Summer @ 8 months

Another month has come and gone and you, sweet girl, are now 8 months old.

You are doing your own little crawl with one knee and one foot, but you are staying on your belly. Otherwise you are still rolling to get where ever you need.

You love taking showers with me.

You love being outside in the grass- which is new because neither of your brothers liked the grass!

You still just have the 2 bottom teeth, but the chewing is going crazy again so I'm thinking maybe your top teeth are on their way!

You don't use your bouncy chair or your swing anymore so we got you a jumparoo and you think it's pretty fun! But we have to watch out because Tyler likes it just as much and is playing with it whenever you are in it!

You are still waking up typically 2 times per night.
You are wearing mainly 6-9 mo clothes
You still love your Sophie giraffe
Your bald spot is completely gone (yay)

You are so fun, happy and I just can't get enough of you! 

Foodie Friday: Loaded Potato and Chicken Casserole

A few weeks ago I was feeling extra adventurous and tried this Loaded Potato and Chicken Casserole that I came across on Pinterest.

Here is the recipe I used from Cook Lisa Cook:

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 8-10 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes  (I leave the skin on)
• 1/3 cup olive oil 
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 TBS. freshly ground pepper
• 1 TBS. paprika 
• 2 TBS. garlic powder 
• 6 TBS. hot sauce 

Topping

• 2 c. Fiesta Blend Cheese or a mix of Cheddar & Monterey Jack
• 1 c. crumbled bacon 
• 1 c diced green onion 

Preheat oven to 500F.  In a large bowl mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder & hot sauce.  Add the cubed potatoes and stir to coat.  Carefully scoop the potatoes into a cooking spray coated 9 x 13 inch baking dish, leaving behind as much of the olive oil/hot sauce mix as possible.

Bake the potatoes for 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and crispy & browned on the outside.  While the potatoes are cooking, add the cubed chicken to the bowl with the leftover olive oil/hot sauce mix and stir to coat.  Once the potatoes are fully cooked, remove from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 400F.

Top the cooked potatoes with the raw marinated chicken.  In a bowl mix together the cheese, bacon & green onion and top the raw chicken with the cheese mix.  Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the topping is bubbly delicious.

Serve with extra hot sauce and/or ranch dressing. (I didn't do this)

My potatoes got a little extra cooked because I wasn't paying attention so they sure don't look the prettiest but they tasted good. They were a little too spicey for my family and if I were going to make this recipe again I would tone down the hot sauce! Otherwise they did have a good flavor!

10 things that make me happy

Because my family is the "obvious" of what makes me happy- I am zeroing in on the "things" that make me happy- and theirs plenty of them.

1. Iced coffee after a long night or on a hot day, or anytime, really.
2. Being wrapped in my husband's hug
3. BIG hugs and snuggles for the littles
4. A home made cheeseburger and corn on the cob on a hot summer day
5. Flip flops and sun tan lines
6. Turning up my favorite song on the radio
7. Snuggling in bed with a good book
8. Cuddling on the couch with my kids and a movie
9. The smell of freshly cut grass
10. Lounging at the lake, under the sun on a hot day

Does life get better than those things?

Linking up with Story of My Life for Blog everyday in May

The Plus Party

Welcome to The PLUS Party #6!

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Google Plus and Bloglovin are the definite hot spots for following and engaging with your favorite bloggers! At The PLUS Party you can link up your profiles and follow friends old and new!

The Plus Party will run on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, so mark it on your calendars! We'd also love it if you could share the hop through your social media and/or post our button somewhere on your blog.

Want to co-host? Spots are open! Contact Megan at Shaping Up To Be A Mom for more info!

Make sure to follow the host and co-hosts, and then link up and party on!

Host:

Shaping Up To Be A Mom

Co Hosts:

Glued To My Crafts

Life As I Know It

Shushkat

The NO Drama Mama