Sunday(s) Best

I've kind of fallen off the Sunday Best Bandwagon, so here's a mash up of the past two Sundays.

Don't you think breakfast always tastes better with a balloon?  I do...

especially if you can figure out a way to make the balloon part of your breakfast fare!

I'll bet you can't find me in this picture! 

The leapord print dress I wore to church last week sure did keep me well camoflauged.

Last Sunday night, Lighthouse held its annual Missions Banquet.  Missions is a huge part of the life of our church, so this is one of our biggest nights of the year. 

We support 50 missionaries/missions ministries around the globe, and each of those has a table dedicated to it at our banquet.  This year, Mommy and Daddy's young adult ministry hosted four different tables. 

Daddy's table was for 2 of the brand new church plants we are supporting.  Daddy planned this set up all on his own!

Auntie hosted a table for one of our missionaries in Northern Asia.



Every year, there are a handful of missionaries that are actually able to join us in person for this big event.  This year, my family was super happy to have Karsyn's grandparents with us. 

They have been missionaries to Mongolia for the past 14 years.

  

Mommy and Daddy's good friends, Mel and Jillian, are slightly newer faces to missions.  They, along with their two kiddos, will be leaving for northern Asia this summer. 

Although their feet have yet to touch ground in the country God has called them to, their hearts have long been there!

Here's a shot of the whole shabang...minus the youth and kids' rooms.

Works Every Time

Most of you know that two year olds can be big fans of negativity.  As in the "No!  I don't want to!" variety.

Since this negativity has become a frequent little pastime of mine, my mommy has been working to figure out a way around it. 

I think she's succeeded.

This is the direction conversations go in our home several times each day:

Mommy: We're going to have broccoli for dinner.

Me (in a crying voice): No!  I don't want to eat broccoli.

Mommy: Oh? Well, Mommy is going to eat broccoli.

Me: Yes, I want broccoli!

Mommy: It's time to get ready for bed.

Me: No!  I want to play with my doctor kit.

Mommy: Well, Mommy's going to get ready for bed soon.

Me (as I run towards my room): I need to put my jammies on. 

I think that woman's got me figured out!

It's my party!

Here are some pictures of my Elmo-themed 2nd birthday party! 



Mommy was hoping that she would be able to avoid a cartoon themed birthday party, but she just couldn't think of anything else that would make my face light up like that furry little red guy.



The favor, hat, and party horn table was probably one of my favorite parts of the party!  It took incredible levels of self control for this toddler to keep her hands (and mouth) off of every item here.

Those balloons came from the Dollar Tree, by the way.  They were a big hit.

The hats, on the other hand, were a little more controversial. 

Preston may have been their only real fan.



We snacked on reds (Strawberries, bell peppers, craisins, and cherry tomatoes)  and oranges (baby carrots, Cheeze Nips, Goldfish crackers, and (more) bell peppers).

Mommy also Elmoed these Oreo cookies.  They looked a whole lot better than they tasted!

Several months ago, Mommy asked me if I wanted cake or cupcakes for my birthday.  "Cupcakes!" was my oh-so confident reply.  Mommy thought it would be fun for me and my friends to decorate cupcakes at the party, so this was what my 'cake' spread looked like...

and this is what the decorating looked like.

Hindsight is 20/20, though, and if Mommy had to do it all over again she would have held off on this little culinary adventure until my 3rd or 4th birthday.  Most of my friends and I just weren't old enough to really get into the decorating spirit.

Thankfully, Playdough was a very age appropriate choice! 

I recently developed a strong dislike for the "Happy Birthday" song.  The last few times I have heard it sung I burst into tears.  Knowing that this would likely be my reaction, on the morning of my party Mommy asked me if I wanted people to sing to me.  I gave a pretty firm "no"!

Even without the song, I still became quite upset when, come candle-blowing-time, all eyes were on me ...and I still ended up in tears.

 Thankfully, my disconcertment wasn't anything a little present-opening couldn't cure!

And speaking of presents, check out the fabulous one my Grandpa decorated for me.

Isn't he clever?!

Thanks for checking out my Elmo party!  This party was

Me at Two

Here are some things you should know about me at the tender age of two:

I refer to myself as KK, Katelyn, Katelyn Moss, and (less frequently) Katelyn Elizabeth.  It is anyone's guess which of the above names will come out of my mouth when someone asks for my name.

I love food and am a pretty brave eater...though I seem to lose some of that bravery when I'm away from home.

Every morning, the first words out of my mouth are, "I want to play."  Another commonly spoken phrase of mine is, "Come play with me." That playing is fun stuff, I tell ya'!

According to me, the following activities qualify as play: putting on dress up clothes, kicking beachballs, caring for babydolls (mine are named Emma and Lola), chasing my puppies, using playdough, painting, drawing with markers, and doing anything that involves going outside.

I love to help Mommy clean.  The broom, dustpan, and microfiber dust cloths are my dirt-fighting weapons of choice.

I look forward to going to see Miss Toni and my three little friends at her house every weekday!

My little potty gets used a couple of times a week, but that's about it.  I think that thing is getting lonely...but I'm not making any immediate plans to remedy said loneliness.

Reading is still one of my favorite pastimes.  Right now, I am really into Fancy Nancy, nursery rhymes, Pinkalicious, this little paperback, and my Bible.

My current dream time companions are a ladybug Pillow Pet, two Elmos, and the blanket that came with my crib set.  Sometimes I ask Mommy and Daddy to kiss my Elmos goodnight when they are tucking me in.

While I still love Elmo, my new favorite TV show is Blue's Clues.  Thanks to Netflix, I get to watch that cute little puppy with Daddy when he gets home from work.

Even though I prefer to be on the move, I am not too old to enjoy cuddling with my Mommy and Daddy.  I think they really like that!

Wordless Wednesday

I highly recommend this meal

Mommy recently make the world's most delicious veggie lasagna.  This thing was so good it prompted Daddy to comment that if all meatless dishes tasted like this one, he'd have no problem becoming a vegetarian.

I really think you should try this recipe soon.  Maybe even tonight!

Hearty Vegetable Lasagna (from allrecipes.com, with a few deletions and additions from Mommy)

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package lasagna noodles

1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (Daddy is allergic to these)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium zucchini, sliced

2 medium carrots, grated

3/4 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable olive oil

2 (26 ounce) jars pasta sauce

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 (15 ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 package of frozen spinach, cooked accoring to package directions

2 eggs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot of boiling water for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Rinse with cold water, and drain.

2.In a large saucepan, cook and stir mushrooms, green peppers, zucchini, carrots, onion, and garlic in oil. Stir in pasta sauce and basil; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

3.Mix together ricotta, 2 cups mozzarella cheese, cooked spinach, and eggs.

4.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread 1 cup tomato sauce into the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer 1/2 each, lasagna noodles, ricotta mix, sauce, and Parmesan cheese. Repeat layering, and top with remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese.

5.Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

 

The allrecipes.com version says that prep time is 25 minutes...but it actually took Mommy 60 minutes to get this thing ready to go in the oven.  She did all of the prep work the night before, though, so it really wasn't so bad.

 

No matter how long it takes you to make this dish, though, I can promise you that it will be worth every minute!

Welcome, Baby Sarah!

Late last Thursday, my brand new baby cousin entered our world.  I had been eagerly awaiting the day that "Aunt Becky's baby come out"...and I think I was just as excited as the rest of the family to discover that the baby was a girl!

Here are a few pictures of my family's latest pride and joy, Sarah Leanne:

Born February 3, 3011...

6 pounds, 10 ounces...

19 inches...

long Moss fingers and toes...

perfect little face!

Sarah, my family is so excited that you are here!  We love you tons and can't wait to meet you in person.