frustration

Poor thing. Not only can he not figure out how to scoot to get the remote (his favorite toy) just barely beyond his reach, but then his mom leaves him to get the camera to capture this moment of desperation.

first favorites

{anyone who knows where that comes from gets a gold star}

There are many "favorite" bread and chocolate chip cookie recipes out there. It's taken a lot of time, dishes, and calories, but I've finally found my favorites.


Whole wheat flax bread found here (I feel so honored to be mentioned in the title). The molasses and flax seed in this bread add a delicious depth, it stays moist longer than any other bread I've tried, and it will leave your whole house smelling divine.



Chocolate chip cookies found here. The method (follow the directions and don't use your kitchenaid) and minor ingredient tweaks (1 tbsp. vanilla, mmm; 1 egg and 1 egg yolk) make these cookies incredibly delicious!

Go ahead and give these a try....I promise you won't be disappointed!

6 month pictures

{my humble attempt at being a phtographer. Man, I had fun. It's amazing what happens when you actually mess with the scary things like aperature and shutter speed}

yummy

I know I've already expressed my love for towel covered little babes. I really could eat them up.
Here's a couple more pics of my beckaroni straight out of the tub....

He looks so happy huh? That's because he LOVES the bath! It's become my go-to calming trick when this guy is ornery. The second I put him in there he is all smiles and will kick and splash for half an hour. And I let him...then we're both happier!

one of my new favorite dinners

I've been wanting to try quinoa ever since reading all about it on A foodie stays fit

(my friend's awesome blog...seriously, I'm obsessed. It's full of fabulous information on exercise and eating healthy). I was a little hesitant though because as many of you know, I'm a pretty picky eater. Just ask the husbnad.

I decided to pair it with a new Beef and Broccoli recipe I've been wanting to try and boy, it was so delicious! Quinoa is like rice (except much better for you!) and can be used similarly. This will definitely be making a frequent appearance on our dinner table! I love finding good recipes!

In case you haven't heard, I'm contributing to this awesome blog dedicated to pregancy and motherhood. One of my best friends started it as a go to for all the many questions moms-to-be have.

Go take a look. I just did an exercise post and may or may not have gotten on my pro-exercise soap box :)

baby plyometrics

My first thought was Riverdance. But Travis quickly nixed that association and quickly replaced it with baby plyometrics. Either way, it's darling!

making strides

Remember this breakfast of champions?

Well, I must say that this morning's breakfast definitely beat that.

Homemade granola, milk, and bananas perched on top. Holy moly. This was good!

I wish I could tell you the recipe, but to be honest, I don't even know what it is. After a failed/burned first batch, I decided to do a little experimenting and did my own little rendition of this and this. I can tell you what was in it that made it the pure deliciousness that it is:

• rolled oats (~2 1/2 cups),
• puffed rice (~1/2 cup),
• wheat germ (1/3 cup),
• groud flax seed (~1/4 cup maybe),
• sunflower seeds (a couple tablespoons? sure, that sounds good),
• chopped peanuts and almonds (again, a couple tablespoons of each),
• natural peanut butter (no, jif will simply not do here),
• a sprinkling of brown sugar,
• honey (~1/2 cup),
• a little bit of vanilla,
• and a tablespoon or two of oil.

I spread everything out on two baking dishes lined with parchment paper (my cookie sheets just weren't cutting it- hence the burned first batch) and cooked for about 20 minutes until golden brown, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

I'm normally SO not like this when it comes to cooking. I'm a follow-the-recipe-to-a-T kind of girl. Not sure what came over me last night, but whatever it was worked. This will definitely be a staple in our house.

This satisfied my cold cereal obsession in a much more nutritious way.

{the best part is, you can experiment with putting all sorts of things in it: dried fruit, maple syrup, the possibilities are endless}

half way to a year

No, not six months. All I can focus on, is that my little baby is half way to a year. No. Way. Six months ago, our lives were literally changed in an instant. For the better of course. We couldn't imagine our lives without our little Beckaroni.


Right now I'm loving the little things that he does. Holding ever so tightly to one of your fingers as you feed him. His little "mmmmm" sound/hum he makes after each bite of food. When all you have to do is look at him and he flashes that adorable, gummy grin. Talking to himself as he falls to sleep. The kicking and flailing when you go to get him in the morning because he is so excited to see you. Holding onto your face.

{he's wondering why I stopped feeding him to take a picture}

This kid loves solids. He is definitely not a picky eater and will eat anything we give to him: squash, bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, blueberries, cauliflower. I've been making his baby food and I love it! So easy (do you really think I would even consider it if it wasn't??) and so much cheaper. Not to mention the nutrional quality.

He still doesn't really roll over. He's gone from his tummy to his back a few times, but has no interest on going the opposite direction. We're working on sitting up and he's starting to get the hang of that.

I am in love with his smile. Pretty much anytime I look at him I can't get over how cute he is! I squish and kiss this boy all day long!

At six months he weighs 18.5 lbs (61%) and is 28.5 in (95%).

It is safe to say that he is the joy of our lives!