a walk in the park.

one of my favorite things to do now that the weather has warmed up is take Audrey in the stroller to Bur Mill Park and Summerfield Community Park. it's a great work out for me, and she loves checking everything out! i've been struggling with a lot of pain still from my c-section incision and intense work outs are too much for me right now, so i've stuck to power walking a few times a week lately and it feels great! i love Summerfield Community Park because they have great trails that are challenging, even for just power walking. there are a lot of steep hills that cause me to "feel the burn" as i push 10 pounds of stroller and about 12-13 pounds of baby up them haha :) Plus, the park is absolutely beautiful even though everything is still bare from our measly "winter."

 

i almost forgot this hilarious story that i've been dying to share with you! it happened two weekends ago when Will and i took Audrey to Bur Mill Park for a walk and some pond fishing. we were on our way back home and stopped in front of the grocery store to get a couple movies from redbox. while i was inside, Will said Audrey was fussy so he reached back to dig around the car seat and find her paci. he said that when he reached under her leg looking for it, that she was really "sweaty." he then proceeded to bite his fingernail or hangnail, something to that effect. whatever it was, he put his hand in his mouth. well, we got home and i went to take Audrey out of her car seat. i said to him, "wow, she IS really sweaty." the look on his face when he saw me pick her up was priceless. it was a combination of horror and concern. it turns out that Audrey wasn't sweaty, she just had a major poop blowout and her pants were completely soaked all the way down her leg! Will immediately turned three shades of green and started panicking and saying, "oh my gosh Lindsey i think i accidentally ate baby poop!" i haven't laughed that hard in a long time! i said to him, "welcome to fatherhood. she has officially initiated you!" :)

well if you're in the mood for a great recipe after that story, i have one for you! this amazing casserole comes from a cookbook that Will's granny Helen gave to me last summer. it's called poppyseed chicken and it's Will's favorite dinner to date. he actually asks for it on a weekly basis! this recipe makes about 6 servings, so we always have a lot of leftovers!

thaw 5-6 chicken breasts, then boil until tender
shred or cut the chicken into small, bite sized pieces and spread evenly over the bottom of an ungreased 13x13 pan
in a separate bowl, mix 2 cans cream of chicken and 8 oz. of sour cream and pour over chicken, spreading evenly
finely crumble 2 sleeves of ritz crackers and spread over the top
melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter and pour evenly over the cracker topping
sprinkle 3-4 tsp. of poppy seeds over the ritz crackers
bake 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees until bubbly

here's what mine looks like :)

i usually pair it with steamed green beans, as the leftover sauce from the casserole is great to mix the green beans with! can you tell i'm really getting into cooking lately? i have really enjoyed picking new recipes out of my cookbooks and Will loves his one on one time with Audrey while i'm busy in the kitchen! she loves him so much and always strains to look for him whenever he leaves the room :) she could play with his beard for hours! she just loves to lay there and touch it repeatedly. it's pretty cute :)

in other news (that i've been dying to tell you) my best friend Laura is pregnant! we are so, so, SO excited for her!!! Audrey is going to have a best friend! she has been such an amazing aunt to Audrey --  she sat with me while i was in labor and brought me bath goodies for when i got home and some magazines to pass the time. she showed up every day and supported me so much when i was going through such a difficult time. she even came and sat with me in the NICU even though she wasn't allowed to hold Audrey. she is such an amazing friend and i'm so happy for her to join me in mommyhood!