Happy St. Patty's Day!

Rant

Can I just say how much I HATE dealing with Insurance companies...I'm on hold with them right now. The least they could do is give you some decent hold music...............

Yummy...

When my mom was in town right after Rocklin was born, she was kind enough to make us dinners at night. There is one in particular that she made that Adam and I just love. It's from the Cooking Light magazine, and I use wheat pasta when making it, so it's pretty healthy too! I thought I'd share the recipe with anyone who may be interested in trying something new. If you make it, let me know what you think! (And I think in the future, if I cook something good, or pull out an old recipe that I like, I will try and post it for anyone else to make. I don't know about you, but I'm always on the hunt for a good new recipe). Enjoy!

Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cheese

1 (1 lb.) package uncooked ziti (I use wheat penne pasta)
1 pound turkey Italian sausage links (you can use hot turkey sausage links if you prefer)
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or 1/8 c. dried)
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
1 cup (4 oz.) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Cook pasta according to package direction, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta; set aside.
3. Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until sausage is browned, stirring to crumble. Add tomato paste, salt, black pepper and diced tomatoes to pan; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray. Top with half mozzarella and half Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size approx. 1 1/2 cups)Calories: 413Fat: 11.8 grams

Who does Rocklin look more like?

This says that Rocklin looks like me more than Adam? What do you think...I disagree!

Big Boy!

Today Adam and I were hanging out in the office and we had Rocklin laying on the couch. He fussed whenever we laid him down, so we sat him up in the corner of the couch and he loved it! He's getting to be such a big boy already; he's filling out and getting such kissable cheeks! He'll be two months old this week!

I Quit!

Yesterday I quit my job. I've been out on maternity leave since I went out on bed rest back in December and I was supposed to go back part time next week. However, the thought of leaving Rocklin with someone other than me during the day was just getting to be too much for me to think about. Adam and I decided that it would be best for now if I quit my job to stay at home and raise Rocklin. I may entertain the idea of working with a former client from home, but we'll see. Right now my focus is on Rocklin and making sure he knows how much his momma loves him!

I have worked in corporate America for the past 10 years and I will say that quitting my job yesterday to stay at home full-time with my child is a liberating feeling! Growing up, I always dreamed of being a mom and never envisioned myself as the "corporate" type, but life didn't exactly go as I had initially planned for myself and I had to get a "real" job. I have been blessed with some great opportunities during the past 10 years and have learned so much at each of my jobs, but I have a feeling that the biggest lessons in life are yet to be learned as I watch this little person grow before my eyes. I am so thankful to be blessed with this opportunity!

As a side note, here are some of the jobs I've had since I began working 13 years ago...

• Chuck E. Cheese (and yes, I did have to dress up like Chuckie once!)
• Lifegaurd
• Swimming Lessons Teacher
• Consignment Store (I priced and sold used clothing and furniture)
• Telemarketer (HATED it...but Provo didn't have much else to offer me at the time)
• Receptionist at a car dealership
• Sales Assistant at an online job board
• Administrative Assistant for a few different companies
• Executive Assistant for an executive search firm
• Human Resources Coordinator
• Recruiter for a video gaming company
• MOM

Mad About Plaid!

Our little family had a fun day yesterday! Adam had to go to a couple of job sites for work, so Rocklin and I came with him and just cruised around the malls while he was working. Afterwards, we went out to dinner with some of Adam's co-workers and then to a wedding reception. I know I've said it before, and I hope I don't jinx myself by saying it again, but Rocklin is such a good baby. The whole day he was in and out of his car seat and stroller and the entire time he just sat there and chilled and looked around without crying or anything. I'm keeping my fingers crossed he keeps up this good behavior!

While at the mall, we got Rocklin this adorable outfit. (Ever since we found out we were having a boy, I couldn't wait to get him a little sweater vest!).

Our neighbors gave us this super cute little outfit and we had him in it yesterday for the wedding reception. It even has teeny little matching plaid shoes, however you can't see them well in this picture and they didn't stay on for the long haul.

You have to wonder what's going thru a baby's mind when he makes faces like this:

Mommy & Rocklin: