Little Flower

I love dressing this little girl up and taking about a million pictures of her. This afternoon I did just that. So here are a silly amount of pictures....
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The boys looking on as I was photographing Eleanor.....

 

 

 

Birthday Boy

Hampton turned 2 today! I can't believe it. On Saturday we were going to have a family party for him however the stomach flu hit our entire household! So by Sunday evening it had passed, so we had cake! The theme for Hampton this year was his favorite thing-Toy Story. A local bakery made it and I think they did a great job.

 

Hampton loved it!

We got Hampton some fun gifts including: a set of Toy Story board books, a bouncy ball, a magna doodle, and a glow stick. It doesn't take much to entertain or make this boy happy.

Today-his actual birthday-was pretty low key. We broke our "food rules" and went and got doughnuts for breakfast. The rest of the day was spent playing at home.

This boy was sassy today! I think he woke up on the wrong side of his crib.

 

Oh he is beautiful! I love those baby blue eyes.

Eleanor enjoyed the fresh air outdoors as well.

We had a great time celebrating Hampton's birthday!

6 Months

It is always fun to compare the babies. They are all so different in special ways. Here is each baby at 6 months and a little bit about them.

Everett is our strong-willed child. He is independent and tells us exactly what he thinks. He is fun and wild at home, but remains guarded and weary of others in social situations. He is reflective and doesn't just jump into anything. He says some pretty witty things and he always keeps us on our toes. At 6 months he was a bit of a chunk!

Hampton is the life of the party. 98% of his day he is happy. However when he is mad-everyone knows it! He has the sweetest disposition and loves to smile and laugh. He is very social. He believes everyone is his friend and dives right into whatever activity is going on. At 6 months Hampton was more than a bit of a chunk, he was a total chunk!

And then there is sweet Eleanor. There is no other word for Eleanor-sweet. She is beautiful. She loves to watch her big brothers and is the most content little bundle. In her 6 months of life she has shown small snippets of her personality. She is very affectionate. She likes to smile and is totally in love with her Daddy. She is long and lean. She is definitely the smallest of the 3 weighing in only at 13 pounds at 6 months.



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!