Project Life: Week 39

Photos from September 26 - October 2


Monday, September 26


Going after the tv components - maybe we need to do more baby proofing for Kid #2!

Wednesday, September 28
On Tuesday we drove up to the DFW area to visit friends/family and take in a few activities.  We spent Wednesday in Fort Worth - morning at the zoo, lunch with Great-Grandmommy and Great-Granddaddy, and a quick trip to a fabric store for me.  Last time we went, Claire was scared of the statues, but this time she was eager to take her photo riding the tortoise.  She still wasn't sure about the Komodo dragon.

Thursday, September 29
Claire had a blast making giant bubbles with Ma while Bob and Will supervised.

Friday, September 30
Opening day of the State Fair!

Saturday, October 1



We stayed with Courtney, Jared, and Pierce Thursday night through Sunday morning.  Today the adults went to the A&M/Arkansas game at Cowboys Stadium.  It was a tough loss, and we didn't stick around to take a photo together after the game as originally planned.  We did get some cute pictures of Claire and Pierce having fun eating dinner with all of Pierce's figurines.  They always have such a great time together!

Project Life: Week 38

Photos from September 19 - 25


Wednesday, September 21


The snow cone truck was in the school parking lot again today.  It had been a few weeks since I let Claire get one, so I relented this week.  Just like her Daddy, she loves snow cones.  Will even got a tiny taste.





Tonight on our walk to the mailbox, Claire wanted to ride her tricycle.  Her legs are finally long enough to reach the pedals.  Since we weren't taking the stroller, Will got to try out the little car.  He LOVED it!

Thursday, September 22


Today is my 36th birthday.  Robert and I had a special lunch at Roaring Fork and celebrated that night with cupcakes - yum!

Sunday, September 25


For my birthday, Robert's mom got us tickets to a walking food tour in Austin today and provided free babysitting.  :)  While the kids had fun with Grandmommy, Aunt Carol, and Baby Grace, Robert and I enjoyed good food at several restaurants - and a local brew. :)

Food Trials {Vol. 2}

I made a few new things this week:

Recipe:  Zucchini, Black Bean, and Rice Skillet

Source:  Ready Set Eat via Pinterest

Tweeks: I had crushed tomatoes on hand, so I used those instead of diced tomatoes.  They didn't have garlic in them, so I added some garlic and sauteed it with the zucchini and bell pepper.  I thought it needed a little spice, so I added some cumin.  Instead of rice, I added cooked quinoa (left out the water in the recipe). 

What I'd Do Differently Next Time: Nothing.  Robert, Claire, and I liked it.  Will was already in bed when we ate, so I'll see what he things of the leftovers.  I think it would be easy to sub out different vegetables or grains/rice.

Verdict: Keeper

Recipe:  Mushroom and Sausage Ragu with Polenta

Source:  Cooking Light

Tweeks:  I used baby Bella mushrooms instead of cremini since I could buy those pre-sliced.  I used an andouille sausage instead of the turkey Italian sausage.

What I'd Do Differently Next Time:  I didn't realize the sausage I bought was pre-cooked until I started to put it in the pan, so it didn't brown up and crumble like I would've liked.  I'll stick with Italian sausage next time.  Everything else was perfect.  I could see this becoming part of our regular rotation.

Verdict:  Keeper

Recipe:  Baked Oatmeal

Source:  I'm not sure - I copied from a website.  The recipe is below.

Tweeks:  None

What I'd Do Differently Next Time:  Add more Craisins or dried apples.

Verdict:  Undecided.  I like it, but I think I could probably find a version I liked even better.  Our Best Bites has one I want to try.  It was super easy - less than 10 minutes to prepare, and I liked the cakey texture.

3 cups Quaker Oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
1/3 cup Craisins
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 cup skim milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients. Spray 8x8 glass pan with olive oil spray. Pour oatmeal mixture in and smooth out. Bake, uncovered, 35 minutes. This is a cake-likeoatmeal that tastes like a cookie but with a softer texture closer to bread pudding.

This can be made the night before, covered and kept in refrigerator overnight. Bake in the morning while getting ready for your day and it will be ready before you are! Keeps well, firms up when cool and can be cut into squares and stored in large Ziplock bag in refrigerator.

What the DVR is Watching - Fall '11

The Entertainment Weekly Fall TV Review issue is out and Lindsay has her list up of what she will be recording this season, so it means that the new TV season is upon us!  I'm Lindsay's lead and posting a list of what the DVR is set up to record - what I actually end up viewing remains to be seen.


Sunday
The Amazing Race (CBS) - 9/25 -- pad for football delay
Pan Am (ABC) - 9/25

Monday
How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 9/19
House (FOX) - 10/3
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Bravo) - already started.  Embarrassed to admit this one.  ;)

Tuesday
Parenthood (NBC) - 9/13
Ringer (CW) - 9/13
New Girl (FOX) - 9/20
Glee (FOX) - 9/20 (will probably drop this soon)

Wednesday
Survivor: South Pacific (CBS) - 9/14
Modern Family (ABC) - 9/21
Top Chef Just Desserts (Bravo) - already started

Thursday
Project Runway (Lifetime) - already started
Parks & Recreation (NBC) - 9/22
The Office (NBC) - 9/22
Grey's Anatomy (ABC) - 9/22

Friday - Saturday
Catch up on DVR'd shows

Project Life: Week 37

Photos from September 12 - 18

Monday, September 12


Watching Blue's Clues while feeding her baby - such a great multi-tasker.  By the way, her baby's name is "Will".  :)



Watch out - Will is on the move!

Friday, September 16






Our plans for a playdate with Isabella and Lucia didn't work out, but we were able to join Kate and Paige for a morning at the zoo.  We planned to play in the Tiny Tots Riverbank - unfortunately, it was closed, but the girls had a great time splashing in puddles and exploring.  They kept Will thoroughly entertained!

Saturday, September 17


Anxiously awaiting another bite of gelato at Paciugo.

Sunday, September 18


Claire is learning how to buckle her car seat.  "I don't NEED your help!"

Buddy Bucks

Claire loves to go to the grocery store.  Every day she asks if we can go to the store.  A big part of the fun is the people watching, but her favorite part is getting Buddy Bucks. Our grocery store gives these little certificates to kids for the Buddy Buck machine.  The machine dispenses stickers of different point values, and you can save up your points and redeem them for little prizes.  Claire isn't interested in the redemption - it's just the process of putting them in the machine, slamming the button as hard and as fast as you can, and getting your stickers.  And don't dare try to put the bucks in the machine for her - "I'm a Big Girl!  I can DO IT!  I don't NEED your HELP."  Don't ask how many times I hear that each day.  :)

I'm sure my parents are laughing right now...the apple has not fallen far from the tree.

Will at 10 Months

On September 11th, Will turned 10 months old!




Big milestones for Will this month included crawling, learning to pull up on everything in sight, and getting his first taste of ice cream.  :)

Project Life: Weeks 35 - 36

August 29 - September 11

Monday, August 29

Will has been trying lots of new table foods lately.  Tonight he had his first black bean and cheese quesadilla (a staple in our house).  He was a fan!

Tuesday, September 6

First pumpkin spice latte of the season!

Thursday, September 8

Chick-fil-A ran a deal where you could sign up for a free breakfast entree.  I enjoyed my Chicken Minis this morning - yum!

Friday, September 9

Claire had her stim test at the endocrinologist's office this morning to check her growth hormone levels.  Robert and I were dreading it since it involved a few blood samples over a 2 hour period, but it ended up being so much easier and less stressful than we expected.  Claire was able to watch one of her movies and fell asleep halfway through the test - and slept for 2 hours afterwards.  They said the medicine might make her sleepy!  We got the results a few days later, and everything was completely normal.  Answered prayers!

Sunday, September 11

Claire let Jill paint her face at Paige's birthday party today.  It was the first time for face paint - she loved showing it off.

The Great Halloween Debate

For Claire's first three Halloweens, she was too young to really have an opinion about a costume.  I just picked something cute (and as I learned after Year 1, something that could work for either 60 or 80 degree weather, and after Year 2, that did not require a head piece or hat).  This year she does want some input - which is both funny and a little frustrating since at age 3, she seems to change her mind about every 37 seconds.

This morning we started talking about Halloween, and I gave her a few ideas - fairy, ice cream cone, cupcake, etc.  Afterwards, our conversation went a little like this:

C:  "I want to be juice."
Me:  "Juice?  Really?"
C:  "Yes, juice."
Me:  "Okaaaay..."
C:  "No, I want to be chocolate milk."
Me:  "Chocolate milk?  Hmmm...maybe we could actually find a costume for that.  And Will could be a cookie!  Yeah!  That would be really cute!"
C:  "Yeah, chocolate milk!"

A minute later...

C:  "I want to wear my pink dress for Halloween."
Me:  "The one you're wearing right now?"
C:  "Yes."
Me:  "Well, we usually dress up for Halloween.  In a costume.  You can pretend to be someone or something else."
C:  "I wear my pink dress.  I be Claire."

Cute, but a little frustrating.  :)  I think we may pursue the chocolate milk idea, though.

Labor Day Weekend

Robert and I had plans to attend a wedding for some Dallas friends over Labor Day weekend.  Rather than having Mom and Dad come to SA, we made the trek to Vernon to spend some time at their house and let the kids have some fun with them while we made a quick trip to Dallas for the weekend.  Robert got in lots of driving during the trip - we drove to Vernon on Thursday, he made a day trip to Fort Worth on Friday for a meeting, we drove to Dallas on Saturday morning, came back on Sunday, then came home on Monday.  Whew!

We started out the weekend right with some waffles.  Claire loves to help in the kitchen.

Next on the agenda was some fun in the pool.  It took me awhile to convince Claire to wear her hat, but then she started really hamming it up.  

She hasn't spent a lot of time in the water and was a little hesitant to get in, but the hesitation wore off pretty quickly.

Will loves the water and didn't need any time to feel comfortable.

Claire's favorite part of the day was playing with the hose - and with Granddaddy.

Robert and I had so much fun watching our friends Allyson and Chris get married and catching up with lots of old friends - and really live it up by going out to post-wedding cocktails with Marc & Maria and Chad & Heather.  ;) I can't remember the last time I was up that late that didn't involve a non-sleeping child.  It was heavenly to sleep in the next morning at the hotel knowing that the kids were having fun in good hands.

Project Life: Weeks 33 - 34

August 15 - 28


Saturday, August 20

Claire had a great time at The Little Gym for Savannah's birthday.


Claire tried to feed Nana at dinner - Nana was not interested in sharing her pita pizza.  :)

Sunday, August 21

Trying to avoid the paparazzi (or the "Mom-arazzi") at Pappsito's.

Wednesday, August 24

A snow cone truck has been coming to the kids' school on Wednesday afternoons.  Since we usually eat dinner shortly after getting home, I typically walk them past it as quickly as possible, but today I said "Yes!" to snow cones.  Claire really enjoyed it - maybe it can be a bi-weekly thing.

Thursday, August 25

We tried a new recipe tonight - baked risotto.  Will and I loved it - it went in my "Keeper" binder.

Friday, August 26

Dinner at Lupe's tonight, and Will got his first taste of ice cream.  He liked the taste, but wasn't so sure about the cold.  Such a funny face!

Food Trials {Vol. 1}

Jill has inspired me.

I am a compulsive recipe clipper. I love to tear out recipes from magazines, print them out from blogs, and most recently, pin them on Pinterest. Recently, the piles and files started getting to me, and I decided to not only get organized, but follow Jill's example and actually start cooking my way through them to figure out which to keep and which to trash.

I had a binder that I had started years ago for filing, but I finally got serious and started getting really organized. Right now, I have 3 binders - one for recipes we've tried and made, and two for recipes in limbo (to try).

I'm going to start blogging about my "Food Trials" and include not only new recipes and foods I made that we liked, but also the ones we didn't. I seem to have a short memory and will occasionally stumble upon a recipe I made before and forgot we didn't like it. Robert always remembers. :) Hopefully this record will help me remember the bad, too.

And so begins the first edition...

Recipe: Apple Plum Bars

Source: All Things G&D (Blog)

Tweeks: Recipe called for 3 lbs of apples, but I used 3 cups. In the post she mentioned that one time she tried to chop the apples in her food processor, but it turned into more of puree. However, this gave them more of an "apple-y flavor". So, I added a small container of applesauce.

What I'd Do Differently Next Time: Leave out the applesauce. It made them a little too moist - still flavorful, but made it hard for Will to pick up pieces (and hard to eat without a fork).

Verdict: KEEPER

Recipe: Faux Banana Ice Cream (Two sliced frozen bananas pulverized in the food processor with a scoop of PB and a little cocoa)

Source: I used this one, but there are lots of versions floating around the internet.

Tweeks: None.

What I'd Do Differently Next Time: Leave out the cocoa - didn't need it. I think I'd try it with just the bananas or bananas and peanut butter.

Verdict: Keeper - great for when you want something sweet but don't want to really indulge.

Recipe: Quinoa Burger

Source: Eating Well...Living Thin via Pinterest

Tweeks: None.

What I'd Do Differently Next Time: Try to get the quinoa a little drier - my burgers were a little moist and not as pretty as the picture, but they still tasted great.

Verdict: Definite keeper - healthy, tasty, and we all enjoyed them. We've been eating more meatless dishes, and the quinoa adds a lot of protein (and is yummy!). I need to make these again soon.

Recipe: Southwest Stuffed Peppers

Source: Kalyn's Kitchen via Pinterest

Tweeks: I didn't have ancho chili powder, so I substituted chipotle chili powder. It was almost too spicy (which is a rare thing for me to say).

What I'd Do Differently Next Time: If I made it again, I would reduce the amount of chili powder.

Verdict: Trash - It was okay, but I knew I could find something we liked better.

Recipe: Taco Stuffed Peppers (Part of my ongoing search for the perfect stuffed pepper recipe!)

Source: Lauren's Kitchen via Pinterest

Tweeks: I didn't boil the peppers before stuffing and baking them. I like the peppers to still have a little crunch. Also, I only made four peppers since I knew we wouldn't eat six, and Robert ate the leftover stuffing the next day with chips.

What I'd Do Differently Next Time: Nothing

Verdict: Keeper - Easy, healthy, inexpensive meal

Recipe: Korean Beef Rice Bowl

Source: Steamy Kitchen via a message board I frequent

Tweeks: Per suggestion of people who had made it previously, I tripled the marinade. I also added baby corn and mushrooms since I had them on hand.

What I'd Do Differently Next Time: Instead of tripling the marinade, I'll probably double it. I think I'll also add a little cornstarch to the sauce to make it thicker. Also, I bought a package of meat from HEB that was already cut for stir fry, and I think I'll use sirloin or flank steak next time and cut it myself.

Verdict: Keeper. Robert isn't a huge fan of Asian food, but he thought it was okay. I really liked it, so I'll probably make it again - maybe when he's traveling for work. :)

Recipe: Baked Chicken Risotto (see below)

Source: Adapted from Southern Living's Oven Chicken Risotto and Baked Chicken Risotto recipes

Tweeks: Awhile back I'd saved the Oven Chicken Risotto, then Jill wrote on her blog that she made it and liked it, so I had it on my meal plan for this week. But, this month's issue of SL had a slightly different version, so I sort of combined the two and came up with my own:

Ingredients:

2 T. butter

1 small onion, diced

2-3 garlic cloves, pressed

1 c. Arborio rice (short-grain)

1/4 c. dry white wine

4 c. organic chicken broth

2 c. chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken)

2 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

8 oz. package of fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Grape tomatoes, quartered

Shredded fresh basil

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Melt butter in a dutch oven over medium heat; add onion and garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add rice, and cook 2 minutes or until golden. Add wine, and cook 2 minutes or until wine is absorbed. Add chicken broth, bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven. Bake 20 minutes.

2. Remove rice from oven, and stir in chicken, zucchini, and pepper. Cover and bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven, stir in cheese. Serve immediately, topped with tomatoes and fresh basil.

What I'd Do Differently: It was great as is, but would also be a good base for some other additions or substitutions. I might substitute Parmesan for mozzarella sometime, and maybe add some mushrooms. Also, I might try leaving out the wine. It's such a small amount that I'm sure the alcohol cooks out, but I don't know that it's needed, so I'd probably feel better about giving it to the kids without. One of the original recipes calls for artichoke hearts, and while I love them, R isn't a big fan, so I left them out. You can also stir in the tomatoes rather than adding them on top, but I knew Robert would prefer without, and I think it's better for leftovers when you can just add fresh tomatoes again.

Verdict: Definite keeper - easy, tasty, and kid-friendly.

Stay tuned for future editions of my Food Trials!

"Cwawl Will! Cwawl"

Will has seemed to be close to crawling for a couple of weeks - he would get on all fours and rock back and forth, but then just sit back on his bottom.  Mom and Dad were in town for the weekend, and Mom and I were playing with the kids in Claire's room.  Will was doing his rocking thing, so Mom and I were putting toys out of his reach to try to entice him to crawl.  Claire joined in - she ran and got his some of his favorite toys, lined them up across her floor, then sat behind the line motioning with her hands and urging him on - "Cwawl, Will!  Cwawl!!!"



He was more interested in his bib initially.


It seemed like he might get going...


...but got distracted by the stuffed rabbit.


At one point, I thought he was just mocking her.


The effort tuckered him out.


The practice must have helped, because he started crawling the next day.

Will at Nine Months

On August 11th, Will turned 9 months old!

He had a well baby check this week, and stats were:

Weight: 22 lbs., 13 oz. (80th percentile)
Height: 29.5 inches (85th percentile)
Head: 18.5 inches (85th percentile)

For comparision, here is Claire's 9 month info. At her appointment, she was 15.5 lbs and 26 inches - so different! Our big boy dropped a little in the percentiles, but is still proportional and growing like he should. The doctor reviewed a development assessment that I filled out (the Ages and Stages Questionaire) and said that he is perfect (which we already knew!). We're starting to move out of the 12 month clothes into size 18 month, depending on the brand, but this move seems to be happening more slowly than the previous ones. It's so nice to not have to continue buying him a completely new wardrobe every two months!

He started crawling this week - he finally figured out how to get those legs positioned so he could take off! He'd figured out awhile ago how to get from laying to sitting to all fours and back again without any trouble, but he would just rock back and forth or scoot himself around. Once he did it a couple of times, he started taking off. We all still get excited when he gets going, especially Claire. In the most excited voice, she'll exclaim "He's crawling! Will crawling! Good job, Will!" I know I'm biased, but it really is the cutest thing, ever.

Will is a great eater. His fine motor skills have really developed, and he loves feeding himself. Besides the usual puffs and Cheerios, he eats waffles, pancakes, some apple plum bars I baked this weekend, mixed vegetables, bananas coated in wheat germ (makes it easier to pick up). Basically, he'll eat anything soft that I cut or tear into soft pieces. He's also still eating some purees, and we started yogurt this week. I have no worries about him eating properly. :)

We're still working on consistently sleeping through the night. He started going from 7-7:30 to 5 or later a couple of weeks before he turned 9 months old, but then he got off again the night after his check-up, waking once during the night. We had one night since when he slept through, so I haven't given up hope that this is just a minor regression!

The sleep issue is easier to handle since he is the easiest baby in all other respects. Robert and I were talking the other night about how rarely he cries. Will is so happy, and he loves his family. We gives us the biggest smiles and giggles, but Claire definitely gets the most laughs. They already have so much fun playing together, and it's fun to watch their relationship develop.

Will, you are truly a blessing to our family. We love you so much!

Waffle Saturday

Claire found some waffle mix in the pantry earlier in the week, and every day afterwards she asked me if we could make waffles. Our weekday mornings were too hectic, but we were finally able to pull out the waffle maker on Saturday. Claire was a great helper - pouring ingredients in the bowl, stirring, and making sure I heard the waffle maker beep - "Mama! That ready!"

Even Will got to participate - he helped with the eating portion of the morning. He wasn't sure what to think at first, but ended up eating a whole section. Claire ate almost an entire waffle by herself...I don't know where she puts it! We froze the extras, and they shared a waffle each morning for the next few days.

We may have to make this a regular tradition.