Weekend Update

We had a busy day yesterday. Ken and Mom came over to help us around the house. Mom brought food (will post her recipe) and Ken installed baby gates, delivered our BBQ, and went to Home Depot for some shelving for Claire's room. I guess I should say HE had a busy day yesterday.

Claire is getting the hang of crawling. Considering she is 11 months old today, this is a good thing. Like I mentioned a while ago, we waited too long to put them up when Caeden was learning to crawl, so thankfully we are more prepared this time around.

Wayne is feeling better every day. He is able to put on t-shirts (getting things over his head was impossible until now), sleep without needing narcotics, and is getting stronger. Today we are going to the gym so he can walk on the treadmill. His goal is a mile. My goal is to run, although I haven't gone to the gym since his diagnosis, so who knows. I might just have a smoothie and call it a day.

Wayne talked to Mac this morning (his boss) - Getting things settled at work, which is a relief and also sad at the same time. Wayne is going on short term disability (6 months) so that he can go through multiple rounds of chemo and have surgeries without having to worry about job performance. Mac is such an amazing man, both personally and professionally, and the way he communicates with Wayne - honest and forthcoming - makes this transition not so scary. We are thankful everyday for our Microsoft family.

Speaking of work, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what I should be doing. Get a job? Go back to school (finish my Masters, or perhaps something else like nursing {better pay and flexible hours}) but we've decided to keep things how they are for now. Keep the kids at home instead of daycare is one less stressor for them (especially Caeden) and for all of us. With me at home, I can care for Wayne through chemo, through his recovery, and that is the most important. Health and family - both are worth the fight. I just hope you don't have to fight quite as hard as we have to.

Here's Mom's recipe for pork tacos. She just "whipped it up" but I did my best to nail her down for the recipe because it is soooo good. Perfect for the crockpot in the morning, so when you come home from work, all you have to do is squeeze a lime (On the taco or in a beer, I do not judge!).

Pork Tacos

Pork Roast
Can of diced tomatoes and green chiles
Diced onion
Taco seasoning packet plus a lil' extra (like more chili powder and cumin)
salt and pepper
1 1/2 C. water

Season the pork and toss into the crock pot. Add the seasonings, chilies, tomatoes, and onions. Cook on low all day. When ready, pull pork apart and add a bit of the juice to keep it moist. Excellent as left-overs, too.

Serve with:

Corn or flour torillas (warm)
Squeeze of fresh lime
Lettuce
Tomato (this time of year, buy cherry tomatoes, chop in half and season with pepper)
Guacamole (I make the BEST. If you do not have a favorite, let me know and will post mine)
Cheese
Salsa
Sour Cream

*I also saute a few onions until caramelized, but that's usually a weekend thing, not a weekday.

Serve with a fruit salad and wha-la!