Christmas 2009 (part 3): Wishing Fresno wasn't 3 hours away

Christmas 2009 (part 2): Everyone loves holding Miller

Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of the rest of my northern california family snuggling up with our little guy. If you are not pictured, be prepared for a camera and a baby in your face the next time we get together.

Christmas 2009: road trippin', catching up with family and friends, and only 1 carseat meltdown (part 1)

Gifting

So proud of these!

I made felt name books for some of my friends' little ones for Christmas this year. See one here. Hopefully soon I'll finish creating my etsy shop and sell these to some other book loving tykes.

This cute guy...

Is now a pro at sitting up, eating solid foods, rolling over, babbling, reaching for toys, hair, or jewelry and using his charming smile to melt every heart he meets.

What he isn't doing so well is sleeping longer than 3 hours at a time. Anyone have any tips to share? Our upstairs neighbors and the bags under our eyes would surely appreciate it.

What a week!

Candy, gifts and loads of hugs. Stories and photos to come soon. Enjoy your rest as we catch up on ours.

Holiday 2009

Our ridiculously talented friend Erin took awesome pregnancy shots for us back in May, so it was only natural that we utilize her talents yet again for this year's holiday cards. She's pretty much our permanent family photographer from now on.

Here are some of the best pictures not being used this year:

Our little foodie

After 2 successful weeks enjoying delicious rice cereal, Miller's now loving acorn squash and apple juice. I can't wait to start pureeing meat. Mmmm.

Aw, so cute

Evan thinks he can beat me at Tetris. How my little heart breaks for him.

Science Rules!

And no we did NOT make dry ice bombs. The boys (husbands) were rather disappointed. In other news we learned that Miller enjoys laughing at his cousin's fear of exploding baking soda volcanoes. Sympathy is not his strongest development right now.

HoliDAZE

I used to fight panic attacks whenever the holidays crept up. Silly, useless, unworthy stresses. Money was tight... time with families would be stretched... growing up and the battle to feel "so adult"... watching cracks charge through a surface that I'd spent all year covering up...

Maybe it's having Miller. Maybe it's miscarrying before him and finally allowing myself to feel disappointment. Maybe it's simply finding a home in the man I call my husband... whatever the cause, I no longer let the stress of the holidays own me.

Instead I crave it. I crave the longing to see my family and watch cheeks pink from the glow of a fire. I crave the frenzy of finding the right gift to communicate how special sincere hugs can be. I crave the regret after sharing butter, chocolate, wine and less sleep.

A day is only 24 hours. And this year I plan on stretching those hours, those stresses, as long as possible.

Mmmm, Coffee...

It's only been 2 nights. 2 nights comforting a crabby baby every hour from 11pm to 8am. But those 2 nights have been exhausting. Maybe he's sick. Maybe he's teething early. Whatever the case, by 2:30am I'm loudly sighing and ready to let him cry alone on the back patio.

Daylight creeps in and he's nothing but smiles. How quickly he forgets and forgives that I called him a jerk at least 4 times a few hours earlier.

Happy 4 Months

Miller went to his four month checkup today and took more shots like a champ. His pediatrician even gave the go ahead for him to start solid foods. Be prepared for messy cuteness in your blog reading future...

soaking up the sun

A trip to the zoo, apple pie and rocking out. Is there a better way to spend a weekend with visiting relatives?

Another delicious soup recipe if I do say so myself

Evan and I finished off a baguette and a bottle of wine with this bad boy last night. Quite comforting now that the temperature is a chilly 72 degrees. Enjoy!


kick in your mouth corn chowder:

on medium heat:
melt 2 T unsalted butter in a large pot
add 1 diced white onion & 2-3 cloves crushed garlic; saute until onions are soft
add 1 small bag of frozen corn; salt & pepper
add 4 cups chicken or veggie stock
add softer veggies like zucchini or diced "al dente" cooked potatoes (optional)
simmer for about 15 minutes
in blender, food processor, or with a hand blender process about 50-100% of the soup until it's the consistency of your liking. (we did it about 75%. just enough to be creamy yet still had whole bits of veggies throughout.)
while stirring, add about 1-2 cups of cream (milk, half & half, heavy cream; whatever your personal diet and thighs allow for.)
add 1/3 t red pepper flakes, 1/3 t dried parsley, 1/4 t cumin, 1/4 t paprika (preferably smoked, but regular hungarian is fine), 1/8 t coriander, 2 t chopped fresh basil; salt & pepper to taste.
simmer for another 15-20 minutes until all the flavors are infused.
(optional) garnish w/ green onions and chopped bits of bacon.