5 smells I currently can't get enough of.

Today I've been thinking about smells. As you may know, pregnant women have much more sensitive sniffers then a normal person. This usually seems to be a negative aspect of pregnancy, but today, I'm thinking about how it is also good. It is good, because smells I usually like, I LOVE and I also get to experience a new level of aroma with other things. So here is it, my current list of things I LOVE to smell, and aromas that I find very pleasing.

COFFEE. I walk by the section in the grocery store multiple times and inhale deeply. I was given a bag the other day, and I smelled and smelled and smelled it and tried to absorb as much flavor through my nostrils as possible.

ILA'S HAIR. I love this smell because it means I'm probably snuggling with her, which is a rare treat due to the activity level of a 2 year old.

CARMALIZING ONIONS. I carmalized some last night for a batch of spaghetti, and decided that French Onion Soup NEEDED to be made to following night for dinner, so it's on the stove cooking away now!

LAUNDRY AT MY MOM'S HOUSE. Tide and snuggle. It's really the best scent you can give your clothes. So I bought some snuggle when we got back home, because I missed the smell!

TRENT'S CLOTHES. This sounds weird right after talking about the smell laundry gives our clothes, but Trent's clothes hold onto this delicious almost wood type smell. We call it his scent, and it is delicious.

Any smells you are currently loving?

That month flew by!

So much has been happening since I told you all about our silly little girl over a month ago. That silly girl is now 2 years old,

BIRTHDAY!

and that comes with extra sas and attitude and a whole new desire for independence and freedom! Since our little Ila turned 2 she has had the flu, which she shared with her daddy and Boise Grandparetns, but (praise the Lord!) not with her mommy. She made a new best friend...a kitten named Draco, who she follows all over my parents house, picks him up, pets him, feeds him and chases him. She spent 3 days with second cousins and had a blast, but towards the end of the time she started thinking that being the only kid around just might be better!

Here she is with several second cousins, and her Granny!

I suppose 2 solid years of being the only kiddo in our house, and also the limited time she spends with other kids her age has affected her patience for putting up with others! She didnt throw fits or anything like that, she just started sqwaking in the kids faces when they tried to pick her up and she played on her own a bit more. She'll learn the joys of having a sibling in another 5ish months though, which will be good for all of us! She's also had an ear infection :( and celebrated her 3rd Thanksgiving.

What have Trent and I been up to? Well, we have been BUSY, busy BuSY spending time with family, working, catching up with friends and parenting. Trent did a 2 week loft project for my parents with his dad. It turned out great (see facebook for the photos). We spent from Ila's birthday till the day after Trent's birthday in Idaho on above mentioned project. We are finally back home, which is nice, although an adjustment to getting back into the time management of getting to town and what not!

Trent is still on the job search, and also on a "what do I REALLY want to do with my career" search. His spirits are high, but I know that figuring out the next step in our lives is something we both want NOW! We get to work on patience though, as we wait for direction, as we wait for answers, and as we wait for opportunities. It is a hard place to be in, but we have the Lord leading our steps which makes everything so much better!

Trent on his birthday

I am doing great these days. Our baby in utero has been moving so much the past few days which has been exciting. My morning sickness ended about 3 weeks ago, so it lasted 15 weeks. It was a very rough 15 weeks and I've got to say that the world seems a brighter place now! I'm enjoying having an appetite, but being very mindful about portions and snacking because I currently feel like a beautiful pregnant woman, and would like to maintain that attitude. It will be much easier to maintain that attitude about myself if I don't gain loads of excess weight! My doctor and I discussed the right amount to gain, and I am certainly trying to stay to that amount! Self control is a beautiful thing to work on all the time really.

So there you have it!

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 :)

Miss Mischievous

Ila is mischievous. I probably wouldn't have said that last week, but this week, everything has changed.

(Here she is in an outfit she picked out all by herself. Daddy was in charge of dressing her!)

It all started on Saturday, at nap time. I laid her down like usual, tucked her in and and shut the door. Within about 10 minutes she was up and talking. This happens every so often, but she usually just goes right to sleep. So, I went back in there and tucked her in again. 15 minutes later, she had climbed out of her crib, opened the door and run out to say "hi" to me. She finally did it, she learned how to crawl out of her crib. I was not happy, and Trent was thrilled with "his little climber!" She did it 2 more times before she finally went to sleep.

Then Monday came, and I laid her down for her nap and she talked and played and took her diaper off, but stayed in her crib. An improvement I thought... until 1.5 hours had passed and she was still in there playing. Then I heard "peepee Mama. I go peepee." I figured she wanted me to come rescue her from her crib, because she was trying not get out of napping. So I waited a minute or two (mistake). Then she said it again, "I go peepee Mama!" So then I thought she must actually need to go so I'll get her, take her to the bathroom and THEN she'll nap. I went into her room to find her out of her pants, diaper cover and diaper, and standing over a very wet spot on her bed. Yep, she took her diaper off and peed in her bed. So, I changed the sheets, put her diaper back on and laid her back down. Over the next 1.5 hours she still didn't nap, and was grabbing on to her ears and all that jazz, so I knew it was time for a trip to the doctor (we've had both been feeling under the weather the last few days). She FINALLY fell asleep at 1pm, with just her t-shirt on. Yep, she took her diaper off again, but I just let her be, and figured I would RUSH in there when she woke up, so we didn't have another accident.

Then Tuesday came, and we were both SUPER sick. Double ear infection and a sinus infection for Ila, and a sinus infection for me. I figured (hoped and prayed!) we would have a nice quiet day at home together recuperating. I was so wrong. After she woke up from her nap, she quietly took her diaper off and pooped on the bed. I was napping too, and woke up to "I go poo! I go poo!" I hoped that she was just tooting (she thinks they are the same thing), and my hopes were shattered when I opened her door. Not only had she pooped, but she had taken off her diaper and pooped on the bed. So, I got that all cleaned up. Then I decided that no matter HOW terrible I felt, the kitchen floor MUST be mopped. It was overdue for a mopping (and I mean REALLY overdue). So I unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, and started it. I checked on Ila, who was in her room reading books. Then I started to hand wash the few dishes left, and after a few minutes (probably 5) I heard a bang in my bathroom. I went running, because she likes to play in the bathtub (I know, scary right?!?!). I turned the corner and saw Ila, standing in the toilet, with the toilet bowl scrubber, toilet water EVERYWHERE, pee in her little toilet, and on the floor and a large pile of toilet paper soaking on the toilet water covered ground. I put her in the bathtub and had her fold her hands for a time out while I went about cleaning up the large mess she made. While doing so, she peed in the bathtub (I mean, she had JUST peed in the toilet, what the what?!?!). After I got all that cleaned up, I finally finished the dishes, and wiped the counters down, swept and mopped.

Now it is Wednesday. Already I have cleaned up a smaller toilet mess (I don't know how she made such a mess in the few moments she was in there without me!). Then, while I was on the phone (skype, with trent who has the cell phone) she got the crisco and the almond butter out of the pantry and spread it ALL over the kitchen floor. It took me awhile to figure out what gets crisco off the floor, but I finally did. While I was cleaning up the mess, I kept thinking about how it serves me right for holding off on mopping for so long, that I get to do it two days in a row. It's not even noon yet, and I don't know what else the day holds, but if I close my eyes for one second, or get distracted I'm sure little Miss Mischievous will be into something else!

She is SO MUCH like her daddy.