Green is for...

I wasn't planning on doing an entire post about this, but the pictures Marcus had were just too... 

 AMAZING :)

 Chase was a little apprehensive at first, but he was willing to try.

Let's just say, we have a Hulk baby.  EVERYTHING became green...

Staten Island

On Saturday, I really wanted to have an adventure since we had a long weekend.  We debated over several locations, some more convenient than others, and we landed on Staten Island!  

We headed into Manhattan to take the ferry out to Staten Island

Staten Island Ferry

That's the Statue of Liberty far away

Even Chase was excited :)

He was a little nervous about a big window...

But then he noticed all the water.

Yep, happy boy.

Some views from the ferry:

Looking back at Manhattan

The new World Trade Center

Enjoying his stroll over to the Island

It's about a 20 minute ride across the river, and then we had arrived on Staten Island.

Just off the ferry

Apparently he's getting ticklish...

Marcus in front of the Staten Island Yankee Stadium

Standing by the river

Marcus ready to get moving

We decided we wanted to make it down to the ocean and marina.  We took the train down there and walked over to the park.  It was a lllllooooonnnnngggggggg walk.  We made it to the corner of the park, but we were pretty exhausted from the walk.  At least it was pretty :)

Fresh Kills Park

Super excited to be taking the bus and not walking anymore

Our best find Ralph's Ice, so freaking good!
Especially on a hot day when we were walking a ton.

Finally made it to a part of the beach

Some of the houses on the edge of the water that still needed work from the hurricane

There were a bunch of boats on the left in this picture

Waiting for one more bus to get back to the ferry

Chase enjoyed playing in the bus - and we enjoyed ease dropping on some pretty funny people

And then he started to crash

And we were heading back to Manhattan- this is Brooklyn and the Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge

Back waiting for the ferry 

It was a fun but busy day - we were all ready for a nap when we got home

Fourth of July

We had a fun 4th of July.  I didn't take many pictures, but I got a couple from the afternoon when we were at Astoria Park for the ward picnic.

Just getting there wore out Chase :)

It was a beautiful day with lots of people taking advantage of the great weather

Behind those trees is a ginormous public pool!  

And you can see part of the bridge from where we were sitting

I don't have pictures of any of the people we were with, mainly because we were having fun chatting and eating, not taking pictures.  And that night, we went to a BBQ at some friends' house.  I made another new recipe from The Pioneer Woman, a raspberry cream pie.  (Make it!)  And Chase was so worn out at the end of the day, we were too, that we decided to stay home and watch the fireworks on tv with the lights off.  It actually was a fantastic show.  Here are a couple of Chase pics in his cute PJs:

HAPPY 4TH Of JULY

25 New Recipes in 2013

I think this tends to be how most resolutions go...

...especially in the health and fitness category.  Well, my 2013 New Years resolution was to try 25 new recipes, and I did it!  Finished on Fathers' Day actually :)  I tend to make the same couple things over and over, so I was searching for some new recipes to add to my favorites.  And I think I was searching for some confidence to try new recipes because I tend to shy away from anything new that could turn out a bit, well, off.  I wish I had taken pictures of the meals, but I just keep a running total, more for my own knowledge.  But if you're interested, here's what I tried in the past 6 months:

1.  Delicious Ham and Potato Soup from allrecipes.com
Really good!  Has quite a bit of pepper in the recipe, so it can clear out your sinuses if you don't watch out :)  We made this all winter, for everyone who came over.

2.  Ham Tetrazzini from allrecipes.com
I had to look up the word tetrazzini...  It's good but a little bland-- definitely add garlic.  But helpful to finish off any ham you had from making the potato soup :)

3.  Home-style Chicken Soup from Taste of Home
Basic, good

4.  Casserole with Ham from allrecipes.com
Not the best...

5.  Baked Chicken with brown sugar from allrecipes.com
I prefer Ritz Cracker baked chicken but it was a nice variety

6.  Chicken Chili in the Crockpot from allrecipes.com
Really good.  Had some kick to it too!

7.  Banana Ice Cream
Yeah, didn't really work out.  Apparently the bananas were too fresh.

8.  Minestrone in the Crockpot
We had so much soup, we had to invite the Martins over, and there were still multiple tupperware containers.

9.  French Dip Sandwiches from my mom
A quick and delicious dinner.  Marcus LOVED it.  We have this all the time now :)

10.  Beef Stew in the Crockpot from my mom
Oh, I love Crockpot Sundays-- stupid 1PM church.  But this was ready right when we walked in the door.  So good on a cold evening!

11.  Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo from AllRecipes
Not my favorite alfredo dish, but good and easy to make.

12.  Manicotti from all recipes
Very simple to make and still good

13.  Chicken Noodle Soup -- Grandma Helen's Recipe
The PERFECT soup for when you're sick.

14.  Sausage and Vegetables in the crockpot from Betty Crocker's Fix It Fast
I think we cooked it a little too long because the veggies didn't hold up well, but it was tasty!

15.  Slow-Cooked Southwest Chicken
Wasn't expecting it to turn into more of a soup, but we liked it.

16.  Rosemary Chicken with White Beans in the crockpot from cookbook
I added a little too much rosemary, but it was still great.  Nice variation to our regular chicken meal

17.  Steak Burritos in the Crockpot
Way better than I expected.  Made a great steak quesadilla too :)

18.  Sesame Chicken from 6 Sisters out of LDS Living
We make this a lot too.  Highly recommend

19.  Chicken Enchiladas from my mom
I can't believe I hadn't made these before.  Still in search of a good red enchilada recipe.

20.  Crockpot Shredded Pork Sandwiches from cookbook
These are all good because you use SODA to help tenderize the meat!

21.  Macaroni & Cheese from allrecipes.
Not my favorite.

22.  Sweet & Sour Chicken from Fix It Fast
Super good.  I've made it a few times now.

23.  Penne with Green Beans & Sausage from allrecipes
Nothing utterly amazing, but yummy

And Marcus helped me reach my goal by some requests he made that I helped prepare:

24.   Ribs with a honey rub
I didn't actually eat any of these

25.  Shish-kabobs with an Italian marinade
Very classic, amazing taste

Moral of the story...  I actually cooked some already this year, and I feel better about trying new recipes.  I'll actually search for new ones and offer to make meals or desserts for other people.  I've decided www.allrecipes.com is one of my favorite sites, and I love Betty Crocker's Fix It Fast cookbook.  Oh, and of course, the crockpot is your friend.  Mission accomplished.

Oh yeah, he likes to eat too...

Sometimes he tries to help.

Chase LOVES to eat feet! :)

Intrepid

While Paden and Rebecca were in town, we were able to do a couple things with them in the city.  On afternoon, we went to the Intrepid.  It was a beautiful day to be outside, and I think we all really enjoyed it.  I had been wanting to go, and Marcus was excited to share all his knowledge on the subject!  I won't be able to share the what in each picture, but I can describe the who :)

On the deck

Marcus and Paden sporting the Blue Angels 

Paden and Rebecca, 2 of Chase's favorite people, by a harrier

Waking up from his nap

This one was getting repaired

The Intrepid

Enjoying some sun, while being shaded in his stroller

Wanting to get out and play

His snorting face-- don't know where it started

Touring around inside the ship

Demonstrating aircraft flights

Checking out the Lego model

Having a fun day

And drooling/pulling hair

Getting tired again :)

Guess he didn't want to take the picture...

Quick diaper change on the observation platform on the hangar deck 

Quick lunch break

The plaid shorts club.  I bet Marcus loved how we matched :)

Paden doing a thorough check in on Chase

Marcus and Chase in front of a Harrier

I really enjoyed seeing the Intrepid, and it was a wonderful day to be by the river.  Chase was so good the entire time.  I know Marcus is hoping for another Aviation enthusiast.