Oh Boy

I love my boys. They keep my life active and me on my toes at all times. They wear me out. They are fun.

Yesterday Hampton's Croc got a little caught on the carpet and down he went. He laid there on the floor for a good 5 minutes. He didn't cry, whine, or whimper. He just laid there. The line from A Christmas Story came immediately to my mind- "Randy lay there like a slug. It was his only defense." That is so Hampton.

Oh I love this boy. He holds a very special place in my heart. And he is going to turn 2 next week. I can't believe it. Trying to think of ways of celebrating his 2 precious years of life has been challenging. I want him to know-even at the age of 2-how special he is to our family.

And this boy is special too. He is still getting up at 5am, but has decided a mid-afternoon nap is necessary. I am so glad for that. He is playing more and more with Hampton-almost to the point where he always wants Hampton to join his activity. Hampton sometimes goes willingly-and sometimes he does not! The other night Hampton was having a hard time getting to sleep and was whining in his crib. Later that night when Eric had went to check on the sleeping babes, he found some toys in Hampton's bed. From the clues Ev left behind, he had gone downstairs to the playroom, gathered up a few toys, and brought them to Hampton. I was surprised we didn't even realize he had done this, but it also warmed my heart that he was so loving. I am seeing more and more of this lately.

AND........Everett is now 5 weeks seizure free! He has regulated to the medicine and is doing great. We are so grateful.

And finally....I had to add in a picture of the beautiful sunset I took from our back deck last night.

Peas and Carrots

For a little over a month now our family has been on a new eating plan. We've always eaten somewhat healthy, but we just took it up a notch. We have cut out all highly processed foods and only eat natural/whole foods. It definitely takes more thought, time, and energy but it is totally worth it. Plus-the food tastes so much better! I thought it would be fun to document this past weeks meal plan.



On Saturday morning I made whole wheat waffles. They were sweetened with 100% pure maple syrup and topped with organic blueberries. I made a big batch and froze the rest.

Insert sad, but cute picture of Hampton having a meltdown.

On Saturday afternoon I wanted to make Eric and I a special dessert. So I made a chocolate torte. It was topped with a homemade chocolate sauce and homemade whipped cream. For having no sugar, this was surprisingly delicious and decadent.

Sundays meal was the pizza pictured further down. On Monday we usually do leftovers. On Tuesday we had fajitas on whole wheat tortillas.

I served them with fresh pico de gallo, corn, and avocado.

This is out of order, but on Sunday Eric usually makes pizza. We make it with 100% whole wheat crust. On this particular pizza was shredded carrots, spinach, and roasted red peppers.

I love a cutting board full of fresh vegetables! On Wednesday we had vegetable stir fry with brown rice. I have made this before with homemade teriyaki sauce, but on this particular evening I just used some olive oil and fresh Parmesan.

This was the end product. I will be honest and say, though Eric and I loved it, the boys put up a fight. They wouldn't eat a bite. But it is always worth trying to introduce them to healthy foods.

Since we have Bible study on Thursdays we always do leftovers. On Friday I made homemade chicken soup. This soup was delicious and the key to it was the homemade chicken stock. The week prior I made a whole chicken in my slow cooker and then made and froze stock from that. Eric has requested this soup every week now!

And I served the soup with homemade 100% whole wheat biscuits. They were yummy with a drizzle of honey.

The boys like playing with their play food while I cook!

I made these pumpkin muffins earlier in the week and they were gone within days.

I forgot to take a picture but on Friday I made homemade Alfredo sauce served over wheat rigatoni with roasted broccoli. A healthy comfort food.

I really enjoy meal planning, cooking and baking throughout the week. It is very satisfying to serve my family healthy, nutritionally dense food. I am surprised at what the boys will eat and I hope it is setting good healthy eating habits.

Morning at the Aboretum

The weather was perfect this morning. It was mild and perfect for a walk at the arboretum. So that is what we did. I dressed the babies in coordinating outfits with hopes of some good pictures. And the babies delivered-however not without a little blood, sweat, and tears. They have to make me work for it right? Overall we had a lovely time. 

 

 

The scenery is just beautiful there. One of my favorite spots.

The only decent picture I could get of all three........

My favorite of these two thus far.

She always has her tongue out!

 

While I was taking this picture I heard this loud humming sound. Upon closer investigation I realized that this cherry blossom was buzzing full of bees! We quickly moved on.

A lovely morning indeed!

Sweet Eleanor Jane

When I was a little girl one of my favorite things to play with were dolls. I loved it so much in fact, it wasn't until the tender age of 12 that I outgrew this activity. One doll in particular was very special to me. Her name was Emily and she went everywhere with me. I dressed her up in real baby clothes and had real baby items to take care of her. I loved playing mommy. I loved pretending I had a little girl.

God has blessed me with two beautiful rough and tumble little boys. I never thought I would love having boys as much as I do. And then.....God gave me a 3rd gift in the form of a pretty, pink, petite little girl with beautiful skin and big blue eyes. As if my heart wasn't full of love enough, it grew even more that day as the doctor placed her in my arms. She is the sweetest little blessing and I love dressing her up in big bows and pretty dresses.

Today I did just that. I pulled out a pretty white dress and a big pink bow. I pulled out my camera and she did the rest. Many pictures follow of our mini photo shoot this afternoon. There are so many good ones I just couldn't chose. I find her perfect from any angle. My boys and I tell her daily just how pretty she is and how happy we are she is in our family. I think she knows that.

Our Valentine's Day

We had a great Valentine's Day this year. The main thing I love about Valentine's Day, or what it means to me, is that it is simply about love. Not just romantic love, but the love you have for the ones in your life. I want to show my family that everyday, but it is fun to have a day solely dedicated to that concept. And Eric truly outdid himself this year. In the midst of my workday Monday I received these. I was so surprised!

On Saturday night Eric also made me a very special meal. He made lo mein, homemade egg rolls, and homemade crab ragoon. For dessert he made perfiderols. Delicious. On Tuesday I wanted to make the children a special treat as well. A few weeks ago we switched to all natural eating and only whole foods. I thought it would be tricky to find a dessert that contained no refined suga,r but luckily I found a recipe for whole wheat brownies. They were sweetened with all natural pure maple syrup. They were very rich and the boys loved them!

For dinner I made a slow cooker whole organic chicken.

And roasted asparagus. The meal was a hit!

Speaking of things I love- I love this little thing! She has been a bit fussy lately. Perhaps teething? But even through all that she is the sweetest baby. I love her pouty face she is making.

Oh the love.

I just love!

Happy Valentine's Day!