Wednesday, May 13, 2015
5 months + highchairs
Oh dear goodness, I can't believe this little nugget is 5 months! 1-2-3-4-5! Why does it have to happen so quickly??? I do adore all his spunky personality that comes out more and more with each passing week. Finnley is wanting to be on the move so much he's fanangling his little body every which way whenever he can. He is turning into quite the little Houdini; constantly flipping and rolling his body out of the Boppy pillows and trying to turn over his bouncer and swing. He's a crazy little man!
5 MONTHS
Mohawk
Trip to Maryland
Baby food
Laughs hysterically
Easter
Talks in his sleep
Mamas boy
Last month I mentioned he loves Taylor Swift....let’s be honest about this, his love for Tay-Tay is beyond words. It’s hilarious. He will be fussing and as soon as you ask him if he would like some Tay-Tay he starts cooing like ‘DUH MOM! Put it on already!’ And I kid you not, as soon as Shake It Off begins, this kid is chill as a cucumber. He talks and giggles during the song and we like to think he’s trying to sing along. Taylor also helps put him to sleep. I know we listened to Taylor quite a bit while I was preggers with Finn, but could this really be a connection to why he loves her so much? Maybe, maybe not, but as far as I’m concerned, she’s my miracle helper.
All last week he hated being down and only wanted to be held. We could tell he was clearly ready to be sitting up and wanted to be part of all the action. We finally bought his countertop high chair and the second we put him in he was grinning from ear to ear! He is so excited to be part of the conversation. We also started baby food. He's been reaching for stuff for awhile, but you know how babies are...everything goes straight to their mouth. But he is a big boy so we started with a little cereal and he wasn't too much of a fan, but when we gave him some sweet potatoes....the kid chowed down!
Those big eyes get me every time.
Speaking of his high chair, we bought the Inglesina Fast Table Chair. Before we had the Chicco 360 and we thought we really liked that one, but the Inglesina is a dream. Not only is it easy to clean, but it can easily be moved and taken with us when we go out, and let's not forget the array of fun colors they offer. We went with orange for a burst of color in our color neutral home and we are loving every stitch of it.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
day trips
One of the many things we love to do is travel and explore new places. When we lived in Maryland we loved how close everything was and we were often able to visit a new place in a day. We started calling these our day trips. We went to DC, Delaware, Annapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Virginia; and all for different reasons. Some were to see historical sites, some were for fun and sun, others for markets and ghost tours. People thought we were crazy for going to some of these places just for a day and sure some of them were about three hours away, but we loved it and always managed.
Now that we’re in North Carolina we had to find new places for our day trips. We often go to Raleigh/Durham and Charlotte. We still have yet to visit Myrtle beach, but trust me it won’t be long.
We were in need of a few items from IKEA so we knew we would be making a trip to Charlotte about 3.5 hours away. Yes, people think we’re crazy and that’s okay. We planned our day to start early and jam in as much as we possibly could. This trip we made it a point to visit the Discover Museum in Uptown Charlotte. Kensi and I went last August while Mike had a conference and we knew this museum would totally be up Mike’s alley so we had to go again. I really don’t know who had more fun, Mike or Kensington.
We love this museum for several reasons, but mostly because it’s so family oriented. There is something for everyone. Inside there’s an IMAX, mini aquarium, rain forest, animal exhibit (frogs), building tables, mechanics of how things work, baby and toddler room, water table, science lab and Kensi favorite: water lab. The last time we were here she was able to pet a sea cucumber and star fish.
The main floor is filled with all sorts of exhibits of how things work with blocks, building shelters, sling shots, levees and pulleys and so much more. This main area is by far the busiest and always the most crowded especially when you run into spring break or a dozen different schools spending the day there for their field trip. We’ve run into both :)
This last trip was the first time we were able to experience the baby and toddler room with the water table. I loved this part because the water table had two baby seats for the littles to sit and play int he water. Finnley wasn’t able to sit up by himself, but with a little help from me he was able to splash around in the water. He really enjoyed being able to experience it and it was so fun to watch both of the kids have fun together. Kensi talks about this museum a lot and keeps asking when can we go back.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
HAPPY CINCO!
Wishing all our readers a Happy Cinco de Mayo! We hope you celebrate the fun with lots of salsa and dancing {salsa dancing emoji here} and mustaches, lots of mustaches!
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
cuisine at home
Two days ago I received my monthly subscription to one of my favorite cooking magazines, Cuisine at Home, and I couldn’t wait to try a couple of their recipes. I didn't have all their ingredients so I made my own versions from what I had in my freezer and fridge. We eat pesto a lot at our house or just basil for that matter....We'll find Kensi eating the basil leaves off our plant on our porch all the time....so I knew this would be a winner.
Yes, the photo I quickly snapped is terrible, but there was no time. We were devouring all the deliciousness that was going on inside that bowl.
Pesto Pinwheels
1/2 pkg. Puff Pastry (allow to thaw at room temperature for about 40 minutes)
3 oz Goat Cheese (or Cream Cheese for a mild flavor)
1/4 cup Pesto
1/3 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Parmesan Cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees and gently roll out the puff pastry keeping it in a rectangular shape. Spread the goat cheese or cream cheese into an even layer across the entire sheet of pastry. Then spread the pesto on top of the cream cheese. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Starting with the long side, begin rolling tightly like a jelly roll. Slice into 1/2 inch slices and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Serve warm.
This recipe made 12 pinwheels and my family of three ate nearly all of them. I told you anything with pesto is a win in our house. The original recipe in the magazine used crescent rolls, pesto and Italian cheese mix. We wanted to add a little bit more flavor so we added the creamed cheese and since we didn’t have any crescent rolls we used one she of puff pastry instead.
We served them as a side with our dinner, but you can also make these as appetizers for a party. Are you wondering what we had for dinner too? Well I’m sharing that recipe as well. This was also from Cuisine at Home and it was SO easy and fast. This was the first time we tried it and we’ll definitely be making this again! The only change we made to this recipe was adding shrimp for protein.
We served them as a side with our dinner, but you can also make these as appetizers for a party. Are you wondering what we had for dinner too? Well I’m sharing that recipe as well. This was also from Cuisine at Home and it was SO easy and fast. This was the first time we tried it and we’ll definitely be making this again! The only change we made to this recipe was adding shrimp for protein.
Roasted Tomato & Garlic Spaghetti
with fresh arugula & shrimp
with fresh arugula & shrimp
2 pints of Cherry Tomatoes, (1 red and 1 yellow)
1/3 cup fresh Garlic, sliced
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
Salt, Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 lb Shrimp, shelled & deveined
1/2 lb Shrimp, shelled & deveined
4 cups fresh Arugula
8 oz of dry Spaghetti
Parmesan Cheese, sprinkle
Preheat oven to 400 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. I used a jellyroll pan. Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions; reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
Toss tomatoes and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Arrange on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. At 9 minutes remaining to bake, toss the shrimp on the baking sheet with the tomatoes and garlic and continue baking the remainder of time.
Toss tomatoes and garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Arrange on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. At 9 minutes remaining to bake, toss the shrimp on the baking sheet with the tomatoes and garlic and continue baking the remainder of time.
Toss the arugula with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large bowl. Add cooked spaghetti and tomato mixture and toss together. If it seems a little dry add a couple tablespoons of the pasta water. Finish with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and you’re done!
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