Erik, Jenn, Tyler & Mason

Here is a blog post I stumbled across today after trying to figure out a way to incorporate yellow cake into a pie for Erik's birthday treat. I made it with some modifications of course, and it turned out great! Triple Threat: The Cookie Cake Pie Shared via AddThis

I know I just posted 5 minutes ago, but a lot happened this weekend. So scroll down for the other post from today too. So as you know it was hotter than hot yesterday (Saturday). It was actually cooler in the shade outside than it was in our house (except in our air-conditioned bedroom, but who wants to sit in the bedroom all day?) So Erik was going to trim the hedges and Tyler and I believe it or not had never had a "picnic" outside before. So we grabbed the big quilt Dane's mom (Dane was Sarah's boyfriend) made for us and headed out front. We had so much fun! Tyler loved watching Daddy do the yard work and watching the clouds go by in the sky. Then we decided to practice sitting up and what do you know but he sat up all by himself for the first time! My little superstar!!! I was totally surprised...I had no idea he could do it! I think he was a little surprised too. Then, he got a little tired of sitting up... And I'm really not sure what this face was abou...

I had decided after doing rice cereal for a month that I wanted to try "real food" pretty soon. After talking to Valerie Vanderhoeven and Amy Felt when they came visiting teaching on Friday and hearing their stories I was excited to start right away. Especially since Tyler has shown so much interest in what we eat for dinner and the rice cereal went over so well. So we started peas on Friday! He absolutely loved them! He didn't spit them out or anything. I realized though that I need a new camera because this really doesn't capture just how cute the peas were smeared all over his face!

I just made the BEST dinner. I took a Rachael Ray recipe and cut out a lot of the fat but kept the flavor. It ended up being 11 - 13 points per serving depending on if you eat the bacon or not. It is SOOOOOOOO tasty. Oh my gosh. I love it love it love it. Creamy Spaghetti with Beans and Bacon * 4 cups chicken stock * 1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil * 1 tablespoons butter * 3 slices bacon (I used maple flavored) * 4 cloves garlic, chopped * 1/2 pound spaghetti * 1 medium white onion, chopped (don't use yellow or red) * 1 red bell pepper * 1 fresh bay leaf * 5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme * 1/2 can Cannelini or white kidney beans * Salt and freshly ground black pepper * 1/2 cup white grape juice (this is a white wine substitute) * 6 oz grated Parmigiano-Reggiano * A generous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped Place the stock in a sauce pot and warm it over medium heat then reduce to simmer. Heat the extra-virgin oli...

We had the pleasure of spending a couple hours with Ella and Olivia on Friday night--two of the most beautiful and fun little girls in the world! We had SO much fun. They are so sweet, smart and adorable. Dinner time was very entertaining. Erik did "magic tricks" where he "pulled a crayon out of his ear" and Olivia immediately said, "Whoa, there is a LOT of magic in this house!" Then Ella wanted to try and we had to let her know that Erik didn't really have a crayon in his ear--Ella, don't try this at home!! Then we went outside to play tag, soccer, bubbles and chalk. Olivia played peek-a-boo with Tyler and Ella chased the bubbles around the yard. We had a blast. Tyler loves Ella and Olivia. We just aren't sure which one he will marry!!! They are both so cute!!

Well, we all know that saying "back to sleep, tummy to play". I have always followed our doctor's advice and that of the numerous baby books I have. But most of you also know that since Tyler started teething he will not nap, no matter what I try. Believe me, I've tried it all. Letting him cry, putting him down after he falls asleep, putting him in there 30 minutes before naptime when he's drowsy, putting him down after giving him tylenol, letting him try to nap in his swing, all while trying to keep some semblance of consistency so he doesn't lose his mind...I've done it all. Yesterday my Grandma said to me, "You know, we always put our kids to sleep on their tummies and they sure slept well." I have told her before that I wasn't willing to try that because of the supposed SIDS risk. But yesterday I was willing to try anything after struggling for a total of 3 hours. So I decided to give it a shot just for naptime. And I promised mysel...

As most of you know, we planned three trips to Idaho in the last 6 weeks, and we finally got home from the third and final trip this summer yesterday. We had a lot of fun and got to spend time with our family, who we love very much. Tyler was really good in the car and on the plane (we flew one time and drove two times). He is still teething really bad but he tried to be cheerful despite his pain. Here are some pictures of our trip during 4th of July. This is one Erik took when I was not there... of course its cute but I wouldn't approve of this dangerous pose! This is Tyler with his beautiful Aunt Amber. Isn't she gorgeous? Tyler is in love! This is Tyler with his little cousin Garren. Garren is 6 1/2 months old and is very fun to play with! He is a little explorer...I think he wants to explore Tyler's ear in this picture. This is Tyler on the way home from Idaho in the car. Aunt Kimberly gave him a very adorable little Turtle that makes fun noises and Tyler hasn't ...