BABY SHOWER

And so it begins, we can finally start the countdown to the arrival of our little baby boy. I had my first baby shower last night with all my highschool girlfriends. As you can see from the picture, I am not the first to have a baby, neither am I the only one that is pregnant. Although, with one exception, all of my friends that have kids or are pregnant have baby boys. It must be the year of the boy! Tommy and I are so excited for this baby to come. We have less than two months left! (I have read, however, that it is caucasian women that are having boys that usually are overdue, my sympathies to Michele who just recently contributed to that statistic!) Thanks to everyone for the wonderful gifts, all the fun clothes make me so excited!

Cafe Rio Recipe!!!!!!!!

Ok, so I know there have been lots of recipes out there trying to duplicate the Cafe Rio Recipe, but I believe that Tommy has mastered the Cafe Rio Pork Salad with the Creamy Dressing. I came home from work the other night to the wonderful smell of the Crock Pot and had a delicious meal cooked by Tom. So here it is:
The Pork:
1 lb. pork tenderloin
2-15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 can of coke
1 garlic clove, diced
1/4 c. cilantro, minced
Place all ingredients in Crock Pot on Medium for at least 4 hours.

The Creamy Dressing:
1 pkt. Hidden Valley Ranch Mix
8 oz. Salsa Verde Green Salsa (La Victoria Brand)
1/2 bunch of cilantro with the stems
2 cloves garlic
3/4 c. mayo
3/4 c. sour cream
1/8 tsp. hot sauce
Mix in Blender. If needed, thin with Buttermilk

The Rice
8 c. water
8 cubes/tsp. chicken bouillon
2 tsp. cumin
4 cloves garlic
12 Tbsp. butter
12 sprigs cilantro
4 c. rice

I've Been Tagged

I have been tagged!

My husband...
What is his name? Thomas Neil

How long have you been together? We dated in high school starting our Junior Year, Tom went on a mission, and then we dated when he came home. We've been married since August 2005.

How long did you date? 3 1/2 Years Maybe? (with some other dates in between)

How old is he? 23

Who eats more? I guess that all depends, but we can both certainly pound a Cafe Rio without blinking, and I've gotten worse since being pregnant.

Who said I love you first? Tommy, Ironically on a day that we broke up. (that's another story)

Who is taller? Tom

Who sings better? Tom, hands down!

Who is smarter? That depends on how you define it. Tom has way more street smarts and I have more book smarts I'd say.

Who does the laundry? I try to most of the time, but we both fold the clothes. At the moment, the basket gets too heavy for me to carry up the stairs, so tommy.

Who does the dishes? Both of us.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Tom.

Who pays the bills? Tom, although he thinks that I wouldn't know what to do if I had to do it myself.

Who mows the lawn? We don't have much of a yard at the moment.

Who cooks dinner? When we have dinner, I usually cook. Although lately I just want Macaroni and Cheese, so Tom is sadly left to fend for himself.

Who drives when you are together? I make Tom, but he hates to drive too.

Who is more stubborn? Definitely me. Tom is too easy going.

Who is the first to admit when they're wrong? We usually always do the apologies at the same time, but I have more of a temper, so Tom, I guess.

Who kissed who first? Tom kissed me. That was my first kiss, but definitely not his.

Who asked who out? Tom and I hung out a lot, but he asked me out first.

Who proposed? Tom! He sang of course!

Who is more sensitive? It would be hard to say, but since getting pregnant, I'm a big bawl baby and cry about everything.

Who has more friends? I'd say we're about even.

Who has more siblings? Tom, he's a LeBaron!

Who wears the pants in the family? Hard to say, but I'd guess me? I guess in the end its easier to give in to me than fight with me.
I'll post pics later!

Soon to be the Queen No More

As my due date is slowly approaching, (only 2 months left!) I have begun to worry about exactly what I will do with Miko. She has been the spoiled baby in our lives for so long, I think she will get insanely jealous and deeply depressed when she is dethroned. We had a dog trainer come evaluate her yesterday who commented on what a head strong stubborn dog she is, so this is something we will definitely have to work on. I've seen her play with Sisi and she seems to understand that she needs to be gentle, but she is too curious with babies to leave them alone. And already Tom and I have seem that we will have a problem with Miko eating diapers, chewing on bottles, and licking the babies face. This will definitely be an adventure!
Oh, and speaking of the baby. He is now 3 1/2 lbs and growing quickly! (that is now only 1/2 pound over the average, so he is not so big anymore). I had another ultrasound on Monday and everything looks exactly perfect! We are so excited!
P.S. Let me explain the picture. I found this costume at Old Navy and couldn't resist it for Halloween. It fits perfectly since Miko thinks she is a princess.

LAKE POWELL

5 Marvelous Days in Lake Powell! Card games, great meals, perfect water and tons of fun! What more could you ask for? We went to Powell with my parents and brothers to join the Bouchers and the Redd's on their houseboat, the Whipporwill. The weather was perfect, hot during the day, a cool breeze at night. On Friday there was an incredible storm like nothing I have ever seen down in Powell. Moments after we pulled the boat in, the lightening struck and the rain poured down hard. Luckily we were anchored into the rock or we would have had a disaster on our hands. The boys had tons of fun on the lake and got some great water, slowly perfecting wake boarding, wake-skating, surfing, and tommy even pulled out the two skis! For all the non-skiers, we pulled out the tube for some mad tubing. And for the pregnant people, we pulled out the noodle so I could float. Floating in the Lake felt pretty good, in spite of all the dirtiness, but then the fish came out biting (and I am terrified of fish!). So needless to say, my floats were rather short lived. All in all, Lake Powell was nothing short of pure bliss.

Joseph's Surprise

Yesterday we had a SURPRISE birthday for Tommy's brother Joseph. Surprisingly, although many LeBarons cut it very close, it actually was that: a surprise. We met at Lifetime Fitness and went rock climbing and swimming and later had cake and ice cream. (Now when I say we, I don't mean me, I can't do much being pregnant but its my presence that counts, right?)It was fun to see everybody trying their hand at being spiderman for a day. I've posted some pictures, finally!

Hogle Zoo

Tom's company had their annual family friendly party at Hogle Zoo on Friday. Now as much fun as the zoo sounded for a Date Night, we decided it may be a bit more fun if we had kids with us. Turns out, my 19 year old brother Trent (who had been longing to go there) and my 3 year old cousin Sadie came with us. A day at the zoo is not the greatest activity for a fat pregnant woman with the heat, the sick smells, and the walking, but we managed to see it in its entirety in one hour! Impressive, I know. One of the highlights was the baby orangutan. This woman was playing with her through the glass. She would open up her purse and the orangutan would try to reach in it and play with the stuff. The cutest, though, was when the woman put on lip gloss. The animal puckered up her lips against the window in hopes of having a turn. It was so darling! I've never been the biggest proponent of the zoo, but I would recommend to those of you who haven't visited in a while to check it out.