bok choy, strike one

Tonight I tried Bok Choy that was brushed with a miso glaze and broiled with our Salmon fillets. I think when the recipe said 'charred' it didn't mean 'burned' which is what mine tasted like. Unfortunately, Bok Choy gets a thumbs down from me.

I took some fun shots of James in FL that I couldn't fit in my last post. But, how could I leave them out?? Of course not. :-)

Dog gone cute. You bet you are.

Spur of the moment

Matt and I decided to take James to FLA for the weekend last minute. By last minute, I mean we decided to go in the evening, and picked up and went the next day. It was so nice to just go and do nothing. By nothing, I mean we didn't make any plans. We just spent the whole day at the Proses and spent the next whole day at the Austins. It almost felt as restful as a vacation, some kind of lovely holiday. We were fed, didn't have to cook or clean up, and played with James the whole day. By far the most restful trip to Florida we've taken since James was born.

We got some cute pictures of James playing at his grandparents' houses. He loves them all, and gets so excited when he sees them now which is so cute. He's a lucky boy to have grandparents who drop everything when he comes to town to just hang out with him all day.

Mimi and Grandpa Prose. Crawling and trying to handle the monkey on his back. A sweet gift that he loves from our friends in Hickory the Greenes.

Grammie and Papa Austin. Getting gator hunting lessons from his Papa. His toy gator was a gift from Matt's Aunt Lisa and honestly, every toy he plays with now was a gift. How awesome is it that we have been given so many things for James. I was taken back the other day at how blessed we are. I really can't thank everyone enough individually for what you've given our family.

James really liked Riley the Proses' springer spaniel. You can kind of tell. Poor Riley, look at that face. I'm pretty sure it says, 'help me. I'm terrified.'

We got this outfit as a baby gift from two of my girlfriends in Orange Park (thanks Margaretta and Heather :-) I personally LOVE it. It cracks me up that he has a cute little dog on his butt.

James loved swimming in his whale baby pool. You could say he had a 'whale' of a good time. haha. His favorite part was chasing his little squirting fishes around the pool. He was having a hard time understanding why they weren't staying still. :-)

Love my fishy.

We also got to see our awesome friends the Pawlesses who are expecting their first son in the next month!! We haven't seen them since they've been pregnant, and they hadn't had an opportunity to meet James, so it was a really great time. We love ya'll!! And we are SO excited to meet baby Reid when we get a chance. We can't wait for our boys to play and be friends too.

double trouble

James has a mirror in his nursery, and he loves it. When he was smaller, we would play in the mirror together while I was holding him, but now he can get to it all on his own. And now that he can pull up, I get to witness these kind of interactions between him and his mirror buddy.

I found you...

Now how do I get you...

Showing him my moves... man, he can do it too! haha

Hey Mom! don't worry about the drool on the mirror, I'll clean up... (haha, I wish)

Flo-Rida

I promised I would put up a digital picture of our mini family reunion about a month ago, and I just got a copy!! So, here we are, James and all his 2nd cousins (is that what your cousins' kids are to your kid??) plus one 1st cousin on the way! :-)

The Proses also had some more good pics of us at the beach. This one is my favorite of the three of us.

Sweet one of James and Daddy!!

TTFN, ta ta for now...

Barbeque

In case you were looking for a good place to have barbeque in NC, I would have to say that my favorite is Woodlands in Blowing Rock, NC. WOW, it is perfect because:

a) the food is awesome

b) they have live music every time we go

c) it feels like a small town place

d) you CAN'T beat the scenic drive to Blowing Rock from Hickory

e) all of the above.

The answer is obvious, and that multiple choice was for all my teacher friends who are starting school this week. :-)

James had peaches because he's still too little for BBQ, but one day. yes, the day is coming sooner than I'm even ready for. and yes, he's sitting up in his own high chair at restaurants now. It is soo nice to be able to take him out and give him cheerios while we eat. Even if he makes a mess, and we have to clean it up.

Speaking of school, I miss it! A friend said to me this week, if you can think back on all the good and all the bad and still miss it, then you really know it's your calling. Well, I can definitely say that I'm thankful for the opportunity to be home with my son. I really can't imagine leaving him, and honestly, I can't imagine doing a good job at school because I wouldn't be able to dedicate the time I used to. Really, it is a HUGE blessing to not be torn between the two, and hopefully, to be able to return to teaching when I can dedicate the time and effort needed to meet my own expectations and standards. I had a dream about school last night, that I was going back, but here in a new place. It was horrible!! So glad to wake up to my baby boy. But I know that Matt is disappointed that I won't be asking him to prom this year. :-) haha (ps. we've chaperoned 2, I've chaperoned 3, in our 4 years of marriage.)

one last thing: we saw a sign for barbeque in a small town we were driving through here in NC, and the sign said - Bar-B-Q - now, it is really effective to eliminate 3 letters for an abbreviation?? I mean, I get BBQ, because that's a significantly shorter word, but really?? haha

More 7 Months...

We took quite a few pictures out in the park for James' 7 Month mark, and I finally have a chance to put up some more favorites. The problem with taking a TON of pictures, is then having to go through them all to figure out which of them are any good. And it is kind of hard to delete the pictures that aren't any good because they are of your kid. I'm getting better at it though, and trying to save just the ones that show something worthwhile. Still pretty hard though, haha.

This one is the best success I've had at getting a picture of him on his knees. He's so fast that the moment is gone before I even have chance!

Hands and Feet...

Big boy hanging out with Daddy

I just LOVE this face. He cracks me up.

I can't wait to see the pictures we had taken at Orange Cat Photography this past Monday!! In my own mind I have a good idea they will be awesome, (how could they not be when my little boy is in the picture!!) but I also have a good idea that Dana will blow my mind! haha, if you need a local photographer, you should know who to call. And if you didn't get the hint, it's Dana. :-) I will have the pleasure of posting some of them when they are ready!! I'm sure you're waiting with bated breath like I am...

I'm not a fan of Arugula

To celebrate James' 7 month mark, I cooked up a new recipe that called for serving the meal with Arugula lettuce as a side/garnish for the plate. Man, I am not a fan. Way to much of a nutty, bitter taste for me. I'm going to have to cook it to eat it I think.

James is 7 months old!! Matt and I can't believe it's gone by so fast, but James is growing up before our eyes. I know I've said before it's bitter sweet to see how he's not really a baby anymore, and becoming his own little person more everyday. It really is awesome to see his learn new things, but I tell ya, his seventh month was crazy. He learned to crawl with his belly off the floor (army crawling vs. real crawling), then it took him 3 whole days to learn to pull up. Now, he's really starting to try cruising (basically walking using furniture as a balance beam). He'll pull up on our ottoman and just launch himself towards the couch. The balance needs some work. :-) He also started finger foods this past month, so he's eating Cheerios now. We LOVE being able to sit down at dinner and have him with us in his high chair eating cheerios. Happy as a clam. It seems almost like the countdown is over and the rocket in lifting off. Those of you with 1, 2 or 3 year olds are probably shaking you heads thinking, you just wait. haha Yes, I know, warp speed is coming soon!

We did get some cute pictures of James in the park across from our house. It was the first time we'd tried to go out there for pictures, and honestly, it was nice except for the teen hooligans who were smoking and peeing in the bushes. yes, I said peeing. Thankfully, James was none the wiser, and we've had yet another heart-to-heart about how he's not going to act when he gets older. And yes, I know, you mothers who've had teens are shaking your heads saying you just wait. I'm a dreamer; I'm a believer. :-)

Happy 7 Months James! Your daddy and I are so happy to have you in our family. We love you so much.

my little explorer

My little explorer going on an expedition of our backyard. Grass is something he both likes and doesn't understand. At first, he didn't like to crawl in it; he would do the hands and feet walk to avoid putting his knees down. However, he now has found the fun things like leaves to try to go after. He is going to have a blast this fall! Hopefully I can keep the leaves out of his mouth. good luck with that one you say, and I say yeah, seriously.

The hunter stalks his prey....

He is so close to reaching his goal, but gasp!

soo tired... can't hold up much longer....

ah. the grass is nice.

Baby Books that I recommend

I have a few trusted baby books that I really couldn't live without!! I try to pass on as much as I can to people when I know they are looking for a good book or tool, but I thought why not put it on the blog too! Here are some of my FAVorites. :-)

1. for baby names: Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana What to Name your Baby Now by Rosenkrantz & Satran

I have to thank my sis-in-law Darcy for this one!! This book is great because it divides all the names into categories, ex: style, popularity, Image, Sex, Tradition, Family. I read the parts I was most interested in first, and then for fun read the others. MUCH better than a list of thousands of names.

2. for sleep: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, MD.

I have to thank Meredith McDaniel for this one. :-) I really loved this book, and it is great because it grows with the child up through preschool and adolescence. I started reading it when James was about 3 months old, and it really helped me understand sleep and what he needed as well as tell me what to do!! haha, but really, it has choices for what you feel comfortable doing, so you don't end up doing something like crying it out if you don't want to. I LOVE this book, tell everyone I can about it.

3. for making your own baby food: The Baby & Toddler Cookbook Fresh, homemade foods for a healthy start published by William Sonoma

I have to thank Matt's cousin's wife, Nikki Lyon for this one. I am staying at home, so I thought that I should make my own baby food since I have the time. No real reason not to I thought. But, I am not a confident cook, so I needed a guide. This cookbook is great because it has recipies to help the baby get a good variety of foods to expand their tastes as well as organizing the book by age so you follow the book as the child's needs change. I really like it, and I'm becoming a better cook too!

4. for health: Caring for your Baby and Young Child Birth to Age 5 endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Our Pediatric group actually gave us this reference guide when we were in the hospital. They said if we read it, we could save ourselves the time and money of coming to the Dr. with every question about our child. And, he was right. It is very informative and empowering as far as being confident that you know what is going on with your child's development and health. And it tells you when you need to see the Dr. So, weight off your shoulders.

Hope you enjoy my recommendations!! :-)

ps. here is a pic of James. Should I wear my bow tie to Best Buy?? Yes, I believe I should.

good morning smiles

Good Morning!!! James in his pjs playing with Daddy. Our little smiley boy can't get enough of his daddy. What a wonderful way to start a day.

This one is like the e-trade baby... Have I showed you my shocked face??

butterflies in our backyard

We have a butterfly bush in our back yard that, of course, I didn't know was there to begin with. But, this point in the summer is apparently when the monarch butterflies come from Mexico and pass through our part of the country. The local science center has a special monarch exhibit, but we don't really need to visit it yet. We have our own!

I had been meaning to take some pictures of the butterflies for a few days now, and thankfully, I finally did before the butterflies leave for the year. The way my time has flown these days, I would not have been a surprise that I'd have missed my chance.

baby shark...

Baby shark! do do do do do do

Baby shark do do do do do do

Baby shark do do do do do do

Baby Shark!!

Daddy Shark do do do do do do

Daddy Shark do do do do do do

Daddy Shark do do do do do do

Daddy Shark!!

Crawling and Pulling Up!!

Wow, we left for FL and James was army crawling on his belly. Basically, it looked like he was scaling a wall on the ground, too cute! But, over the weekend, he picked up some tips from his cousins apparently, because he is crawling on his hands and knees like never before. He would get up on his hands and knees, rock, and fall on his tummy. It seems like he has completely changed his motor skills in one weekend.

We get back and on Tuesday, he pulls up. Seriously?? I thought he would crawl for a bit before just moving on. He used his bumbo seat to get up on his knees, and then he just stood up. Last night in the crib he started to pull up, so first thing this morning, the crib got lowered. Wow, I feel like our world is changing faster than I can keep up!! Here is his happy little face. He is pretty proud of himself. :-) so are mommy and daddy.