Silly Girl

Ila is hilarious. SHe has a great sense of humor and will laugh at anything remotely funny and she makes us laugh all the time!

On Saterday morning Ila woke up and started playing nicely in her room (at least we think this is the case, Trent and I were still sleeping). We both heard her once or twice, but since it sounded like she was playing nicely so we dozed back off (her room is very toddler safe, so don't worry about that!). After 20ish minutes, she came into our room, ready for us to be awake. We both said good morning to her and then she asked for food and ran off to the kitchen. I rolled out of bed and found her in the kitchen like this:

She had gotten into her drawers and found a skirt to put on. I though it was hilarious and super cute. And it even looked decent with her jammies. My girls got fashion sense!

This is Ila being silly this morning after having some breakfast

And being silly in the car the other day.

And being cute with Her daddy this morning.

The Lord sure has blessed us with a beautiful child inside and out! Ila reminds me to not take things too seriously, and to laugh at the silly things, because laughing is fun!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

It is with great joy that we are announcing...I am pregnant! I'm 13 lovely weeks now, and we are feeling so blessed by God's touch in our lives. Baby Becker #2 is due April 24, 2012!

When we first figured out my due date, I was immediately worried. I had both my miscarriages in April, and now we have a baby due in April. I just figured that month was doomed for us! The more I think about it now though, the more I see God and his love and caring for us in that. April is full of new growth, the world of nature seems to come back alive after months and months of seeming lifelessness. Easter is usually in April too! We gather to celebrate Christ's resurrection, His coming back to life. And for us, next year, we will have the joy of bringing another life into this world. I really think the Lord knew what he was doing when He helped us in the art of conception and that lovely time.

We've been bursting at the seams (me more than Trent, and quite literally in some of my pants!) to share our news with you all. It's also been easy to not share though, since the last 12ish weeks have been full of feeling quite terrible, puking, and lots and lots of napping. I didn't want to share our great news in the midst of feeling so terrible. The doctors love to hear that pregnant women are MISERABLE, because it is usually a sign of a nice healthy pregnancy. I was so miserable we thought I must be having twins! But no, there is just the one little baby floating around my uterus! I'm also starting to feel much better. I had a rough day yesterday, and ended up in bed at 7:30. I slept till 8 am today. Trent slept on the couch so he could intercept Ila on the way to wake me up in the night too, which was super sweet. Ila made it past him once, but I had been asleep for 5 hours by then, and didn't mind getting up and carrying her back to bed and giving her kisses! I sure love and appreciate that Trent did that for me! I guess I was sick multiple times yesterday because of exhaustion!

So, that is the latest from Our Becker Family! We are thrilled to finally share our news with the world!

Best Chicken Tortilla soup EVER!

My mom and I make delicious Chicken Tortilla soup. People ask for the recipe often, so I figured I should just post it, and then I wont have to type it out anymore! :) It is delicious and tasty, and my favorite chicken tortilla soup ever. It does not have corn or beans in it (which you could add if you really wanted, and it would still be good), which is probably why I love it so much. So, have at it if you'd like :)

In a large soup pot

Saute:

1 onion, chopped in some oil

Add:

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. cumin

1 t. oregano

.5-1 t. chili powder

.5 t. pepper

saute till fragrant

Add

1-2 pounds chicken, diced

8 c. chicken broth

14 oz. tomatoes (or more)

1 small can green chilies

Boil till chicken is cooked.

-While boiling slice 10 corn tortillas in .5 inch size strips

-chop a bunch of cilantro

-cut up an avocado or two

-shred some cheese

Add the strips to the soup and stir. Keep boiling, but you can turn it down to med. Cook the soup for another 20-25 minutes. The tortillas will break down and thicken the soup.

5 minutes before you serve the soup, add 1/2 c. cilantro to pot and stir it in.

****When you serve the soup add a dollop of sour cream, some shredded cheese and avocado chunks and more chopped cilantro. You can also crunch up some tortilla chips and sprinkle on top. This is the BEST way to eat this soup, hands down!

It can be a little spicy. If you want more kick, add some crushed red pepper. The sour cream makes it MUCH less spicy. Ila can eat it with no problems at all, so it is kid friendly.

It's also good with bell pepper chopped up and saute with the onion. Don't be afraid to add extra spices either. I usually do :)

Hope you enjoy, I think I'll go make a pot right now, and maybe post some pictures! :)

Ila's adventure on the Ranch!

Ila went over to Doris' house to play the other day. It was a much needed break for this mommy, and a break from mommy for Ila. I've been sick. Sick, sick, sick, and it's hard to have a toddler running a muck when you feel like crud. Doris has told me that if I ever needed a break to just give her a call. Doris LOVES Ila, and Ila LOVES Doris, so I went ahead a made the call. Doris came right over and picked Ila up and off they went. I knew Ila would have fun, and I was so thankful to have a moment to myself. I took a nice long nap, and felt like a new woman when I woke up.

Trent picked Ila up on his way home from work. They got here around 6:30. When Ila walked in the house she was talking. Well, babbaling to the untrained ear, but I could understand her pretty well. "babble babble babble cow, mooooo, babble babble, neighhhhhhhh, babble babble dog, woof woof, babble babble babble." She was telling me all about the cows, horses and dogs that she got to see and pet with Doris. She liked saying hi to them up close, because she always hears the cows moo at our house, and wants to go see them. She did NOT stop talking till she went to bed (and she went right to sleep, thanks for wearing her out Doris!). She didn't just get to see the animals though, she also helped Doris unload the dishwasher, one piece of silverware at a time and she carried a baby all around the house. She didn't have any accidents until Trent got there to pick her up. I'm pretty sure she would have held it if she hadn't been so excited to tell Daddy about the animals!

Other then that, I'm not sure what they did, but I know it was one of the best afternoon's of Ila's life. It's so great to see her so excited about the animals. She really does love them! And what a blessing it is to us that we live where we do and she gets to see them up close and even pet them! If we move, I will miss our neighbors more then anything, and I know Ila will too.

So, thanks again for the wonderful afternoon for both Ila and myself Doris! You really are a blessing to us :)