Happy First Birthday River!

Wow. This year has been so fun and so crazy. River's hard to keep up with. I took the girls to my old neighborhood park, Combes Park, for the photo shoot. It was so fun. I really miss that neighborhood. As you'll see from the photos, she's much to busy to smile these days, at least for a photo. She smiles all the time and is a pretty happy kid, it just doesn't translate to the camera because she's too fast! :)
She had her last bottle. It's a sippy cup from here on out. So far so good. She's a champ! :)
She loves shoes and will randomly bring you one, back herself up to sit on your lap and touch the shoe to her foot to indicate that she wants you to put it on her foot.
She has great stamina when it comes to walking. She walks with me every time I take her to work. That's a pretty good distance for a 1 year old. She just holds my hand and away we go. I really love our walks.
She carries clothes around, especially our sweatshirts or sweaters, wrapping them around her shoulders and head and uses them as blankets.
She says, "ah-dah"(all done) and out and hi. When you ask her if she wants food her eyes light up, she shakes her head yes and looks towards the kitchen. :)
She loves Flower. As I am writing this Flower is acting like a puppy and River is putting things in her mouth, petting her head and giggling. She is totally amused by anything Flower does. For some reason she loves Flower's pony tails. She is so fascinated by them. She walks up and touches them and giggles. She'll chase Flower around trying to touch them.
She can be very intense, especially if she doesn't get something she wants.

She discovered sand and dirt on our outing and thought it tasted pretty great. :) She kept gnawing on the clump in her hand.
She has such a unique personality and it's been a really great addition to our family. She brings a nice balance. She's so perfect for us. I'm looking forward to things quieting down in certain regards this coming year and getting on with our little family. We are so incredibly blessed to have her. I will be forever grateful to her birth family for their sacrifice and especially M for her selfless love.

She had her one year check-up and is healthy as can be.
Here stats:
Weight: 25 lbs 1 oz.=95%
Height: 32 1/5 inces=97%
Head: 45 1/2 cm=70%

PS-happy birthday to my mom today!

Opal's Shepherd's Pie

Opal's Shepherd's Pie (Opal Madison)

1 lb. ground beef
1-2 cans tomato sauce
1 can green beans
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 1/2 c. grated cheese
6 medium potatoes or 3 cups instant mashed potatoes

Peel and boil potatoes. Mash and set aside. Brown ground beef with onion, salt, and pepper. Drain off the fat. Add tomato sauce and green beans. Place ground beef mixture in a baking dish. Whip potatoes and spoon on top of ground beef mixture. Top with grated cheese. Bake at 375* for 25 minutes.

Chicken Mushroom Crepes

Make crepes ahead of time. (If you want that recipe, let me know.) When I make mine I make sure to make enough that we'll have some left for dessert, in which I put melted butter and powdered sugar before rolling them up. YUM!

Chicken Filling With Mushroom Sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
2 1/2 c. cooked chicken

Combine all ingredients.

Mushroom Sauce:

2 tbsp. melted butter
1 small onion; chopped
diced bell pepper to taste
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cube chicken bouillon
2 tbsp. water
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients. Make sure bouillon cube is dissolved. Set aside some of the cheese or grate extra for the top.

Line crepes with filling. Roll up and place in a pan like enchiladas. Pour sauce over top. Cover and bake for 15 minutes at 350*. Sprinkle top with grated cheddar cheese and return to oven for 10 minutes.