Time to Eat!

I have been enjoying getting back into making baby food. One of my goals for my girls is to give them as healthful a start in life as I possibly can. This is why I breastfed Aubrey and am breastfeeding Evie and why I make my own baby food from organic produce. Such a happy feeling of satisfaction comes from seeing all those baby food ice cubes in the freezer: a rainbow of oranges, yellows, and greens. So far Evie loves eating peas, pears, and butternut squash the best. I have also made green beans, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, avocados, apples and mangoes. The options for variety are endless when you are making your own food--not limited to what jars are on the shelf at the grocery store.

Now while I do have a goal of healthy eating for my girls, I am not going to be one of those hyper-protective mothers regarding the food they eat. Especially after their first year, the bulk of their food should be organic, whole, nourishing foods, but an indulgence in eating a few french fries or an ice cream cone every now and then is certainly allowed.

In fact.....that reminds me. It is almost time to be baking some Christmas cookies!

Happy Thanksgiving!

What's Cookin'?

Ever since I was old enough to help out in the kitchen I have enjoyed cooking. Now that I am a stay at home mom, one of my "jobs" is to make most of the meals that our family eats. Every week it is a challenge for me to plan seven dinners--a challenge that I sometimes enjoy, sometimes I don't. I try not to get stuck in a rut, without spending too much money on more creative meals. I don't want to have "pizza fridays" and "pasta mondays" every single week. Incorporating seasonal produce is one of my favorite things about cooking this time of year. I love a big salad piled high with local tomatoes, cucumbers, and corn. Since my mom's garden is overflowing with green beans right now, I have inherited quite a few. My favorite way to prepare these is to blanch them and then toss with a balsamic dijon mustard vinaigrette. I am looking forward to having enough time next year to grow a garden of my own: at the very least with tomatoes, cucumbers, and some herbs.

Cooking Light has been a good resource for new dinner ideas, what are some of your inspirations?

Three Years and Three Months

It must be that the more kids you have the faster time flies by. Aubrey turned three last week and we celebrated with a fun birthday party. For a few weeks she was really anticipating her birthday, "am I three yet, Mommy?" Per her request we had a butterfly party which was a little awkward since her guests were boys, but hey, it was her party, so it was a girly one! She got lots of fun presents--she has been using her new pretending skills playing with them: trains, horses and a stable, calico critters, and some dishes and a cake decorating set. Aubrey is getting to be such a kid now--I was watching her make new friends at the church picnic and thought, this is it, this is the end of the constant need for Mommy. Aubrey is still my little snuggler, but she is also developing into her own independent little person. Always a very thoughtful and sensitive girl, Aubrey takes good care of her sister. She is always very concerned when Evie cries and even thought to pick out some books for Evie at the library when she went with Gramma. Aubrey is also is good at keeping us all laughing with her silly sense of humor.

I am happy I have another little bundle to fill my arms, wiggly as she may be. Evie is three months old now and laughed for the first time on her three month birthday. Maybe it is because of all the wiggles or just because she is a different kid, but Evie is a whole size smaller than Aubrey at the same age. This is working out well for the hand me downs :) It is different to have a baby who everyone exclaims over how little she is rather than how big she is!

Two Months Old

Evie is now two months old and getting to be such a big girl! She was 11 lbs 6 oz and 23 inches long on her dr. appointment on July 7th--right around the 50th percentile in both. Besides the reflux issues which we have learned to manage pretty well we have been blessed with a very good baby. Evie now gets up only once a night on average--she has even slept eight hours in one stretch twice now! She still can't sleep flat on her back, so for now she is still in our room in the special bassinet. We had Aubrey in the crib in her own room at 6 weeks, but I am not in a hurry this time. Maybe because I know how fast they grow up now! Her personality is very different than Aubrey's was, Evie is a much calmer baby. It looks like I won't be getting two drama queens, haha! She also is not a snuggler at all--she is all about the wiggle, wiggle, wiggle. Her happy personality shows through in all her smiles and coos: she gets especially happy when she sees her daddy. Bill gets home from work and it doesn't matter how cranky the two girls are, when they see him, they are happy as can be. He probably doesn't believe me when I tell him we had a bad day. It is so adorable that they are such daddy's girls--melts my heart when I see how much they love him. (and I only get a tiny bit jealous)

The Daddy's girls on Father's Day.

Some Evie pictures

One Month Old

I think it is funny how babies can sleep with their hands up in the air.

Catching one of her smiles on camera isn't easy. Evie is six weeks old in this picture

Sisters playing

Froggy Girls-- both three weeks old.