close as we could do the water without being outside. Our dinner had a Southern kick to it. I thought I would post the menu for the Arredondo girls, since we all love to cook and eat!

Started with:
Sauteed Carolina Crab Cake, Chickpea Mash
&
Seared Carolina White Shrimp
on Chipolte-Corn Cheddar Grits


Main Course:

Pomegranate Glazed Turkey
Honey Roasted Ham
Herb Marinated Top Round
Apple Cider Mopped Pork Loin

Creamy Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon and Vanilla Bean
Slow Roast Nutmeg Scented Acorn Squash
Roast Autumn Vegetables with Thyme
Thanksgiving Stuffing
Southern Style Green Beans
Spiced Cranberry Relish
Turkey Gravy

For Dessert:
Toasty Pumpkin Bread Pudding
with Maple Pecan Praline, Spiced Ice Cream


I guess I'll be on the treadmill tomorrow ...
When we got home we made our Thanksgiving "paper" turkeys and listed 5 things we were grateful for. Josh and I wrote the obvious stuff 1.Health 2. Jobs 3.Family 4.Lydia 5.Mom/dad
We were excited to see what Lydia "drew", since she really can't write, or so I thought, but to my surprise she wrote 5 things too. 1. Poop 2. Poop 3. Poop 4. Poop 5. Poop
Either "poop" is the only word she can spell or she has a twisted sense of humor...
(see picture below )

Random pics from Thanksgiving

How Cute is She !!

Sadly, the soccer season has come to a close. But mom and dad have had fun cheering on the sidelines for "long-legs, Lydia", as Coach Katie calls her. Lydia was recently given the "Fierce Competitor and Team Leader" award for her soccer team. She's so much fun to watch, and of course, a natural athlete. Next on our list, dance!