Petersen Family

We colored Easter Eggs the night before Easter and Brayden LOVED it! We only did a dozen and when those were done, he was really upset! I guess we'll have to remember to do more next year! We let him color a few of them before putting them in the dye and he was just fascinated when we pulled them out! We took them with us when we went to Grandma and Grandpa Leavitt's for Easter dinner and on the way home he fell asleep holding the carton of eggs! He just couldn't get enough!

It's a good thing Brian and I both come from families that LOVE baseball! We're been so excited for the season to start and Brian even contemplated waking up at 4am to watch the first game (being played in Japan)!! He ended up setting the tivo and watching it later! With parents like us, Brayden really doesn't have a choice but to love baseball! Sunflower seeds, peanuts, baseball games, and nice Spring days are just what we do! After Easter Egg hunts we headed to Uncle Logan's first high school game and cheered him on! Brayden sat right on "Papa's" lap and at the mid point in the first inning when the teams went into the dugouts, started crying, "more, more!" Apparently he thought it was already over!! We can't wait for the rest of Logan's season and the chance to enjoy being outside and watching the games! (Brayden's been practicing playing catch and is well on his way to being quite the little player himself!)

We took Brayden to two Easter Eggs hunts last Saturday. We stopped first in Saratoga Springs where Brayden wasn't too sure about everything going on. But it ended up acting as a warm up for the Cedar Hills Easter Egg hunt! He loved everything about it and filled his little bucket!! Afterwards he saw the Easter Bunny and we practically had to tear him away! Overall it was a really fun time and fun to watch Brayden be more "into" Easter than last year (and all the candy that comes along with it)!!!

Here's what Brian's been playing with since picking up this LITTLE thing  at the Apple Store yesterday!  Although I was skeptical about it, it is amazing!  And Brian...Happy EARLY Father's Day and Happy EARLY Birthday!  (In case we forget to say it again then!) 

Brayden's finally almost completely healthy again! He still has this cough that won't quit but it's not sounding as bad as before! He's been begging to stop at the park that's on the way to Grandma's house so last Thursday we finally went and played! He always asks for the swings but we didn't even make it that far! Why didn't we make it that far you ask? Well when Brayden gets running around he starts coughing and because he takes after his Mom with his strong gag reflex, he ends up throwing up! (I did it when I was little too, so my Mom just tells me it's getting even for what I did to her!) It happened at the park right as my mom and I got him in the swings and then again as we were walking to the car! And that's not the worst of it! He's puked in all kinds of other fun places like on his birthday at Kangaroo Zoo, and the best (oops...I mean worst!), all over Dad at Bed Bath and Beyond! (He ended up having to be stripped down all the way to his diaper in the parking lot!) As you can imagine, we're currently trying to always have a spare change of clothes wherever we go, but these pictures show how much fun he had at the park before the vomiting!

We gave Brayden this fun bubble set for his birthday and finally it was warm enough to spend an hour outside and try it out! But by the looks of things, you would have thought I'd have given the bubble set to Brian! (He even admitted that he had more fun with it than Brayden did!) We all had a lot of fun making HUGE bubbles and Brayden's still asking everyday for bubbles!
(Note: Brian took upon himself the challenge to make a bubble in a bubble and to get Brayden's head in a bubble! He accomplished both and was pleased to see that I captured it in the pictures too!)

With Brayden sick we've been stuck at home playing inside. Since the weather has been getting warmer, it's really been hard to ONLY stay inside! The latest new thing for Brayden is that he HAS to wear his Mariner's hat if he is going to play any sports! Silly kid!

We tried to make St Patrick's Day as fun as possible but Brayden was sick! (I had to take him to the doctor the Saturday before and he ended up having croup, two ear infections, and a fever of 102!) We had planned on taking him to see Horton Hears A Who but didn't with him being sick! So instead we had a fun green colored breakfast of waffles, painted toast, and green milk. Brayden really enjoyed helping to make breakfast. Then after breakfast, a whole lot of sleeping went on! We did manage to run a couple of errands later in the day (I HAD to get out of the house!) and Shane came over for dinner later that night. We didn't have traditional St Patrick's Day food but did have this fun lime punch to drink and these cute pot-o-gold jello cups for dessert. Brian and Shane both thought I was hilarious for trying to celebrate the holiday, but I think they secretly enjoyed it! (Thanks Megan for the fun ideas!)

So I've had a few people ask for this recipe and since I haven't gotten around to emailing it out, I figured I'd just post it here since most of those who have asked for it read the blog, but everyone should try it! It's my favorite soup recipe and super easy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

5-6 chicken breasts, cubed (We use 2-3 cans of chicken from Costco instead)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced Rotel (Mexican seasoned tomatoes)
1 Tbsp crushed garlic (or more, to taste)
1 onion chopped
1 Tbsp cumin (or more, to taste)
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 beef bouillon cube
4 Tbsp cilantro, chopped (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup lime juice
3 cups water

*Just combine all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Then I usually let it simmer for 30 minutes or so before I serve it. Or just put in it the crock pot for a few hours on low. Serve with grated cheese and tortilla chips.

**We add about one or two cups of rice to it because Brian likes his soups more substantial. You can also add carrots, beans, or pretty much whatever else you want to it! Also, since I'm not a big fan of onions, I just use dried chopped onions instead.

Also, for those of you who haven't already seen Megan's food blog, I strongly suggest having a look! She's posting all kinds of fun recipes and inspiring me to branch out of the usual things we eat around here! (Hopefully she keeps it up after her new little one arrives in the next week or so!)

Two days after Brayden's birthday, a box came in the mail for him from Washington! Grandma and Grandpa Petersen and Aunt Carrie sent him some really fun stuff! Grandma and Grandpa sent him two books (one that is read EVERY day!) and a pirate cd to go with Aunt Carrie's gift of a pirate hat, treasure map, chocolate gold coins, a telescope, pirate shirt, eye patch, earring, and a treasure box filled with pirate loot! Aunt Carrie's gift was a hit and many of the pirate things have gone with us on errands, to the Doctor, and to Grandma & Grandpa Leavitt's.