A Birthday and a Pony!

This past Saturday we celebrated the first birthday of Isaac's friend, Taylor! We had a wonderful time at Taylor's house, rejoicing with her parents and our great friends, Ashley and Josh, on this momentous occasion. Taylor's party was full of lovely girly (and pink!) decorations, and the toys in her play areas followed suit. Isaac's favorite toy was a pink heart, which Ashley sent home with him as a special gift (since he liked it so much), but before we left, he managed to find a basket full of "My Little Pony" toys. Steven snapped the pictures below while a pony was in his hand. Of course, I was very excited to see the toys myself because these were my favorite as a young girl. I even had all the videos from the cartoon series. These little ponies brought back such fond memories for me. I think, though, if we get Isaac a pony toy, it might be brown, based on our prior experience of pink things coming into our house...

Great book!

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd ordered two books to take with me to the beach. My goal was to read both books while I was there. I've not read entire books while on vacation since we've been married, so this was a bit of a lofty goal. However, I did manage to read one to completion and then started the next one while we were there. The second one was completed the week after we got back home. I felt good about that - I read two entire books in two weeks! That was quicker than my previous records (with the exception of those Babysitter's Club days when I could read a book an hour...)

The second book was From Clutter to Clarity by Nancy Twigg. This book was wonderful. I would highly recommend it to all my friends. Ms. Twigg describes clutter as anything that hinders you from fulfilling God's purpose in your life. Some folks have lots of physical clutter in their house, but she mentions that this is only one type of clutter. We can be "cluttered" mentally, emotionally, spiritually... I was challenged to take a good long look at my life and how I spend my time, what thoughts go through my mind, and what things lurk in my cabinets and closets to see if any of these hinder me from fulfilling the purposes God has for me.

Ms. Twigg also encourages simple living, which is a goal I am striving towards. The book helped me to think about what living simply might look like in our home with our unique callings and passions. A very thought-provoking, easy read!

Veg-All

When Isaac started eating solid foods, my dad started saying "One day soon, you'll love Veg-All!" Well, that day has come. This week, I bought my first can of salt-free Veg-All for Isaac. Since we had given him peas, carrots, and green beans, I thought I'd try Veg-All since it includes these and a few more veggies. My dad was right - I love Veg-All! The large can was around $1 and includes enough food for maybe 5-7 meals. All I do is empty the can into a plastic storage container and then scoop out enough for Isaac's meal. The remainder goes in the fridge for the next meal. Isaac loves picking up the carrots, corn, peas, lima beans, green beans, and potatoes! It is a super easy way that I can get Isaac to eat some good (salt-free) veggies, quickly and easily.

Thanks for the recommendation Daddy! I know this was a staple for Kati and me when we were babies, and now Isaac can follow in our footsteps!

Baking soda...a mighty good cleaner!

These days, not only am I experimenting with baking bread, but I'm also trying my hand at cleaning our house with simpler, non-toxic, more "green" ingredients. My research has shown that oftentimes "greener" cleaning is much healthier for the family and less painful on the pocketbook!

Two things I am loving right now are vinegar and baking soda. I am learning more uses for both of these ingredients every day! For the past few months, I've switched over to using vinegar and water for my kitchen and bathroom disinfectant. Vinegar is a very effective disinfectant, but I've read that you can add essential oils (such as lavendar) to add extra power. I've yet to try the essential oil, but I hope to get a little bit the next time I'm at Earthfare. I absolutely love my little spray bottle of vinegar/water. I spray down my kitchen in the morning and after meals, and the counters wipe clean and smell so fresh (well, at least I consider the vinegar fragrance "fresh"; others may disagree! That's another bonus for using the essential oil.) I also use this solution to spray Isaac's highchair and tray after he eats. No matter how messy he's been, the chair and tray wipe right off with a few sprays of the stuff. And I feel so good knowing that no bad chemicals are leaving a residue for his little lungs to breathe in. Another use for this... cleaning Isaac's walker, exersaucer, toys, etc. I have put this solution in an old Febreze spray-bottle. The only down side to that is that last week, I "freshened" the couches with vinegar on accident...


Now, to the reason for this post. Baking soda. I have been using baking soda, mixed with cornstarch, to freshen our carpets before vacuuming for the past few months. I've also used it to clean our sink. This week I read that I could use it to clean our shower and that it would work really well. I had figured that it could be used for this purpose, but I hadn't tried it before since our shower was - um - just not that clean. I've tried to clean our shower with things like Magic Eraser (which I love!!), Scrubbing Bubbles, 409, etc. and it still had a residue on the floor. Yesterday, though, I decided to try cleaning the floor of the shower with baking soda, just for kicks. I used a scrub brush and a sponge, along with a paste of baking soda and water to do my cleaning. I'm here to tell you that the floor of that shower now looks brand new! It's shiny and sparkly and fresh and clean! The baking soda did the trick. And it is SO CHEAP and TOTALLY SAFE for our lungs!! Wow. So, I said to myself, "I must blog about this! I haven't seen the shower floor this clean in quite a while." Now, I wonder if Steven will notice... or if it'll be like when I get a haircut... ;)

Spending time with Aunt Kati

Today, Isaac and I had the pleasure of spending some quality time with my sister. Kati is getting married in 10 months and considering the possibility of going to Japan with her fiance, Ray, after they get married. SO - I'm definitely savoring the time we have together before she's off to get married and be a world traveler. :) We had a great time working out at the YMCA - it's so great to work out together because we motivate each other. Then she came to our house for dinner with Isaac and me. Since Steven had praise team practice, Kati kept us company! We had a Kashi pizza, salad and some of the bread I made today (multigrain honey wheat bread). After dinner, Kati helped with Isaac's bath and got to see him crawl all around the tub! We just had a jolly good time together!

Kati, let's do that again soon! :)

A day at the park!

On Saturday afternoon, we spent time with our church family at Frank Liske Park in Concord, NC for our "Friends and Family Day". We had a great time meeting new friends, visiting with our church fmaily, playing volleyball and football (Steven), walking around the beautiful park, and eating yummy food! We were able to eat in a nice air-conditioned barn that the park rents out to groups, so that provided a wonderful place to cool off after breaking a sweat outside (or pouring sweat...)

Isaac did very well the whole time, which was from 3-8 PM. He enjoyed eating his finger foods (apple, banana, and cheese) and being carried all around the park. Once we put him down on a blanket, he crawled immediately toward the grass and started picking it. Then, of course, it went for his mouth. I think he only swallowed one blade during our entire time at the park. That will be a nice combination with the piece of the Showmars receipt that he ate yesterday at our lunch with Aunt Susan. (She had kindly given the receipt to him to play with and before long we noticed that the corner was mysteriously gone...)

CIC folks - we had a blast with you on Saturday! If any of you weren't able to come, we missed you!

Here are some pictures from our afternoon:

One of the many football games:


Isaac loves grass!


Our little cutie:





Look at that brow!


Isaac loves the volleyball!

Slideshow of Vacation 2008

I've added a little slideshow of our vacation pictures to the bottom of our blog. Be sure to check it out by scrolling all the way down the page.

Enjoy!

Homemade goodies

Yesterday was full of homemade food for our family! We love pizza around here, and we usually treat ourselves to a frozen Kashi pizza or, on especially crazy days, a Pizza Hut one. However, I had been wanting to make a pizza crust from scratch, using a recipe I found on Biblical Womanhood Online, so I decided to try my hand at it this week. When preparing for the meal, I decided to challenge myself and make the sauce from scratch, too. (Since we have all these little tomatoes in our backyard, I figured it would be worth a shot!)

Steven and I had rented a video to watch after Isaac went to bed (Meet the Browns by Tyler Perry - highly recommended!), and I wanted to have a treat for us to enjoy during the movie. However, we didn't have any prepared goodies, so I reached for my Nana's homemade brownie recipe and got to work on that, too!

To my surprise, everything tasted really delicious, and we enjoyed eating it all as much as I enjoyed preparing it. There's nothing like kneading your own dough and having a fresh homemade pizza...with sauce that came from the tomatoes you picked from your backyard...and yummy brownies to top it off!

Here are some pictures of the fruits of my labor. ;)

My homemade pizza sauce (lots of spices and garlic!!! I pulverized the my cherry tomatoes, added spices, garlic salt, a pressed garlic clove, and some cornstarch/water mixture and simmered for a while):


My kneaded pizza dough (using this recipe):


The pizza! (with homemade sauce, mozzerella cheese, and turkey pepperoni):


Brownie batter (tasty!):


Brownies all done!

A mustache at such a young age?

Last night, Isaac ate prunes and various table foods for dinner. It got quite messy (as usual!), and Steven took the opportunity to "paint" a mustache on the little guy.



Thought you'd enjoy seeing the results of his creativity. (However, I'm recommending that he stick to songwriting...)

Isaac is nine months old!

Isaac is nine months old today! He had his nine month doctor's visit and the report was great! His doctor is very happy with his growth and said he was developing well. We are so thankful that our little one is healthy, thriving and active and a totally *awesome* blessing from the Lord!

His stats from the doctor's visit:
Weight - 19 lbs, 14.5 oz (40th percentile)
Height - 29 inches (75th percentile)

Here are some pictures we snapped today:

*NOTE: It's not possible for this baby to sit still and hold the monthly placard anymore! See the third one for the closest shot I was able to get where you can see Isaac and the sign, without it being wrinkled up or thrown over the crib.





Thank you Lord for our little boy, full of sweetness and adventure, along with big smiles and priceless giggles!

Another yummy use for tomatoes!

My parents have grown tomatoes for the past few years in their garden, and they often make homemade salsa that is "to die for!" Since we have so many tomatoes this year, I had been researching different things to do with them when my mom and dad mentioned making salsa. With their help on the recipe, I spent Saturday morning chopping our tiny tomatoes up, along with onion, jalapeno, cilantro, and garlic. The result, after the flavors mingled in the fridge for a few hours, was a delicious fresh salsa. We are enjoying eating it with Trader Joe's Soy and Flaxseed Tortilla Chips. Yum!

Fun with Gramps!

After a meal to celebrate Kati's birthday on Thursday night, Gramps took Isaac for a ride around the house! Notice that Gramps is sporting the shirt we gave him for Christmas!

Happy Birthday Kati!

Today my little sister, Kati, celebrates her 21st birthday. While I am very, very excited for her, I am a little overwhelmed with how fast her childhood has flown by. The saying "Time flies" is probably, in my opinion, one of the truest overused phrases. Especially since becoming a parent, I have experienced the intense speed of time. I can't believe that my son is almost nine months old, I have two friends who have babies turning one year old next week, I am only three years from being 30 years old (!!), and my only sibling, my darling little sister is now 21 years old! Wow! Sniff, sniff. The childhood days are over. So sad. But you know what? I really believe that there are even greater things in store for the future that will totally blow the joys of the past out of the water. Yes, we've seen some wonderful times in our past (speaking of me, Steven, my family...) and I am extremely grateful to God for those times. But since God still has a great plan for our lives that continues forever, I am confident that he has many awesome things in store for us. That means that having an "grown-up" sister will be just as cool, if not cooler, than having a sister who is a little girl looking up to me and needing my guidance. Some of the things that are in store for Kati this year include graduating from college, getting her first job, getting married to her sweetheart, Ray, and growing closer to the Lord as she seeks his will for her life.

Kati, I am so proud of you and thankful for the beautiful woman that you've become. God has incredible plans for you, and I can't wait to see them continue to unfold in your life. Steven and I are here for you, no matter what. We love you and you are a true treasure in our lives.

Happy Birthday Little Sis!

Our beach trip ~ the Finale

To end this series of posts about our family beach trip, I wanted to share some family pictures. Two things we recommend for family vacations (that we didn't have on this trip) - 1) a babysitter to stay in the room with sleeping baby so mom and dad can take a midnight walk on the beach, and 2) a photographer to capture all three of the family members in one shot. Just kidding ~ we improvised on both parts! During sleeping times, Steven and I watched movies and TV shows (how 'bout some Diff'rent Strokes reruns!!?? Yeah!!!) As far as the family pictures go, here's what we got:

A snapshot at one of our favorite fish restaurants - Ella's of Calabash:


Our best try for the family photo with Steven holding the big, ole' camera in one hand... We tried several times, and believe me, this is the best (Isaac just wasn't into taking pictures at that moment):


One last treat! When you forget baby's bib, just tie a napkin around his neck! And it works for adults too! This picture was taken while we were having the last lunch of our vacation at a favorite restaurant on the island - Sharky's:


"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there."
Barbara Bush

Beach Boys...

Our beach trip ~ Part four

Steven introduces Isaac to the water... We think he likes it!

Our beach trip ~ Part three

As I mentioned before, Isaac indeed did eat the sand! Here are a few shots where you can see him first with sand on his mouth, then trying to eat a seashell and finally all clean in the swimming pool!

Our beach trip ~ Part two

One of the highlights of our week was feeding the birds on the beach! We think the birds enjoyed it, too! :)




"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song."
Maya Angelou

Our beach trip ~ Part one

Last week, Steven, Isaac and I took a week long vacation to Ocean Isle Beach, NC. We stayed in a condo on the oceanfront and had a wonderful time together. Isaac enjoyed the ocean, the swimming pool, and just playing with Mommy and Daddy in the condo. Steven and I both agree that he grew up BIG TIME while we were there. He became more confident in his pulling up, eating finger foods, and crawling all over the place!

Over the next few days, I'll be posting pictures from our trip, so check back to see evidence of all the fun we had!

Isaac's first day on the beach:


Steven and Isaac:


Betsy and Isaac:


Hot (really hot! 100 degrees hot!) fun in the summertime!!!

We're back!

We're home from the beach! (and off our "Internet fast" - all the posts you saw last week were ones that I wrote before our trip and scheduled for future posting!)

More details and many more pictures to come soon. In the meantime, here's a little sneak preview...



Yes, he ate the sand. ;)

Piano lessons... continued...

Isaac loves to play the piano with Steven now! Anytime Steven is playing, Isaac reaches for his Daddy and wants to sit with him. He plays his own chords and even makes singing sounds!


We just love our little music man!

Our little walker!

Isaac loves to spend a few minutes each day in his walker. He is so confident when he's in there! Now he can push himself all around our downstairs area. We call him Fred Flintstone when he's in there!


Oops! That's not Isaac! That's our kittie, Oreo. Guess he likes the walker, too!

A few thoughts of summer and adventures...

"Be careful going in search of adventure - it's ridiculously easy to find."
--William Least Heat Moon



"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time."
--John Lubbock

"Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer's year. It brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul."
--Billy Graham