Sweet Teethe!

 

This past week our church held it's annual dessert competition-sweet!As expert dessert eaters ourselves, we were very much looking forward to this delicious date. And, the competition did not disappoint. There were so many tasty and creative treats to choose from, and all were winners in my book.  I made whoopie pies for the first time, and though they looked like a hot mess(hence my aptly named "Whoopsie Daisy's"), they sure did taste good!

Speaking of sweet toothes, this little guy got his very first tooth brush this week! With four teeth and counting, we thought it was a good time to start-especially since he loves to watch daddy  brush his teethe in the morning. Thankfully, it was a shining success! Who knew personal hygiene could be so fun? Here's to hoping it sticks over the years!

It's the first day of Spring!

 

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." :) ~Margaret Atwood

Into the double digits

Happy 10(almost 11 now) months baby boy! Congratulations buddy, you've now officially been outside of mama's belly longer than you were in.

And what a difference 10 months makes!

I know I know, I'm a little behind on this one since 11 months is just around the corner-eek! I plead Spring. :-) 

With each passing month we crawl closer and closer to the big "One." Life on the outside has been pretty great. Mommy and daddy are continually thankful for you Evan Matthew!

A few of Evan's favorite things at 10-ahem, almost 11- months:

• Snacks, snacks, and did I mention snacks?
• Cruising the furniture, and pulling up on everything-and I do mean everything!
• Piper
• All things "baby Einstein"
• Swings at the park on sunny Spring days!
• Bathtime-he's got that splashing thing down pat ;-)
• Walking and scooting with his green dino
• And last but not least-Mommy!

And a few "not so favorites:"

• Reaching the bottom of the snack bowl
• Being told "no" when trying to pull up on guitars, fireplaces, table runners and toilets (eew!)
• Staying still for diaper changes and getting dressed

Lastly, I haven't posted a schedule in a while and I'd like to document it for future reference. So, below is what our routine has been like for the better part of 8-10 months. The only changes this month is the one dropped feeding, and a bit of a shorter morning nap.We're currently on week 3 of the dropped feeding and Evan is doing great!

7am-Rise and shine, nurse, breakfast and playtime until...
9am-10:30/11 am-Morning nap
11am-Nurse, playtime and errands
12 noon-Lunch, usually with daddy! Then playtime until...
2-4pm-Afternoon nap
4pm-Nurse and playtime, afternoon walk around the neighborhood(*first dropped feeding)
5:30-6ish-Dinner and family time, one last feeding of the day, bathtime and...
7:30pm-Story and bedtime!

First Steps

Just recently Evan has begun to explore the world of standing on his own and taking those first little baby steps. Almost overnight, his long loved army crawl evolved into a full blown, tummy off the floor crawl-and that was just the beginning! From scooting to standing, this boy is on.the.move. Much to mommy's fright, he's started standing by himself and, thinking he can walk, reaches out and.....face plants! In fact, he was very fashionably sporting his first teeny black n' blue  this week on his forehead-the first of many I'm warned.

This is such a fun and exciting stage, I wish it could last forever! Here's a small sample of this cutie standing on his own. :-)

Butter is better

This past week, inspired by "Pioneer Woman" Ree Drummond's cookbook, I made several new dishes for dinner. I have to preface this with saying that everything she makes is very hearty-and makes for a happy hearted husband! Her recipes are rich with flavor and generous in ingredients(read-butter). Bless her for using so many step by step photos in her book-nothing speaks to this kitchen amateur's heart like lots of pictures!

First up I tried her lasagna recipe, and it was an A+ success! Move over Stoffers, there's a new sheriff in town! Not only did it taste great, but made enough for two dinners and a few lunches left over. Next I made her chicken pot pie, which was very tasty, and nothing like Betty Crocker's "quick & easy" version using Bisquick. Using real "from scratch" pie crusts really made the difference!

 (Picture taken pre-pie topping...let's just say it looked better before the big "flop" of pie crust)

Lastly on the dinner list, I made her chicken spaghetti, which was very similar to a chicken tetrazzini. Easy enough and two thumbs up on taste-it's a winner in this house!

I also made two of her breakfast recipes this week(adventurous right!)-buttermilk biscuits and cinnamon rolls. For some reason the biscuits were a total bust. I blame my bad luck in all things bread making. In fact, I may even throw out the frozen leftover dough because well, there's no saving those rolls. :-/  On the other hand, my labor of love cinnamon rolls were very sweet and tasty, and will serve us breakfast for weeks to come(her recipe makes a ton).

All in all, a good week of trying new things! You can only imagine the state of my kitchen this week...over and over again. Kitchens are meant to be messy if you ask me. It's a vicious cycle-cook, clean, cook, clean, cook, clean. But in the end, the warmth of a hearty chicken pot pie, the taste of rich lasagna and the sweet smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls make all the effort worth it.

A special thanks to my friend Jeanna for letting me know this treasure of a cookbook was at the library! :-)

PS-What's on the menu this week? Well, let's just say we're going out to eat tonight, and having frozen pizza tomorrow!

Frog Prince