Baby Asher's Arrival

We wanted to officially announce the arrival of baby Asher George Troskie to our family on Thursday, September 30th at 9:06 am. He was 8lbs 7oz. (so much for the 7lb baby I was told :)). We went in on Monday evening and Asher decided to come 4 days later! We knew he was stubborn because he was 2 weeks late but we didn't think he was going to be that stubborn! :) Definitely a challenging process but was worth every minute of it and God's hand was evident in every part. The nursing staff at North Fulton, our midwife, and Doula were such a huge support and provided us with a happy birth story.

Everyone is happy and healthy. Thank you for your prayers and support. We are looking forward to introducing you to Asher.

Homemade Organic Baby Wipes

George and I have been attending natural child birthing classes and learning about natural methods for caring for babies. One we learned about last night was how to make your own organic baby wipes. Research suggests that the chemicals in some brands of baby wipes could cause a rash and even fertility issues later on. Not to mention it's more cost effective to make your own.

Here is the recipe-

Ingredients:

*1 cup water*1 tsp organic fruit or vegetable based oil (olive, grapeseed, etc). It's good to

mix oils.

*1 Tablespoon natural soap

*1 tsp 100% aloe vera gel (You can actually tear off a piece of an aloe plant and squeeze

out the aloe)

*1 tsp essential oil -* optional * (be sure to use something CALMING like lavendar)

Directions:
Mix all together & pour over wipes. For the wipes you can use regular paper towels or organic paper towels (the organic ones will be softer and more gentler on babies bottom). Tear off a piece and fold in half (or fold until reached the desired size) and place in a plastic resealable bag. Pour the solution over the paper towels. There are lots of You Tube videos out there on this if you need a visual.

Enjoy!

Patiently waiting...

George and I go in for my first ultrasound this Thursday. We are super excited to find out the sex of our baby. We'll keep you posted!

Pumpkin Roll Cake

Pumpkin Roll Cake

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon lemon juice

¾ cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup chopped walnuts

6 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Frosting:

¼ cup butter, softened

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2) In a mixing bowl, beat eggs on high for 5 minutes. Gradually beat in white sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Add pumpkin and lemon juice.

3) In another bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg; fold into the pumpkin mixture.

4) Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan; line with waxed paper. Grease and flour the paper. Spread batter into pan; sprinkle with walnuts.

5) Bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched.

6) Immediately turn out onto a linen towel dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up in the towel, starting with the short end. Cool.

7) Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, butter, and vanilla until fluffy.

8) Spread frosting onto the cake and roll. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and remaining mixed nuts.

No Home Alone- Thanksgiving Day

The holidays are all about traditions. One of our traditions that George and I started doing in 2007, was helping to prepare and serve meals on Thanksgiving day to those in need and for the firefighters and police officers working on Thanksgiving day. George's parents have also joined in on this event in 2007; however, this year, my parents participated. Thanksgiving is all about living a life of gratitude for what you have. I am def grateful for my family and friends. We had a great time!

Another one of our traditions is serving pumpkin role. :)

Puerto Rican Adventures!

Touring the forts at Old San Juan that were used to protect the city from invaders. Apparently, the winds at that time would direct ships to Puerto Rico.



We went kayaking to a bioluminescent bay. It was awesome because the water would glow when you touched it.
Hiking through El YunqueRainforest,


The best bakery- except for the customer service! Maybe they wanted us to speak Spanish.


Our wonderful friends that we stayed with for 3 days.

For I'm Proud To Be An American!

We had a great time spending the evening with our good friends, Preston and Jessica. Jessica and I had a great time shopping before the fireworks while the guys played sports. :)

Ellen & Noah

I had a great time visiting with Ellen and her precious baby, Noah, a few weeks ago. You're such a wonderful mom and I'm sure Preben is an amazing dad! It's so cute how only guys can make Noah smile. :)

A Disney Wedding!

We went down to Disney World for George's cousin's, Natalie, wedding. They had a fairy tale wedding right on Disney World property. It was wonderful meeting some of George's extended family, especially at such a special place and event. We also enjoyed a fun day at the Magic Kingdom with George's parents.

George and Rob with their couins, Natalie and Candice!

Blue Ridge Mountain Weekend

George surprised me with a relaxing weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains for my birthday. It rained most of the weekend, but we still made it to the drive-in movies. George couldn't believe that they were still around. He's so thoughtful!

Christmas Party With The Grad School Buds!

We all had a great time celebrating the Christmas season with some of my favorite grad school friends. I truly miss all our crazy times together in classes and intensives and having lunch together. It was a close competition, but Christi and AJ won the best tacky Christmas sweater competition. Summer's husband, Mark, was about to forbid Summer from spending time with us, as he admitted to me later that night. He had no idea about the Christmas sweater competition and thought we were all just that cool. :)


Jessica made us these amazing aprons- matching our personalities to our patterns. She's so crafty!

Thanksgiving with Friends!

Some of our friends started an amazing annual Thanksgiving dinner at their home. It seems to get better and better every year. They really outdo themselves!! We had a wonderful time catching up with friends and hope that this tradition continues.

Christmas Decorating!!

George and I suddenly got the urge on Friday to put up our Christmas decorations. I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but we got the urge and we had to go with it!

Hawks vs. Wizards

George and I had a wonderful opportunity to take Malachi to the Hawk's game. Malachi goes to our church and is George's mentee. At first he was convinced that we were going to a monster truck rally (I guess he really likes monster truck), but ended up having a great time at the game.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HALEY!

We hope you have a wonderful birthday Haley!! We had a great time at La Parilla and roller skating at your birthday party. Some major middle school late skate night memories were brought back!! Your skating moves were amazing!!