Lately

I seriously don't know where the time goes! Today is the last day of October already. Goodness. We have been up to lots, but when I try to name all that's been going on, I really can't. Work has been busy for Jonathan this past month, but he loves what he does! Nora is growing like crazy and is changing so much. I feel like she has changed more in the past two months than ever. Her personality and her vocabulary are just exploding! It is so much fun. I am now in my second trimester of pregnancy. The appetite and tiredness are mellowing out a bit, but I'm now in that stage where nothing that is in my closet fits and my maternity clothes are still too big. What's a girl to do!? I do love being pregnant, though, and even though I'm not quite 14 weeks, I promise you that I can feel this baby move already! Not very often, not very strong...but man, it's the baby, I tell you!

Nora is still not walking. She's just taking her merry time. She was a pro at pulling up a few weeks ago, but now she just doesn't even bother that much. She's just so fast at getting around by scooting that I guess she doesn't feel the need to try much else. I just hope she's walking by May! I'm sure she will!

It also seems like Nora is growing out of her morning nap. This has its pros and cons. Pros--she slept for at least an hour two times a day. That was great time for me to shower, clean house, cook, nap, read, etc. Cons--naps can be so confining! The past two weeks she was having trouble falling asleep in the afternoon and by the time she did go to sleep, she'd sleep so late in the afternoon that at bedtime she wasn't tired. I knew something had to change. We haven't gone cold turkey with dropping the morning nap. I lay her down in the morning still a bit earlier than normal and let her get about 30 minutes, but then I get her up and keep her busy until lunchtime. She's been going down for the afternoon nap around 1:30 and her naps have been great this week. 2-3 hour naps! This has never happened! So, I think I am going to like this new nap schedule.
How old were your kiddos when they dropped down to one naptime?

Today is Halloween. I don't think we are doing much. Nora doesn't have a clue as to what's going on, so I am hoping we can head out for Mexican food tonight! Friday night Mexican has become our new tradition and I see no reason to forgo this new ritual. Man, I love me some Mexican food. Is anyone on the same page with me here?

That's the latest! Hope all have a wonderful weekend! Don't forget Daylight Savings Time.

Dancing Queen

Updated Video of Nora Scooting

Chicken Stroganoff

I made this new recipe for supper last night, and it was absolutely delicious! Jonathan said it is one of his new favorites. It is actually a Weight Watchers recipe that I printed out months ago and it just resurfaced earlier this week. Try it!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs of chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 package of Lipton's Onion Soup mix
1/4 cup water
1 8 oz. fat free or low fat cream cheese, softened
1 can fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 4 oz. can of mushrooms, drained

Directions:
In crockpot, combine chicken, soup mix, and water. Cook on low heat for 4 hours.
In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, mushroom soup, and mushrooms. Combine with cooked chicken in crockpot. Continue cooking for one additional hour. (5 hours cooking time total). Serve over angel hair pasta.

***The pasta is what the recipe called for. That is what I had my stroganoff with. However, we had some mashed potatoes in the refrigerator that Jonathan tried it with and he said it was delicious. Also, I think it would be great over rice. Anything goes! Whatever your family enjoys the most.

***If anyone is interested in the Weight Watchers points information: The recommendations were to divide the chicken mixture into 6 portions and serve over 1/2 cup of cooked angel hair pasta. 1 portion of chicken sauce and 1/2 cup pasta equals 7 points.

Please Pray

Please keep my grandmother in your prayers. She fell today in her home while my aunt was at work and broke her ankle. Her emergency service button that she wears around her neck for such occasions didn't work, so she dragged herself through her home to the street and screamed for help until someone heard her. She will be spending the next few days in the hospital.

This is my mom's mom and her name is Gloria. We so appreciate your prayers for a speedy recovery and wisdom for my mom, aunts, and uncle about how to best provide future care for her.

12 Weeks

I am 12 weeks pregnant today! I think I am technically still in my first trimester until 13 weeks, but still, I can't believe how quickly things are going by so far. This baby will be here before we know it.

I went to the doctor yesterday. I did the typical get weighed, take your blood pressure, pee in a cup routine. I did get to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time! That is just the greatest sound! Because the baby is still so low in my pelvis, it took them a minute or so to find the heartbeat, but there it was! The nurse said it was beating really fast and was in the 150-160 bpm range. When I got home, I looked back at my pregnancy journal for Nora and at my 12 week appointment for her we heard her heartbeat for the first time and it was in the exact same range! So, maybe that means this one is also a girl! We'll see...the nurse said it's too early to tell. Jonathan thinks this one's a girl though!

Besides a flu shot for me, not much else happened at the doctor. I go back in 4 weeks!

Here we go again......

Yep, that means what you think it does! We are expecting Baby Bradshaw #2! We have actually known for quite some time, but we wanted to be sure all was progressing well before announcing it to the world. I am due May 6, so that puts me at 12 weeks this Wednesday. Almost 1/3 of the way there already. We are so excited and so thankful to the Lord for blessing us with another baby. I will keep you posted as things continue to progress. Please keep us in your prayers over the next several months! Thanks!

Ponytail and UT Fan

I was just going through some pics from our DSLR that I have totally forgotten about. Here are a few from a month or so ago when I ventured to put Nora's (few) hairs into a ponytail. She looked so cute.

Playing in the Grass

One night last week, Jonathan's parents joined us for dinner. Afterwards, we all sat in the front yard and enjoyed the weather. Here is some video of our sweet girl talking to the crowd.

Pulling Up

Nora is now 13 months old. Just last week, she started pulling up all the way all on her own. She has been pulling to her knees for quite some time now, but just never got the gusto or motivation to get up all the way. Now she's a pro...at least in her crib. She hasn't really tried anywhere else. Enjoy the video, and please ignore the obnoxious lady behind the video camera. She was just a tad bit excited.

Fall is Here

Love those eyes.

This just about sums it up.

So curious.

She doesn't look anything like me. All Daddy.

Desiring God Conference

This past weekend, Jonathan and I were able to sneak away to the Desiring God Conference in Minneapolis, MN. In case you aren't aware, Desiring God is the ministry founded by John Piper. The conference was amazing! Wonderful speakers, solid teaching, rare time away with my boy! We had a great time. Jonathan's folks were so generous to watch Nora for THREE days while we were gone. It is the longest that we have been away from her, and she did great. I don't think she missed us at all!


Jonathan, John Piper, & Me
Jonathan said it would make the trip if he could meet John Piper in person. Well, we did! He is the humblest man I've ever seen and has been such a spiritual mentor in our lives.

Here I am probably digging for a snack before a session began. In typical "Bradshaw" style, we "had" to be there early to get a good seat.

Jonathan enjoying a drink at The Local, a local Irish pub in dowtown Minneapolis. We loved the atmosphere and food there that we even ate their twice. When we first arrived, we had lunch outside on the patio. It was beautiful!

Bonnie and Dennis Williams. We sat next to this adorable couple at the first session, and after that they totally adopted us. We saved them seats, went to lunch together, filled them in on Sovereign Grace Ministries. Both Bonnie and Dennis were born and raised in Bethlehem Baptist Church and continue to go there where John Piper is pastor. They were the sweetest couple. Here we are at Jimmy John's.