easter photo sneak peek

GO CARDS!

Louisville First Cards Forever from evan westendorf on Vimeo.

I don't roll for the cameras.

 I've been rolling from tummy to back! (first roll was the day before I turned 3 months)  Most of the time, I only roll for my mommy.  When she pulls out the camera, I just pose on my tummy to show how strong my neck is!  No need to show all my tricks at once :)

sunny days

 Hope the weather is sunny wherever you are :)

(Photos edited with Pioneer Woman Action "Sunshine" in Photoshop- opacity at 50%, then PWAction "Sharpen This" over certain areas)

two months!

(oops... this is a little late, well exactly one month late, but all pictures are from 2 months. 3 month update coming today or tomorrow!)

Right around 2 months you started watching your fingers and putting them in your mouth.  Ever since you were born you love folding your hands and holding them together on your chest, but now you are bringing them to your mouth:

 While you have always been so alert and in tune with what is going on in a room, you have really started focusing on colorful objects and even smiling back at them.  You sit in your rock&play while I shower and smile at our striped shower curtain.  I had never seen you get so excited over something as when Raggedy Andy came to play at Nana B.'s:

You sure have a joyful & content personality and I'm noticing your rascal side growing too :)  Pretty sure every day gets more fun as you grow!  No rolling yet, just lots of rocking your behind during tummy time and wiggling.  Your head control is great and your favorite thing to do is sit upright in the cushions on the couch.

 You love laying on your changing table- that's probably where you talk the most.  We had to buy you a bigger swaddle sack on your two month birthday because your legs were too long and it frustrated you not to be able to stretch them out.  You (or mommy) still like to have your arms swaddled up during the night or else you wake up a lot more!

At your two month doctor appointment you weighed 11 lbs 11 oz (40th percentile) and measured 25 inches long (95th percentile).  Because you are so long, you grew out of your 0-3 month footed clothes pretty quick.  I felt bad after realizing you couldn't stretch your legs out in your pjs :)  You got your first round of shots at your check-up and did great during the shots, but Yikes! the next 18 hours were pretty bad when the baby tylenol would wear off.  Poor thing!  You never cry unless you are super hungry or a little fussy trying to fall asleep, so we felt so bad for you and knew you weren't feeling good at all!

So far, you have been on a plane and traveled to Louisville, visited the Fort Worth Stockyards, taken many trips to TJMaxx and Target, slept through lots of tasty meals, had fun with sweet friends while your mommy and daddy had date nights, met tons of adoring relatives,  felt your first snowflake, and lots more!



 

quick dinner- Red Pepper Pizza and Spinach Salad

I've been trying to expand my dinner options, but continue to eat healthy.  The other night we had the dinner pictured above and it was so quick and simple, but we both enjoyed it!

Spinach salad- We have this almost every night and just change up the toppings/dressing.  The salad above has a little cheese and balsamic dressing, but my favorite spinach salad is the following: spinach, any type of raspberry or pomegranate dressing, feta cheese, almond slices, and strawberries!

A little dish of applesauce- organic sugar-free with a dash of cinnamon

Red Pepper Pizza- Take whole wheat bagels and cover with pureed tomatoes, a little cheese, and sliced red peppers.  Toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350F (depends on how crispy you want your pizza) and sprinkle a little pepper on top.

Enjoy!

worn out from tummy time!

where it all began

 John Ryman and I had a little bit of free time on a sunny afternoon in Louisville.  It was a perfect opportunity to take John Ryman to a special location: the Middletown Park.

Patrick and I walked under twinkling Christmas lights outlining this park one evening in 2005 and at the end of the evening he asked if he could kiss me.
Over the next two years, we spent many hours in this sweet little park having picnics and date nights.
On November 16, 2007, Patrick asked me another special question in front of the candlelit gazebo and again, I said YES!
Amazing to think that over six years ago our love was just beginning.  Now our love has created this precious baby boy and continues to grow stronger daily.  

 I love being able to take John Ryman to locations that played such a special role in our relationship.

toys for my growing boy

I hope he loves puzzles because I already have some fun ones :)  Isn't this Melissa & Doug Touch and Feel Puzzle cute?

 {Imaginarium} has some great toys (and a cute baby pool I may have to get for the summer!)

and I also am trying to decide on a high chair.  I put off this decision until now because I knew he wouldn't use it until he was older.  While I would love a sleek wooden one:

 our eating area is pretty small, so I'm thinking a booster seat may save some space and cost WAY less. This one is only $30:

and then when he gets a little older maybe this junior chair from IKEA:

What are your top picks for toys and accessories for 6 months and up?

We're still here...

Yes, we're still here :)  We lounge around all morning and look for squirrels in the afternoon.  Sometimes we let our parents know when the new furball is crying, but most of the time we do our own thing.  Even though he doesn't pet us or feed us treats, we still like when he smiles or giggles when we wag our tails or tickle his toes with our whiskers.  Hopefully he will play with us one day!                

chicken and vegetables recipe

I made this for dinner last week and it was so delicious, inexpensive and healthy!  

*In a large skillet, brown 1 tbsp of minced garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil.  (about 2 minutes on medium heat)

 *Place the whole chicken in the skillet with the garlic oil (3.5 lbs whole chicken) and brown all the sides of the chicken.  The picture, above, shows the chicken before being placed in the oven and after browning in the skillet.


*In a large casserole dish, fill with chopped carrots, broccoli and 1 lemon sliced.  (I used frozen broccoli and it was perfectly cooked at the end.  The carrots weren't as soft as I like them, so I steamed them a little longer after taking the chicken out of the oven.  Next time I may steam them a little before putting them in the dish or cut smaller slices.)  Drizzle vegetables with olive oil.


*Add chicken to the middle and pat with 1 tbsp sea salt and herbs. (rosemary, italian seasoning, whatever you like!) Place in oven at 325F for one hour or until reaches 160F.


Add some brown rice and Enjoy! 

blessed

(John Ryman and his great grandparents)

easter decor

 Not only is our house ready for Easter, but we are getting our little man ready too :)

JR & his cousins!

 John Ryman has the cutest cousins ever!  We tried to get a cousin picture... didn't last too long :)

 and these two little mommas were sure sweet with the babies:

 Thanks Daniel for having us all over to your new home!!!

 John Ryman sure had a fun morning... and that was just the beginning of our trip.