First Soccer Game.

Gray's first game was a little less fabulous than I had imagined. It was freezing cold in San Diego that morning, and I doubt it has ever been windier. Gray ran out and enthusiastically got the first kick of the game! That's where it all went south. 

He decided he wasn't really into the game about 2 minutes after the game started. Maybe it was because he was cold, maybe it's because his ears were burning from the wind, maybe he needed a nap. Who knows why, but he quickly decided he wasn't into it. We stayed the whole game but Gray didn't play again, unless you count the few seconds he ran around the field (seemingly chasing other kids) with my umbrella. I doubt you will, but there you have it. We have one more game next weekend, so I'm hoping he wants to participate. 

Best. Bread. Pudding. Ever.

My mom searched for months for a good (No. Great.) bread pudding recipe. Finally after months and months of experimental recipes, she found THE one. It's the best bread pudding I think I've ever tried. Hands down. Plus it's super easy to put together! 

Josh loves bread pudding, so I made it (for the first time) for him when he got home from Afghanistan. He has been asking for it since he licked the bowl clean in February. He didn't actually lick the bowl clean, but I'm certain he considered it. I dug out the recipe this morning to add the ingredients to my grocery list, but thought it would be nice to share it with my readership (Hey Meryl! Hey Deni!). Trust me when I tell you that this will change your life, and by that I mean you will need a whole new wardrobe. 

Be warned that it won't fit into your diet plan, but I promise that this is super easy to make and oh so yummy.

Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

Ingredients:

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 3/4 cups whipping cream

4 cups cubed French bread

3/4 cups raisins

Directions: 

1. Combine first 4 ingredients; stir in butter and whipping cream. Gently stir in bread and raisins. Pour into a lightly greased 2-quart soufflé or deep baking dish. 

2. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes, shielding with aluminum foil after 30 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Let pudding stand 10 minutes before serving warm with vanilla sauce. 

Vanilla Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons light brown sugar 

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

dash of ground nutmeg

1 large egg

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/4 cups whipping cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Whisk first 7 ingredients in a heavy saucepan; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly. 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Note: Unbaked pudding may be chilled up to one day. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes; bake as directed. Sauce may be chilled up to two days. Microwave in a 2-cup glass measuring cup at high 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring every 30 seconds. 

Josh's quilt.

I finally collected the fabrics for Josh's quilt before Christmas. I had no intention of taking my sewing machine on a road trip, so it stayed here awaiting my return. I finally cut into the fabric last week and in a few days, the quilt top was completed! I used the Bizzy Kid pattern from Cluck Cluck Sew. 

Put some fabric on the floor and miraculously children and pets are drawn to it.
True story. 

It turned out a lot brighter than I envisioned, but I'm not sure that comes across in the photos. I think it's the perfect size to snuggle with or take to the beach! I'm deciding on the backing fabric now because I have a fun blue polka dot that may be perfect, but Josh was leaning toward a solid colored back. I would have to buy the solid, and buying online is tricky color-wise. No matter what I decide, I hope to have this one in the mail to my favorite quilter in the next week or two. I love the way this one turned out. Now I'm on to a robot quilt for Gray's big boy room! 

SeaWorld

One of the fantastic perks active duty service members get is free admission to SeaWorld every year! Gray hasn't been in forever, so we decided to take advantage of Josh getting Good Friday off work. Gray is too small to ride half of the rides, plus there were a ton of people there that day, so we only rode one ride. We did see two shows and most (if not all) of the animals. Gray loved the sharks, the dolphins, the whales, the seal, the sea lions, the penguins, and pretty much everything else. 

Dolphin Show.  

Ok. A pilot whale jumping out of the water is pretty cool.  

Trying to 'pet' a dolphin. 

Shamu! 

It was a LONG day. Monkey fell asleep on the way home, but admitted to having a great time right before he passed out. I guess we will be headed back for our annual trip next Spring, since Monkey liked it so much. 

Easter Bunny!

This week, Gray and I went to the Heavy Lift (helicopter) Squadron's Easter party on base. Josh had to work so it was just the two of us. Gray hunted eggs for the first time, so it took him a minute to figure out that he was supposed to put the eggs in the basket, not just pick them up and put them back down. It was pretty cute to watch, I can't lie. He went for an egg at the same time as a little girl, but he beat her to it. Once he realized she was trying to pick it up, he put it in her basket. What a proud Mommy moment! My baby is learning to share! :) 

Gray. Loved. This. Slide. 

Waiting for the hunt to begin.

Who doesn't love people in cammies walking around during an egg hunt?

Checking out his loot. 

"Look at Mommy for one picture."
He turns his back and crosses his arms. I'm not even kidding. 

He spotted the Easter Bunny and I told him to wait to chat with him until after he hunted eggs. Once the egg hunting was done, the Easter Bunny had moved at least 100 yards away. Gray spotted him and high tailed it after the Bunny. You would think a kid who was terrified of Santa last year (2010) wouldn't be a fan of a huge bunny, but I guess times they are a-changin'.

Bunny Love. 

We hit the mall after the Easter party to get an Easter outfit for Gray. Turns out we had a mini-shopping spree for next years wardrobe because tons of things are on sale at the moment. Have I mentioned my love for Baby Gap before? Their clothes are always so stinking cute, plus they are well made. I have decided that Gymboree is lame unless you have little girls or are looking for button-up shirts. I was all pumped when I walked in and saw helicopter shirts galore. Then realized they were all ugly, plus had tons of white.  Who buys white for a 3 year old boy? People who like to wash with lots of bleach or people who have too much money? I digress. 

Gray spotted the Easter Bunny and had to see him again. He sat down like a big kid and kept making his 'happy face' until he got down. While I was looking at the print, the EB got up (I think he was getting closer to a fan) and started to dance. Gray saw this and had to join in the dancing. Picture Gray and the Easter Bunny breaking it down in the middle of the mall. Awesome right?

Gray is thinking: "Happy Face!"

Chicken and Asparagus with Pesto Sauce

I signed up for this fabulous program after it popped up on Groupon last week. I selected a certain menu from the list and got a menu/shopping list for the week, every week for a whole year. A new menu is emailed out every week, and so far I have made two meals which were both really good. Another awesome thing about the meals, is there aren't very many ingredients so you save money at the grocery store! I'm all for healthy meals that aren't going to break the bank! Several of my friends and I signed up at the same time, so we all picked a different menu (low-fat, low-carb, family meals, etc) and are sharing each week's menu! 

Anyway, this is the one I cooked tonight. It was ultra-yummy.

Chicken and Asparagus with Pesto

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast, cut into 1" strips

1 lb. asparagus (trimmed and cut into smaller pieces)

2 cups heavy whipping cream

3 tsp prepared pesto (I used a whole Knorr pesto package)

2 tbs olive oil

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Saute in olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. Remove chicken from skillet, keeping warm.

2. Add asparagus to skillet. Cook one minute. Remove asparagus, keeping warm. (I combined the asparagus and chicken into a dish and set aside.)

3. Add whipping cream to skillet. Add pesto and cook until slightly reduced, about 8 minutes. Stir in chicken and asparagus, simmer about 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through. (I let it simmer for closer to 15-20 minutes, because I was waiting for Josh to get home.)

This was super easy to put together and the cream should give you some indication that it is pretty tasty, and with basically 4 ingredients! So far, I'm impressed with my latest Groupon purchase!