happy third birthday, Junebug!

Today is our sweet June Claire's THIRD birthday!

She is our miracle child and my inspiration.

She came 13 weeks early while we were on vacation at Disney. We moved our lives down there for three months and I watched her fight every day for everything it took to make her healthy.

The first time I walked into that room and saw my precious baby with no lines or leads was the day we took her home. I remember , on  9 hour drive home, sitting in the backseat of our Dodge Magnum between two car seats, watching her every breath and being so scared that she was sleeping so much and not wanting to eat. Now that girl is the complete opposite! 

She rarely sleeps and she's ALWAYS eating!

We didn't do a big blowout bash this year, but we just kept it small and had my parents, sister, and cousins over. We grilled hamburgers & hot dogs & let the kids bust open a pinata. She got some good stuff, too -- a LeapFrog iPad (that she LOVES....maybe now we can actually get to play our real iPad!), a new bike with a baby doll seat on the back, some princess dress up stuff, a whole pack of REAL preemie-sized diapers to use on her baby dolls,, and some new clothes!

I made strawberry cupcakes but my icing lacks a lot. 

Maybe by the time they graduate high school I will be able to do it better. :)

Simple decorations. :)

My azaleas are in full bloom and were so pretty I wanted to get some pictures of the girls in front of them. Of course -- wouldn't you know the battery to my nice camera is dead & I can't find the charging port anywhere, so I had to use my cell phone.

I have way more pictures but my computer has shut down three times in a row while trying to operate iPhoto + Blogger, so I will share them later this week....
along with our Disney pictures from Easter weekend!

Dear Junebug,

You're THREE now! I can hardly believe it. This year has been full of so much joy that you've given us. You have grown to love all things baby doll & electronic...phones, iPads, computers -- if it's a gadget, you're gonna love it! You also love Laney & Max (the doggies) and especially love to cuddle up with them. You adore Brave (the Disney movie) and could watch it every single day if we let you.Your language has exploded and you have left babyhood behind forever.

I am so proud to be your mama. I have cherished each moment and hope to have a million more.

Love,
Mama

creamy peto spaghetti bake

Hey ya'll!

First things first -- I'm doing GREAT! I'm waiting on a transplant -- we will hopefully be using my own cells. This is awesome and much less risky than a bone marrow transplant. But if we have to go that route, I have been fully matched with SEVEN (yes -- you read that right! God is SO good!) donors. I have been through three rounds of high dose chemo and am ready to get this show on the road! I feel great, just tired, and have only been hospitalized once due to infection.

 

 

But that's not what this post is about, so let's gt on with it!

I watch Cullen & Katie

 on YouTube (great daily vlogs & they are from Alabama to boot! Can I get a ROLL TIDE?!)

and the other day she shared a recipe.

Creamy pesto spaghetti bake.

These words will forever change your life.

I ain't even joking!

 

This is what I used. Yes, I know the Greek yogurt has fruit, but I didn't use it. Our grocery store just didn't have plain Greek yogurt without fruit.

 

 



 

Gotta salt that water before you put the pasta in!

 

Basically you just cook the spaghetti like you normally would. Mix the sauce,meat and noodles all together. Then you take about 1/4 cup pesto, 3/4 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 block of cream cheese and mix it all up. Put a layer of noodle/meat/sauce mixture down in a 13x9 baking dish, spread Greek yogurt/cream cheese/pesto mix over, and put another layer of noodle mixture down. Top with shredded cheese & bake for 25 minutes at 350.

 

You'll thank me later, I promise.

 

(And yes, I know that is a really haphazard recipe.....

but I never follow anything by the book anyway!)