What's in a Name?

Everything, really.  We had the boy name covered.  Evan Scott.  No doubts with that one, sounds good with Pasero and goes well with Bryce.  

A name for this baby girl?  Urgh.  Not so simple.  We thought we had settled on a name, but the more I think about it the less I like it.  I don't want anything that's too trendy, too crazy, or too common.  I subbed in a classroom with a Logan S, Logan N, and Logan V last week.  I don't want her last initial to be permanently glued to her first name...especially when it's a P.  I don't ever let students call me Mrs. P, because, um, hello.  Pee?

So, here's my plea.  Share any names you love with me.  I swear I've seen every name imaginable in the online databases, but maybe I've skipped over something?  I know we've got 18 weeks left, which sounds like a long time, but I have a feeling it just might take us that long!

Bryce Is Right

I don't know how he knew, but he did. During our ultrasound on Friday we were told that the baby is definitely a girl. I asked several times if she was sure. Seriously, several times. She assured me that the pictures show only girlie parts. For a lot of reasons, I had myself convinced that I was incubating another little boy. Needless to say, I was pretty shocked while Brian had more faith in Bryce and was completely confident the baby is a girl.

I am not a huge fan of pregnancy and Brian and I are more than happy being a small family of four. So, since this is our last little one, I am thankful that we are being blessed with one of each. I'm just a little overwhelmed by the world of hair bows, tutus and frilly dresses...

Yay! Just One More Day

Tomorrow is the big day! We find out if our little family is complete with another boy or a girl. If you haven't voted, please do so before tomorrow. It's super easy, just click over on your right :) Clearly, everyone is wishing a girl on me...

My belly gets a lot of this:



And every time he talks about/to the baby he uses a feminine pronoun. If we find out the baby is a boy, we're going to have one very confused toddler on our hands...

Easter

One of the things that drew us to Power Ranch is all of the family-friendly events they have right here in the community. Just one example is the Annual Easter Egg hunt held just outside the community clubhouse. Bryce had a fabulous time meeting the Easter Bunny, jumping in a couple of bounce houses, and collecting as many eggs as his Toy Story bucket could hold. Although, I think he had the most fun in the splash pad after the hunt.


I find it funny that Santa scares the crap out of him, but a dude in a bunny suit doesn't...


My 'lil bunny :)


Having a blast in the awesome Spider Man jumper.


Revving the engine before the hunt.


Where's Bryce? :)


So, it wasn't so much of a hunt. The eggs were just there, all over the soccer field. But, all the kids had a blast. The eggs were actually empty, so it didn't really matter how many you collected. Turning in your eggs earned you a goody bag, so everyone ended up with the same amount of treats. I thought that was pretty cool.



This isn't something you can do on Easter in Oregon...




Where'd the water go???



We hope you all enjoyed your Easter!

Grandma's Visit

Bryce was lucky enough to have a week long visit from his Grandma Jeanne. He kept her busy playing trains, coloring, watching Super Why and playing in the backyard. We even had time for a trip to the zoo and an exhibition game (mommy sat that one out- dad and grandma were brave enough to try it on their own). I know he really enjoyed having her here and misses her already. Here are a few shots of our fun:


Grandma Jeanne brought Bryce a suitcase full of gifts from the Pasero family. Bryce was lucky enough to have two Christmases this year. That's our very empty living/dining room. One day we'll have more furniture!


He loved watching his new hamster zoom around. Nice job, Uncle Scottie!


A fun giraffe toy from Grandma Jeanne.


He LOVES the super cool shaving kit from Auntie Jane.





Enjoying a grandma snuggle.


He really enjoyed the goats at the zoo. He would sit down right in front of them and try to have a conversation. It was pretty darn cute...

We're looking forward to your next visit, Grandma! Anyone else interested in taking a trip to the valley? We've got a guest room :)

Questionable Haircut

I've always left Bryce's haircuts to the pros. Well, until last week anyway. In an effort to save some money I figured we could do it ourselves. We decided to go short, since it's about to get super hot down here in the valley. I figure we'll let it grow back out in the winter (we LOVE his longer locks). I'm not crazy about it, but it saved $20 bucks! Maybe we'll get better at it the more we do it...



What do you think? Anyone have any tips???

You Can't Turn Your Back for a Second!

Ok, ok. So it's sunny here in Arizona Bryce. But, really. I think that's plenty of sunscreen!

This is what happens when we turn our backs on our crazy munchkin. The masterpiece only took about 5 seconds to create. Seriously. Here's a few more shots of the fun:







I think he was quite pleased with himself.

And then. The very next day. We find him in our bathroom looking like this:





He's so lucky I only use washable mascara...

And, yes. Our bedroom door is now always locked...

My Favorite Summer Salad

Ok, this is seriously yummy and super easy. You HAVE to try it. I think this serves as a perfect introduction to quinoa (for those of you crazies who haven't given it a try yet). I got the recipe here: allrecipes.com. Since it's so simple, I'll cut and paste it for your viewing pleasure:



Ingredients

* 1 cup quinoa
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 2 avocados
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1 large tomato, diced
* 1/2 cucumber, diced
* 2 stalks celery, diced
* Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In medium saucepan, cook quinoa according to package directions, using chicken broth in place of water. Let cool. Cut avocados in half, remove pit and peel. Cut into chunks. Toss with lemon juice. Add avocado and all remaining ingredients to quinoa and toss gently to mix. Chill until ready to serve.

There you go. Enjoy!

Oh, and I promise I'll post some adorable pics of Bryce soon. This move has knocked me off the blogging train...again...