Grandma and Grandpa Barton's visit

We had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa Barton this weekend. The highlight of their trip was our outing to Saginaw Zoo. I was prepared to be disappointed but it was honestly better than the D-town zoo back home! Finally a zoo where the guinea pigs aren't a main attraction. LOL. Layla's favorite part of the zoo was the otter. Layla LOVED watching it swim around in circles...it just cracked her up. She also really enjoyed the train ride and running around like a wild woman and making Mommy a nervous wreck by the pond. Here are some pictures, we can't wait to go back! And we can't wait for Grandma and Grandpa to come visit again!

 Admiring the crow. LOL

 This one is for my Mom. 

 Watching the otter play

The fam

 Kangaroo! You could walk right up to them

 Layla loves to walk on her own, but forget the hand holding thing...

 With Grandma and Grandpa

 Cute little park bench

 Layla showing the chickens what they should be doing. 

 Getting ready for the train ride. This was the best pic we could get

 The paparazzi just wouldn't leave her alone. LOL

 Oh the silly things grandparents do with their grandchildren. Janet tried to pack Layla up and sneak her out the door! HAHAHA

Here she is again enjoying the ride in Grandma's cooler. LOL

Does it snow on the sand?

We finally got a chance to visit Lake Michigan a few weekends ago. We decided to check out Ludington which is a little over two hours away from us. I have to say we were quite impressed! It was hard to do much but the beach with Layla...she's still a little young to appreciate walking 2 miles to see a lighthouse for example (I think I'm still a little too young too LOL). It was a little chilly with the breeze coming off the lake and Layla's teeth were chattering when she got out of the water LOL! But after we warmed up a bit she LOVED playing in the sand with Daddy. She even let him bury her feet in the sand. ;o)

The whole time we were there I could not get past the fact that we were in Michigan. Other than it being chilly, the beach is just like Florida! All I could think about was what it looked like in the winter. For some reason it is just really hard for me to picture it snowing on a sandy beach. Anyway...that was my random thought for the day but it really blows my mind. LOL

Here are a few pictures from our trip!

The yellow shirt is back!

I’m sure most of you remember my yellow shirt pregnancy pictures. I got a ton of compliments on them and even though I thought “what the heck was I thinking” when we got that last preggo shot…I’m so glad we did them. My Mom and I were talking about it a few days ago and she mentioned that I should put Layla in the shirt and get a picture. Eureka! What a great idea to do each year for her birthday! Obviously we missed her first birthday so I took our first shot today at 18 months. I can’t wait to bust out the shirt again when she turns 2 and for many years to come. ;o) 

 

Check out 2 year yellow shirt session here!

18 months of fun

Layla turned 18 months in June and I'm finally getting a chance to do her official 18 month pictures. I still want to get a few more in a different outfit but I just couldn't pass up another chance to order a shirt like the one she is wearing here. Since she was a newborn I've been on the lookout for a shirt like this and I couldn't find one ANYWHERE. Then one day I was on FaceBook and just so happened to run across a banner (I never click on those things!) that had this shirt advertised. It was truly meant to be! So here we are, the first set of Layla's 18 month pictures. ;o)

Museum with Grandma

Layla had a blast showing Grandma around the Saginaw Children's Museum today! Here are a few pictures of their special day

Old firetruck outside of the entrance

Loves those fishies 

Layla loves to play in this kitchen...she could be here all day!

Last time we visited, she didn't care for the cars. This time we couldn't get her away! She really enjoyed honking the horn and turning on the radio. 

Grandma and Layla

She was really digging the maze this time too!

Peek

Reason #97 why Layla will not be getting a sibling (within the next 5-8 years)...she will bite it.

Mommy and Layla enjoying some music time.

These next few pics were taking at home. We decided to bust out the water painting books. She loved them!

Oh the looks this child gives...

More water please

This $10 IKEA tent is a HUGE success! 

Orange chicken obsession

One of my favorite meals of all time is orange chicken from The Cheesecake Factory. I haven't had it in so long and the local Chinese place just doesn't cut it. While Mom is in town I decided to make her a few of my favorite recipes from the best cookbook EVER- Eat what you Love (Marlene Koch). I L.O.V.E. this cookbook...everything that I have made from it is amazing and surprisingly healthy/low cal. I threw this orange chicken recipe on my list of things to cook this week because I haven't made it before. WOW! Talk about a winner! This version is not only heavenly, but it is only 290 calories per serving! Compare that to 1,700 for the The Cheesecake Factory version and it is safe to say that this will be a new staple in our household. So without further introduction, here is the best and healthiest homemade orange chicken you will ever taste:

Sauce:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup light orange juice
1/2 cup Sweat and Low (you better believe all I had was the packets so I emptied about 50 into a 1/2 cup measuring cup...yup)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons lemon juice (I used the presqueezed stuff and it was still good)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I used just a teeeeeny tiny bit because I hate spicy stuff)
2 tablespoons cornstarch

In medium saucepan, whisk together the first nine ingredients over medium-high heat. Bring to a slow simmer. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of water and the cornstarch until smooth. Then whisk into the sauce. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce is thick (took about a minute). Allow to simmer while you cook the chicken.

Chicken:
1 1/2 lbs chicken breast chopped
1 large egg, beaten
1/4+ cup all purpose flour (I used about a cup because I am messy)
2 tablespoons canola oil (but I used sesame oil yum!)
1 small onion
**the recipe calls for a red pepper but YUCK. Next time I will add some peas or pea pods, green pepper, broccoli...really any veggies will do here!

Coat chicken with egg then toss in flour. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil until HOT in a nonstick skillet. Cook chicken until nice and brown on all sides (took about 5 minutes). Transfer chicken in a bowl. Add remaining oil to skillet and cook onion (and/or other veggies) until tender. Add the chicken back to the skillet and then toss all veggies and chicken until heated through. Add the sauce to the pan and wa la! You have your orange chicken. Serve with rice.

Hope everyone enjoys!

PS- As a photographer I am so ashamed that I didn't get a picture with my "real" camera. But this was taken with my Iphone that was right there...so next time I will take a professional quality picture. I am such a loser.