Yummmmmy

Raspberry Tiramisu

Definitely a dessert as delicious as it is pretty. Or at least we thought so. One of the best summer desserts I have stumbled onto in a while. Try it. You won't be sorry.

Here's the link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/raspberry-tiramisu-recipe/index.html

(Thanks to my friend, Rachel, for tipping me off!)

Daddy's Day

A little behind on posting about our Father's Day weekend at SGI, but finally getting around to it.

Eli, Jude and I celebrated our Daddy before hitting the road. Over Memorial Day, Dada's tackle box was stolen, so we got him a new one with all kinds of goodies inside. We wanted him to be able to use his new gear during the weekend, so it was better to celebrate early. Eli had a ball picking out what he felt was essential to Daddy's new tackle.

And I had a ball choosing some of my favorite recent photos to frame for his office.

Eli also spent a few days that week working on his "World's Best Dad" banner...started out with crayon rubbings of leaves, then he painted water colors over that, decided on what to write, sounded it out with Mommy, and voila!

Matt deserves all that and so much more. He truly is an amazing Father to our boys and a pretty fabulous hubby too. I don't think I could ask for anything more. I heart him.

Our beach weekend was gorgeous and spent with my parents, Aunt Kristi and Uncle Steve. So many sweet beachy moments.

A couple of years ago, my dad introduced Eli to something called "Order of the Stick." It could also appropriately be called "Wear Eli out on the Beach After Dinner." Basically, they (boys only!) take walking sticks, walk/run up and down the beach, and every once in a while, put the stick in the air and shout, "Order of the Stick!!"

Eli loves it! (...and it works to wear him out for bed.) Jude was invited for his first walk at dusk with the boys. He loved the sound of the waves and the breeze in his face.

Overall, this was not a great trip to the beach for Jude. He decided he wanted to be held all day long, and did NOT WANT ANY THING to do with hanging out on the beach.

Oh my goodness, he was crackin' me up! And I'm totally lovin' his hat too. It belonged to my youngest sister, Susanna, and I just had to get some pictures of Jude wearing it....especially on Father's Day weekend.

It really was a great weekend getaway (as usual....SGI is our perfect place to getaway to on the weekends) and a nice Father's Day. We were lucky to spend the day with my dad too.

Father's Day is the perfect time to express my gratitude for the amazing men in my life.

Thank you, Matt. Thank you for being a wonderful husband and father.

Thank you, Daddy (a.k.a. Grandpa). Thank you for being a terrific father to me and a fun and loving grandfather to our boys.

And thank you, Ken (a.k.a. Pap Pap). Thank you for being such a great father-in-law (& father to Matt) and another fun and loving grandfather to our boys.

So incredibly blessed.

Crazy Baby, Slow Down!

It was another eventful day in the life of Jude today. The excitement started after his second nap of the day. I walk in his room and find him standing, that's right, STANDING!!! in his crib. I ran over and and quickly scooped him up as he had already gotten two bumps in the past 24 hours from trying to pull himself up in his crib. For goodness sakes, at only 7 months old, his balance is shaky!! I also promptly told him that he was not a big boy and that he should not be standing up.

Well, when he woke up from his next nap, I went up with camera in hand. I figured he had likely ignored my comment about not growing up. Yup.

Look at that big boy. Crying his head off, but I just love seeing that super cute face peeking over the railing. Mmmm! I could just kiss that face all day long. Sometimes I do.

And then, to top the already awesome day off, he decides to figure out the coordination needed for crawling. He's been up on all fours, scooting knees, and lifting hands for a week or two now, but he couldn't seem to get the timing and direction all working at once. Well, he finally got it and crawled slowly across his blanket for some of Eli's toys (the best bait!) TWICE. Definitely not an accident. But, of course when I went for the video camera, he was too tired to perform a third time....and so close to bedtime. I'll try to capture it on camera tomorrow.

Exciting times in the life of Jude. Crazier times beginning NOW in the life of Mommy. Eek! Would somebody please tell my baby, my crazy baby, to SLOW DOWN! You are only a baby once. Live it up, Dude! Sigh. I guess he's growing up, whether I like it or not. Reason #45332 to embrace each hectic day and celebrate this season of my life. Despite my occasional desire to run away for a day or two or 17, my babies fill me up.

Pandamania

That was the theme for this year's VBS. Eli has been asking when Bible School starts back up, hmmm....I'd say, at least once a month since the day it ended last summer. He's a fan, for sure.

Awfully excited on Day 1, and his excitement never wavered as the week went on. He eagerly picked out a red shirt to wear each day (the color for Pre-K) and was waiting by the door to go each morning. I can't tell you how much it warmed my heart to hear him belting out this year's music as we walked to the car. Or how hard I giggled when he would misunderstand lyrics ("I am not for God" instead of "I am not forgotten" hahahaha!)

I had perma-grin driving home everyday as he would tell me all about the Bible story he learned, what games he played, what snack he ate, and what craft he made. To top it off, he would bust out singing as we listened to our CD of the songs....complete with hand motions, of course. (I honestly catch him singing the songs all the time, EXCEPT when I pull out the video camera. Wish you could hear his sweet singing and see his killer dance moves!)

And I have already heard the question, "When can I go back to Bible School?" this week. I am truly thankful for VBS. What a blessing in our lives.

Angry Birds!!

So, many MANY of us are Angry Bird fans and addicts, right? If you are not an "app" user and don't know what Angry Birds is, it is a fun and addictive app that we play on my Ipod Touch. In the game, players use a slingshot to launch birds at green pigs and try to "pop" them. Or at least, that is what we call it. Even Eli likes to get in on the action. I just love how he concentrates when he plays and how excited he gets when he pops all the pigs. So when I saw this fun outside activity on a blog I follow, I knew I had to try it.

First we drew our pigs and some blocks for them to stand on. Don't you just love the blue cowboy hat that Eli drew on this pig?

Once all our pigs were in place, it was time to fill some water balloons and create our ANGRY BIRDS to launch.

Oh yeah! Time to show those pigs who's boss!! Eli was a tad bit excited, can you tell?





Ready? Aim! Fire!!!

Afterwards we cooled off and celebrated our victory over those pigs with a popsicle on the front stoop.

It was so much fun that we had to do it again when Eli's buddy, Kent, came over for a play date this week. I think we created another fan. "Can we make more balloons?" Can't tell you how many times these two "Super Friends" asked me to make more.

Truly a blast! Definitely an activity worth trying out if you have any Angry Bird fans in your house.

(Don't forget to pick up all of the popped balloon pieces to be sure no actual birds get hurt.)

Seven Sweet Months

Another month has zipped by, and our little goofball is now 7 months old. I know I keep saying it, but time is going by so quickly. I was just telling someone yesterday that he was 6 months old....whoops. Just kidding. I mean 7 months!

Jude is doing all kinds of fun stuff these days...when he's not clinging to Mommy. I feel like he is always in the sling lately. But, I can usually put him down to play with toys on the floor for a bit. His favorites are balls, things with buttons (old phones and remotes), and his brother's toys. He will take all of Eli's cars out of the bin...he loves taking everything OUT. And nibbling on a few, of course.

Mobility is a real thing. He rolls where he wants to go, can reach just about anything he really wants by scootching and rolling. He wants to crawl so badly and will try try try. He is soooo close.

After rocking back and forth on all fours for a bit, frustration hits. The head goes down, and he cries. Kinda hilarious. He continues to sit very well and rarely topples backwards anymore.

He is currently trying to master getting in and out of a sit on his own. Oh my goodness, he is such a big boy riding in grocery carts and sitting in restaurant high chairs.

Jude is beginning to develop a repertoire of tricks: clapping, signing milk while nursing (and sometimes before), pulling up on fingers, pretending to walk, screaming, and squealing.

He is definitely a vocal little one. We usually have to leave church, not because he's crying, but because he can't stop babbling and squealing. He just loves interacting with everyone around us. It tickles him every time he gets someone's attention with his screaming. He is also babbling "dada" all the time. He's not really sure what it means, but it sure is super cute. I love the way he almost whispers it....and you can bet that it makes Daddy super happy too.

He's trying all kinds of food and loving them all. We just added a second meal on days we manage to find time for breakfast before nap time. And although he loves being fed, he REALLY loves feeding himself with his mesh fresh food feeder.

We put different kinds of melon, apple, and ice cubes in it so far. It keeps him happy at the dinner table while the rest of us are eating. He loves being in control, and I think it feels good on his gums too. He's holding steady at 2 teeth, but I think we'll see more before the end of the month. Jude has also mastered this straw sippy cup. Yay!

He drinks maybe an ounce of water each day after meals to hopefully aid in digestion. Without going into the gory details, the transition to solids did a number on the boy's tummy and digestive system. Yikes!

Sleep...let's not go there. :)

Overall, he is our big cuddly bundle of joy. He weighs about 18 1/2 pounds and is a happy boy (...as long as Mommy is holding him or at least nearby....and it isn't bedtime.) We love him dearly and could gobble up his juicy thighs. Eli likes to play with Jude (a little too roughly at times), but he is a super helper and a wonderfully loving big brother. Even willing to sneak climb into the crib to help his brother out.

Happy 7 months, sweet baby, Jude! Looking forward to a crazy summer of fun with you and your brother.