Daddy's Day Off

Today was Brady's  first day off since starting his new job. To make it extra special, Emerson and I let him sleep in and then we made him breakfast in bed. 

For lunch, we went down to the park by Lake Mead for a picnic. We picked up a pizza and sat on a blanket overlooking a hill of Bighorn sheep - it was so fun. We've gone to that park several times, but the sheep have been up in the mountains all winter so this is the first time we've seen them. I don't think Brady believed they existed until today. 

After lunch we did our best to wear Emerson out before nap time: swings, monkey bars, rock wall, and slides...he had a blast!

For dinner I tried this new recipe - Hawaiin Chicken with Coconut Rice & Mango Salsa...totally scrumptious. I'll add pics and the recipe at the end. After we ate, I realized the coals were still hot from grilling the chicken, so we made some s'mores. Emerson was in heaven haha.

Overall, it  was an incredible day. I sure do love my boys - I can't believe how quickly Emerson is growing up. Every day is a new adventure with him - so fun & exciting!

 

 yummy yummy pizza - pretty sure he ate the whole slice

 we're still working on small bites - hasn't quite mastered that one yet

 And we wonder why American children suffer from obesity lol

 

 silly goose

watching the sheep

 i love my boys <3

 he laughed so hard in the swings - it was super cute

 playing peek-a-boo with daddy through the rock wall

 monkey man

 he wasn't a big fan of going down the slide...

 ...but he LOVED climbing up it.

 Baby's first s'more

 

His hands were sooooo gooey. It was hilarious watching him try and lick it all off.

Here's that recipe I promised...

I served the chicken, rice, and salsa with grilled pineapple & peppers and some steamed broccoli.

Hawaiin Chicken

• 1/2cup pineapple juice
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 4 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
• 3 teaspoons minced peeled ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Cooking spray
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine first 5 ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade; place remaining marinade in a zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Chill 4 hours.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade in bag. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; baste with 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Cook 6 minutes. Turn chicken over; baste with 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Cook 6 minutes.

Coconut Rice

• 1 1/2 cups hot cooked long-grain white rice
• 1 can coconut milk
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 TBsp granulated sugar 

Prepare rice according to directions on package substituting the coconut milk for water. I added the salt, pepper, & sugar at the end and only as needed.

Mango Salsa (I made this up as I went, but it turned out super yummy - here's what I used...)

• 2 ripe mangos chopped into tiny squares
• 1/2 purple onion chopped
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• splash of pineapple juice
• splash of lemon juice
• salt & pepper to taste

Mix everything together and stick it in the fridge until you're ready to serve.

ENJOY!