Baby's name

Ok. I just came to a crazy realization. My c-section (which I'm hoping not to, but will most likely have to have) is scheduled for April 18th. That is only 8 1/2 weeks away! Holy smokes! I was still thinking it was at least 10 weeks away. So we've had a name in mind, but were trying to come up with some others tonight. So I've decided to send it to you, my faithful readers... all 3 of you. So go ahead and take the poll, just so we can get an idea. And if you have any other good name suggestions, lay them on me. We're pretty traditional folks, but we're open to anything... except Zolo or Chaz... Sorry Nikki!
Maybe I'll get some pictures of my ever-growing belly on here soon so you can see the boy in action. He's super active and is making his way up into my ribs. I think it's amazing to be able to feel him move and kick, but sometimes at 2 in the morning I'm just not all that jazzed about the miracle of being able to feel him kick and jab me in the ribs and bladder. But I love the little guy already and can't wait to have him here in our family. Tyler prays for him anytime we say prayers. The blessing on lunch usually goes something like this, "thank dee fo bay bruddah, and applethauth, and make it cold" (I don't know where he gets this, but he always prays that hot things will be hot, and cold things will be cold- I think it must have started when I told him that his food was too hot and we needed to pray and wait for it to cool down. Who knows?!).
Anyways, back to the names. Let me know what you think! Thanks in advance for your vote/suggestions.

Skillet Baked Ziti

Oh my heavens! I made the yummiest skillet baked ziti the other night using a recipe from Please Hold the Onions, a blog where my friend and her sisters post good recipes and menu ideas. You HAVE to try it. That is, unless you've made a New Year's Resolution to eat really healthy (notice the cup of heavy cream in the recipe!). It was so rich and yummy and saucy and delicious, but I will probably have to make sure I don't make it too much, for the sake of my ever growing waistline. Anyways, here's the recipe for ya. And if you haven't checked out the previously mentioned blog, you should- lots of great menu ideas. Enjoy!

Skillet Baked Ziti

1 T. olive oil
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 jar spaghetti sauce
3 cups water
12 ounces ziti- 3 3/4 cups (I used penne)
1/2 cup heavy cream
*2 cooked, diced chicken breasts* optional
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella

1. Heat Oven: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees.
2. Simmer Ziti: Combine oil and red pepper flakes in 12 inch ovensafe nonstick skillet and saute over medium high heat about 30 seconds. Add spaghetti sauce, water, and ziti. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender, 15 to 18 minutes.
3. Add Cheese and Bake: Stir in cream, parmesan, basil, and chicken (if you want- I made it with chicken and loved it!). Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti. Transfer skillet to oven (or if your skillet isn't ovenproof, transfer to a baking dish) and bake until cheese has melted and browned, about 10 minutes.

Wisconsin Interview!

Well, right now I'm missing my hubby who I just dropped off at the airport. My Jakers is going to be headed to Wisconsin today to meet with Strand Associates- the company that he interviewed with that I talked about in my previous post. They liked him so much that they wanted to meet with him in person, not just via video conference. So they're flying him out there, paying for his hotel, taking him out to lunch and dinner tomorrow, and introducing him to a bunch of the people that he could potentially be working with (including the hiring people!). Just to be clear, the potential job is here in Phoenix, but their headquarters are in WI. I don't think I could move to WI in the middle of the Winter! I'm so proud of him and all of his hard work. I feel like we have been so blessed by our Heavenly Father. He lets us go through trials and struggles, but is so ready to bless when we are faithful. It's not easy all the time, but so worth it. We're hoping for a job offer, so keep him in your prayers!

Tyler was so sad when Jake got out of the car and headed into the airport. He kept saying, "I want my Dadda. Tyler fly on the airplane." Boy, how that kid loves his daddy! That makes two of us! Jake's parents got him a new suit for graduation that we just picked up today, and boy was he handsome! They'll have to hire him, looking that sharp! Thanks Mom & Dad Richardson! I wish I had a picture to share with you, but the camera was packed in his suitcase.

Graduation

10 more days and my babe will be an ASU graduate! I'm so proud of him and the hard work he's put into school (all while working and being a great daddy and husband). And now the job search is on! Jake has an interview with an engineering company tomorrow via video conference with the big whigs of the company in Wisconsin. It's a company called Strand Associates. He'll do great, but keep him in your prayers!

Baby brother or sister?

Well folks, the polls are in, and I'm sorry to tell you that 75% of you (and me!) were wrong. Tyler will be getting a baby BROTHER! (If I knew how to put that in blue I would. Anyone want to give me a quick lesson?) We were completely shocked, but so excited to find out that our little babes is a boy. I would have bet money (if I did that sort of thing) that we were having a girl. Oh how I wanted to go out and buy fluffy, ruffly skirts and bow making supplies. But those thoughts quickly vanished when I pictured my two boys wrestling with their daddy on a Sunday afternoon, playing with bugs and dirt, Tyler teaching his brother how to swing a bat or throw a football, and the special bond that is between a mother and son. I am so excited to have another fella in the house to love and take care of. Don't get me wrong, I will be so excited someday to have a girl, but for now I will relish in having my boys. Here's a sneak peek at our little guy. Dr. Beck quickly saw what he needed to see and said, "Uh oh, it's another boy! There's no doubt about it!" He then took the time to show us several different shots of our little guy and said that everything was looking perfect. Brain- good. Spine- good. 2 hands- check. 2 feet- check.

It's a boy!


Can you see his little mouth open on the top right?


Healthy spine!


Don't worry- this picture isn't as creepy as it looks. Turn your head 90 degrees to the right. Otherwise it looks like a creepy child with his mouth open like he's scared. Sorry if you can't find it. You can just go on thinking I have a creepy looking child in there.
He kept moving his little arm out in front of his face and then back out of the picture again, as if waving to his proud parents. Tyler didn't really know what was going on, but keeps saying, "I see mommy's baby on the cupooter (computer)." We called my mom on the way home and let Ty share the news with her. She asked, "What do you have Tyler?". He excitedly answered, "I hah brudder!" Can't wait to meet you little guy! I've gotten a few name suggestions, but I need lots more- bring 'em on!

Baby Richardson #2

So Baby Richardson #2 will be joining our family on April 25th (Jake's birthday!) and we couldn't be more excited! What a relief it was that we were able to get pregnant so soon after my miscarriage. We'll be finding out what he/she is next Wednesday. Will Tyler have a baby brother or sister? Take our poll to the right. While we're at it, any good name ideas for us?

The Summer

This past summer may have been one of the most difficult in my life. To keep it brief, I took on a job working from home creating a course for an online high school (while still nannying and teaching piano) and Jake would be home to take care of Ty for me. Well, Jake, being the awesome dad and husband and engineer he is, landed an awesome (paid!) internship opportunity with Central Arizona Project way the heck out there by Deer Valley. So I was going to have to work and watch Ty at the same time. Tyler is the type of kid that loves interacting with others... or maybe just his mommy. So it was pretty difficult to work and take care of him at the same time. Then we were so excited to find out we were expecting, only to have our hearts broken when I miscarried a week later. I thought I would be fine since I hadn't had a lot of time to get attached, but boy oh boy was it hard. Maybe it was the hormones, or maybe it was the fear of "what if we can't have more children" or who knows what, but it was a really trying time for me. But I learned to grow and put my trust and faith in the Lord. I didn't know what the future would bring for our family, but I was going to trust that the Lord would take care of us. I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the comfort I feel in knowing that the Lord is mindful of us! Although I would not like to relive the stressful, somewhat depressing summer, I'm thankful for the lessons I learned and the humility it has taught me. So without further ado, here is a picture recap (most likely not in chronological order) of our summer.

Jake on his way to interview for the CAP internship- it must have been the gold tie because they loved him! (No, his hair isn't really that tall- it's just a shadow my awesome camera made)


Uncle Jason got home from his mission in Costa Rica. We're so glad to have him back and excited for his upcoming marriage to Alison (pictures to come)


Making messes with oatmeal in our old kitchen. Oh yeah, we moved. Bigger, cleaner, newer, cheaper- can't beat that!


Hanging out with dad and learning to bat (left-handed of course. Jake is excited to have a lefty- apparently it's a great asset in sports).


Happy 3rd Anniversary McSweets! I know- let's be married forever, ok? Dinner at BJ's (thanks Scott & Alisse for introducing us to this fabulous place!).


Swimming with cousin Savannah


First day of nursery= disaster. But he loves nursery now and I love his teachers. They had a lesson on gratitude so I asked Ty what he was grateful for (didn't even know he knew what that meant) and he responded in his lispy voice, "JESUS!" What am I grateful for? That my not yet two-year-old son is grateful for Jesus. This is a picture of his first day. By the looks of it, I guess I must have been bawling in sacrament meeting. What else is new?


Slip 'n sliding with Brooke and Maddi. They loved it! Thanks Raylene!


Richardson Family Reunion in Heber area. We stayed at Bison Ranch (thanks Mike for sharing your time share!)and had a great time. We stayed up way too late playing Settlers with the siblings which only ended in a complete gridlock- no one could win! First time I've ever seen that happen. This is Ty getting ready to watch Dad go fishing.


For part of the reunion we all went to the place where Jake's ancestors had a log home. This is one of the logs from the log cabin. They helped to settle the area there. It was really cool- we could see rocks that were lined up that outlined parts of walls and whatnot. It was neat to imagine what it must have looked like.


We had to say goodbye to our two favorite missionaries. Elder Pebley and Elder Wilder. Jake was the Ward Mission Leader in our old ward and so they would come over at least once a week. I learned how to give them haircuts and we taught them how to play farkle (no time to explain... just google it).


We may have had a little too much fun with them. Elder Pebley (the one on his knees) and Jake were like soul mates. They really connected. Funny note: we told them we were moving and they were crushed. What can I say, we were their favorites! Then they called Jake a couple of days later and told him the area was being whitewashed and they were both being transferred two days before we moved- Elder Pebley called it sweet justice.


All packed up to move!


We took Tyler to his first in-theater movie: Toy Story 3. He loves Toy Story and almost sat through the entire movie. I may or may not have bawled in that movie and thought- that's going to be Ty in 16 more years. Who does that?!?)


Tyler and Savannah like to give loves.


Phew! You made it!