More Recipe's!

So i've been having a BLAST making new tasty things for my little family! I Love the time i have now to make a good home made dinner for Saia that is ready when he comes home from work. Also, the left overs are always just as good! Here are a few things (with recipe's attached) that i've made the past week and a half that we just loved.

Cafe Rio Salad!

http://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/2007/11/jared-and-i-love-cafe-rio.html
The only thing(s) i did differently, was bought cilantro lime rice and used HEB Chicken Fajita Meat instead of the cafe rio recipe for their meat. The meat i ate at cafe rio was the only thing i never liked about the place.. it was always DRY! Using HEB's fajita meat made the salad 10 times better. No lie. You'll have to try it yourself!

Ham & Cheese Sammies!

http://www.beyerbeware.net/2011/04/hunk-of-meat-monday-game-time-favorites.html
We tweaked this one a teeny bit too - we used Pepper Jack Cheese instead of Swiss :) It was delicious :)

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken

http://mykitchenapron.blogspot.com/2011/07/crock-pot-buffalo-chicken.html
WE LOVED THIS. Not to mention, it was the EASIEST thing i think i've ever put together. I was a little worried, wondering if i'd like it because im not a "wing sauce" fan at all, due to the vinegar that is in almost each and every bottle! I can definatly say though, that these were delicious. We bought Hoagie rolls and ate them as sandwitches as suggested with the Recipe. We put lettuce and a little ranch on each sandwitch to add a little crunch and flavor, as well. We ate these for a few days, as it truly makes enough for lots of leftovers! It wasn't too spicy, either. Definatly give these a try, you wont be disappointed!

Seafood Alfredo (olive garden recipe!)

http://www.olivegarden.com/Connections-to-Italy/Recipes/Sauces/Alfredo-Sauce/
My husband LOVES Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce, so i figured i'd give it a try! It was of course, delicious. We added sauteed Shrimp, as well. Two Thumbs Up!

Marshmallow, Butter, Cinnamon Crescents!

http://www.eatatallies.com/2011/04/resurrection-rolls.html
I made these this past weekend for breakfast and we had hot chocolate with them. THEY ARE DIVINE. I had tried them in the past as a teenager, but never since. So when i stumbled across the recipe, i was so excited! They are the easiest little things to make, so definatly give them a try!

DIRT CAKE!!

http://www.sassyinthekitchen.net/2010/06/delicious-dirt-cake.html
Dirt cake has been a favorite of mine for yeaaaarrrssss. I used to have my mom make it for my birthday for years. I just love it. It's so simple, and so delicious! If you've never had it, definatly whip some up.

Family Pictures

We finally went out & took some family pictures!! Out of almost 200 pictures, there were only 17 that i loved, but thats ok!! 17 is alot! We went to Gruene, Tx (said like "green") and had my mom take them around that little town. When lyric turns 1 (in only 2 weeks! AHH!) We will probably go and have some done at walmart, jc penny, something like that. Im so excited. I love having family pictures. Im grateful to be able to document these memories and have pictures of our family for our kids to see one day. I love my husband and all his hard work, and especially the love he shows towards Lyric & I! I am forever grateful. Anyway - not too much is new around here. I'm now 26 weeks pregnant and cant get over how much this little guy is moving! I cant believe i only have about 3 months left. Im hoping he comes in December! That'd be so fun to have him in time for christmas. Im SO SO SO excited for the holidays this year! Lyric still isn't old enough to understand what birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are.. but atleast she knows how to get excited! I love that she's growing and learning each day.

Here are a few of our family pictures we took this past weekend... Enjoy!

Addicted.

So I came across a website, www.pinterest.com, which I saw MANY people talking about. If you haven't checked it out or become a member, I HIGHLY recommend it. I dont even know how to explain it, other than saying it's simply amazing. You can get so many ideas for just about anything. Recipe's, DIY crafts, home decorating ideas, holiday fun, etc.

Well, before i found pinterest, i had made it a goal to find new recipe's and try making new things! Im happy to say that i'm on a roll! Here are a few recipe's i've tried out in the past week that i love!

Fast creamy shrimp and mushroom pasta

http://chaosinthekitchen.com/2008/10/fast-food-creamy-shrimp-and-mushroom-pasta/

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

http://www.americanfamily.com/recipes/easy-slow-cooker-jambalaya/43136/RL

Crock Pot Chicken Teryaki

http://lakelurecottagekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/08/crock-pot-teriyaki-chicken.html

Where has it gone??

Seriously, where has the time gone?? Life has changed SO MUCH in the last few months since i've blogged. Im terrible at blogging, but im going to try & make it a goal to update ATLEAST every 2 weeks. I'll aim for every week, but i think i can handle every 2!!

Anyway - life has been busy busy busy. There are a few super important updates to make known :)

1. I am no longer Andrea Marie Silva. I'm Mrs. Andrea Vainuku!!!
2. Our family of 3 will soon turn into a family of 4!
3. We have relocated.

Yes, it's true. Saia and i got married!! "Finally" is how most have described it. We met in 2009, have dated off and on since then, had a few bumps in the road, had a beautiful baby girl, and have now made our family complete! We are all Vainuku's :) I couldn't be more proud to be his wife. We have both come such a long way from when we first met. He is the move loving and supportive husband i could have ever dreamed of. He's my true match and im glad we stuck it out through the good bad and ugly and made it to where we are today!! Im so happy that we didn't get married "for the baby's sake" (though she is DEFINATLY worth it, dont get me wrong!!!) in the very beginning. We waited until we were both truly ready and then decided to tie the knot! It was at a perfect time, too. I love my husband and support him 100% in all his decesions. Im grateful for his love and support towards me as well.

Onto #2... yes, im pregnnat, again! We are due January 22nd, 2012! We had an ultrasound on August 29th and are expecting our first little boy! Saia is of course EXTATIC - he is so excited for a little boy to play rough with and take around. I am.... nervous. VERY nervous! The though of having a little boy makes me nervous but i am SO ready to tackle this next blessing coming my way in life! We dont have any names picked out yet.. but im sure it'll be a tongan name after his daddy's side. Saia will be the one to name him. We can hardly wait for his arrival, but luckily we do have a few months to prepare :)

And last but not least #3.. we have moved to Texas!!! I am LOVING being home around my family. I love the summer activities (the river - tubing, swimming, etc) and the warm sunshine. I love the nature that surrounds us, too. Waking up with lyric and going on a walk in the mornings is so fun.. i love to see her observing the deer in a neighbors yard, the squirrels that are running up tree's and the lizards creeping around the house. It's so fun watching her learn and grow! I will admit, i think i took it harder than Saia when we left his family. Whether they realize it or not, i LOVED being around them. I love their culture, their understanding of family, etc. I miss hearing everyone speaking tongan, miss lyric being surrounded by all 20+ of her little cousins, etc. It was SO hard to leave for me, but i knew that we were starting a new chapter in our lives.. and i knew it was for the best. (Not to mention, them living in Utah gives us a reason to always go back for a visit!) So if you're reading this, Angilau family, Helu Family, Fakahau Family, Latu Family, Vainuku's, Vaka's, etc.. we miss you all dearly! Hopefully we'll be back to visit soon :)

On another note - Lyric's first birthday is literally RIGHT around the corner! I cant believe it's already been a whole year. Thats just crazy to me!! She has grown SO much and is just such a joy to have and hold each day! She started walking around 9 months and right before her 10 month birthday had it down to a science!! She walks all over the place and loves attention. She has 6 teeth now and 2 more are coming in on the bottom. We love this little girl so so much and are so proud of the big girl she's becomming!!











Last But Not Least.. Our handsome little Man :)

Lucky # 7!!

Well our baby girl is now SEVEN months old!!! Well, creeping up on #8 but i haven't been the best with blogging. Not even sure if anyone reads this anymore, but thats ok :)

She has been sitting up since she was about 4 months old, and has been saying dada and crawling since 6mo! She now has TWO teeth and is just such a happy girl! We honestly cant get enough of her happy personality and HUGE smile! She's just the best little blessing we could have ever asked for. I could have never imagined life this good. She's perfect & we cant wait for our family to grow grow grow! :)

I've added some easter pictures above and will include some more recent ones from our trip to texas and a few more below :)

Big Number Two

Hello Hello :)

Well, my babygirl is now TWO months old! I cant hardly believe how much she is growing and how she's been learning so much. She now smiles and has cute little babbling conversations with me. She mimicks me, too! Oh how we love love love her. Im back at work now, just working part time from 6am - 12:30 and it's just perfect. She sleeps till about 10ish so only knows she's without me for two hours. Im SO blessed to have Saia's family who so willingly watches her each day when Saia isn't able to. Lyric had her 2 month check up a week and a half before she turned 2 months and was 10lb 13oz and 23 inches long! She got 5 shots but is such a trooper. She cried a little during the shots but once they were over she was a happy camper and fell right asleep. Im so lucky to have her forever & to be able to watch her grow each day <3>