Ranch Dressing

Are you looking for a good and healthier ranch dressing? Well give this one a try....
I am a HUGE fan of ranch dressing and love the really really bad for you buttermilk ranch. I cannot tell you how many times I've tried the low-fat or fat-free version of ranch and ended up leaving it in the fridge until it expired and then throwing it away. They are usually just plain gross. But I have finally discovered an amazing ranch dressing that is actually really good. It contains half the calories and less than half the fat. It's also twice the price. But it is worth it.

In case you're looking to buy it for yourself the grocery store we frequent has it in the produce section near the bagged salads. So, I wouldn't count on finding it in the dressing aisle.

Knee Pillow

Back when I was pregnant with Grace I read some advice that suggested sleeping with a pillow in between your knees. I think this was to relieve pressure on hips and/or back. I honestly don't remember. But I loved sleeping with a pillow between my knees and for some reason Matt got really into it too. And ever since we have each always had a knee pillow. It is actually to the point where I don't sleep as well without one. O dear. But I was beginning to hate having to keep 2 extra pillows on our bed and actually in bed with us. They just took up too much room. So, I bit the bullet and ordered some knee pillows from Amazon. They are small and perfect.

14 Months Old

I didn't get around to posting about Grace's last month on the day she turned 14 months old because I was busy taking a nap during her nap. We have been living it up this summer and enjoying lots of time outside and playing with friends. I also am finally getting over a cold that lasted over a week and don't feel the need to sleep through Grace's nap.

This last month has been lots of fun. I can tell Grace is just absorbing more and more information everyday. She only picked up a couple more words this month but she is starting to really watch me when I speak and repeat things with the same intonation and inflection. It is pretty neat to watch. One of the best things she started saying is Grandpa (sounds like Bumpa) when she sees my dad or pictures of him. Now we have to teach her to call Matt's dad that too. She already knew the words baby and ball but they seem to come out of her mouth every minute these days.

I feel like Grace is finally getting to the point where she doesn't put anything and everything into her mouth. It makes going to the parks with woodchips a little bit easier. As far as food goes she is still doing a great job eating. There are some things that she used to eat (like tomatoes) that she has recently spit out but she still eats almost everything I put in front of her. She did start getting her one year molars a couple of weeks ago and at least two of them have cut through the gums. It caused a couple rough days of temper tantrums over nothing. I don't know if there is really much else to report. It just seems like she is growing up more and more everyday.

One other fun thing we got to do this month is meet Grace's new friend Owen. He is my friend Emily's son and he is adorable. Here is a picture...

Mommy Guilt

My friend Emily posted this on her blog about 6 months ago when she was at the beginning of her pregnancy with Owen. BTW, now Owen is 1 week old and I have yet to meet him. I have a very nasty cold that I don't want to pass on so I'm impatiently waiting until I am better to see him. Anyway, Emily made some confessions about not following "the rules" to a T in her pregnancy. And it is true; the mommy guilt never ends. So here are my confessions.....

~I don't talk to Grace constantly so as to increase her vocabulary. Sometimes I just sit and stare at her.
~I let Grace watch TV and she is not 2 yet (although most of the time I watch and Grace plays).
~I don't give Grace her vitamins everyday.
~I have a really hard time remembering to brush Grace's teeth everyday.
~If it is after 4:30 and I'm feeling lazy sometimes I skip putting sunscreen on Grace.
~If Grace wakes up from her nap and I'm still taking mine I let her play in her crib for a while.

I'm sure there's more but those are the ones I've been feeling the mommy guilt about this week. So in case you were wondering, I'm not a perfect mom:)

Brown County, IN

We just got back from a great family vacation to Brown County, IN. It was so relaxing and nice to get away from the daily grind. I was sad as we were approaching home last night because I just wanted to stay away a little longer. We started the week a little down because Grace had caught a bad cold and was even running a fever. She was miserable for the day that we drove there but a little Tylenol and lots of extra sleep (13-14 hours a night) on vacation perked her up. We were able to enjoy beautiful scenery, hike, swim, shop, eat out and even visit some friends on our way home Friday. Here are some pictures with captions below them to highlight some of our favorite moments.

Cute cabin we stayed at. 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, hot tub on the deck, and cable TV.

We went off the trail for a climb up the lookout tower on our hike one morning. Grace preferred to ride on my back because she could see more.

At the Brown County State Park swimming pool. It was a perfect way to cool off before dinner on a warm afternoon.

Ready for dinner at The Muddy Boot's Cafe. Yummy food but Grace mostly wanted super garlicy hummus and raw onions this night.

One of my roommates from the year I spent in Germany and her family lives right on the way home so we were able to stop and visit them for dinner and introduce our children to each other.

Rollin and Rachel's Wedding

We had a great weekend celebrating the marriage of Matt's sister Rachel to a wonderful man named Rollin. We arrived on Friday to Rachel running around the house screaming/shrieking (happy and excited screams not angry or stressed screams). Then we hung around at Matt's parents' house until the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday night. The dinner was at a Chinese restaurant and we had a great buffet. The other nice thing about the dinner is Matt's parents paid for a babysitter so we could get Grace to bed at a decent hour. We were able to enjoy our meal more too!

Practicing for the big day.

Matt and I at the rehearsal dinner.

Then came Saturday: wedding day. It started out in torrential downpour. I cannot remember the last time I saw it rain that hard. And Rachel had planned to take pictures outside:( But about 10 minutes before the photographer arrived the rain stopped and the rest of the day was great for outdoor pictures. The wedding ceremony was beautiful, the reception was a blast, and I was dead tired on Sunday from staying up so late. Again we were able to take Grace to Matt's parents and put her to bed (although we kept her up until at least 8:30) so we could enjoy the reception without her. We got out on the dance floor and tried to hold our own with the crazy kids who are at least 5 years younger than us.

The kiss!

Married!

1st Dance!

Matt, Grace and I in our coordinating outfits. Cute or dorky?

Grace

Concert

Apparently the park in our neighborhood hosts outdoor concerts. We missed the tiny sign. I must have walked past it everyday (unless they didn't put the sign up until this afternoon). So, Grace was already in her PJ's and well on her way to bed when I realized they were having a concert. I walked up there and listened to a couple of songs but it was not that fun being there all by myself. Maybe next summer unless of course we move before then (which is my goal).