zach. 10 months...up and at 'em!

So where exactly has the last 10 months gone?!?!  This baby has grown up SO FAST!  He is such a joy in my life. In OUR lives.  

                 

(excuse the dirty face...ahem.  We just had some chocolate ice cream...silly pictures take priority over wiping faces!)

This past month and a half Zach has found all sorts of funny and precarious situations to get in!  He no longer enjoys being IN his exersaucer, but being UNDER it!!!

what makes being IN the exersaucer more fun?!  Having a laundry basket over my head of course!

                   

What do you do when you're stuck in a pack n' play and mommy ignores you while she is cleaning?  You give up and fall asleep!!!

Zach and mommy have had a new hobby lately....we like to take pictures of ourselves when we are bored!!!

...while ice-blocking with the YW...

...at Rigby Lake...

...and at the park!

Zach has also started standing (about 2 weeks ago-first week of August).  He is now into EVERYTHING he can reach!  All books and magazines have been removed to upper shelves, no more leaving water on the end tables, and no papers on my desk...

he thoroughly enjoys helping Brady empty the dishwasher every morning...

                

stands up and "yells" to us from his crib when he is done sleeping...(and and he FELL out of his crib about two weeks ago, finally had to lower it ALL the way down!)

And for some reason he had a fascination with knobs.  He likes to bite them, and sometimes hang from them.  He also is very enthusiastic about biting the edges of ANYTHING, including the table, chairs and daddy's toes or nose!  OUCH!

Basically, Zach is our little puppy.  He will bite a toy in his mouth and crawl around laughing at himself.  He sure thinks he is a funny guy!

Words: 

"ma ma" (been saying both since about 6 months, but says "ma ma" more!)
"da da"

new word: "Woah!"

He weighs 22.6 lbs.

He can crawl, but prefers to army crawl more because he can get to what ever he wants much faster.  He LOVES to play and splash in the water and try to eat sand.  He really likes to "walk" on all fours on the sand and grass, preferring not to let his knees touch on sand.  He LOVES to swing, laugh and make funny faces!  He has three teeth up top and three teeth on bottom!  2 more teeth still coming up, 1 on top and 1 on bottom.  

A VERY picky eater.  Has been the slowest of my babies to eat food and not gag on it.  You had your first french fry yesterday and loved it.  When you eat you do a funny little snicker/laugh after every bite.

Foods you like: 

baby foods         regular food
banana oatmeal     small pieces of banana, peach, pear, apple
carrots            baby fruit puffs
green beans        green beans
squash             corn
                   french fries
                   beans
                   rice
                   bread/toast
                   graham crackers


It's interesting to compare where each of the kiddos was at this point in their development.  Olivia has had the most hair and the darkest.  Brady had the thickest, darkest eyebrows!  

Brady: 17.5 lbs., 27" tall.
Olivia: ? Don't have the exact amount recorded =(  But I know she was around 19-20 lbs. not sure on height
Zach: 22.6 lbs and 30" tall!!  He has been in 18 month clothes since about 6/7 months!


Brady had been pulling himself to stand since 7 months.  He could say "dog, see! (while pointing at something), see-wow!, up, dada, baba (bottle)and mama. He had four teeth up top and two down bottom.


Olivia had taken 4 steps, could say "mama, dada, ball, stop, and ice."  She was climbing ladders!!!  Had two teeth up top and two teeth down bottom.

All 3 kiddos at the same age:

   

Love my babies!

Weight loss. Slow and steady...wins the race.

Last week was a S-L-O-W weight loss week.  I finally pulled off 1.4 lbs...which I am giving myself a lot of credit for since "period week," ahem, I usually can't stop eating and gain at least a few lbs!

This puts me at an even steven 15 lb. loss thus far since mid-July.  I'll take it.

Next week my goal is to get below the 180's!  woot woot!

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

for the 4th this year we ventured out into IF and watched the parade.  It was LONG...and I know many of you are fans of the candy-throwing, but i am NOT!  Why does every holiday, party/gathering have to include candy?  Seriously it is just sugar that rots your kids teeth and stomachs!  I am usually the mean mom who lets my kids choose 2 pieces...and the rest goes bye bye in the trashcan!

we met up with our best buds, the Thibodeaus and had a fun time chatting, wrangling kids and catching up on the latest!

 

Later we went back home for a few hours and had some lunch and then got ready to meet back up with the Thibs at the riverfront festival.  We ran into some old friends from Maine there too, which was really funny!  From there we went on to join our neighbors and friends from our new ward at Freeman Park for a BBQ, games and fireworks.

Our friend, Ariana made these amazing pies!

Tiffany played photographer all evening and caught candids of the kids and cute pics of all the families...








These are Aaron and Tiffany's kiddos 

 

Porter & Ethan

 

Maxwell.  

He is a cutie-patootie!

All the grown-up girlies went for a walk along the riverside and had a little kid-free fun taking pics

 

wild and crazy Tiffany!

Martha Stewart, oh I mean Ariana!

The kids had fun having their faces painted and playing games.  Brady and Porter show off the "fireworks" on their arms

Beautiful sunset

Zach and mommy watched the fireworks together.  The kids ran around with glow sticks and blew bubbles that had glow-stick "juice" in them.  We listened to some patriotic songs to go along with the fireworks.  It was a fun evening!  



We are thankful for all of the freedoms that we enjoy.  That we are able to pursue a life filled with liberty and happiness.  Thanks to all who have served our country and upheld the ideals that it was founded on by our forefathers.

brazilian limeade. "healthified."

I got this recipe from my friend, Rachel and made it last night for dinner to go along with the haystacks.  It was really yummy, but with the high sugar content both from the concentrate (high-fructose corn syrup) and the sweetened condensed milk, I wanted to find an alternative way to make this next time...I've posted both original recipe and alternative, which I will post about as soon as I try it!

Original recipe:
2 cans frozen limeade
1 can sweetened condensed milk
lots of crushed ice

mix limeade as directed.  Pour into a large bowl, stir in sweetened condensed milk.  Add lots of crushed ice.  Serve immediately.

*If this sits longer than a couple of hours it will curdle due to the citrus milk combination.  You can float lime slices on top!




Alternative recipe: (bear with me and be open-minded!)
This is a two-part recipe that would need a little planning, or just make limeade ahead of time and have ready in the freezer.


Part #1- Homemade limeade concentrate:
1 C. fresh, strained lime juice (need about 8 limes)
1/2 C. agave nectar (may need to add 1/4 C. depending on sweetness desired)
1 1/2 C. water

For concentrate:
Combine agave nectar and water in medium saucepan.  Heat, stirring ocassionally, until agave is dissolved well within the water.  Cool.  Add lime juice.  Refrigerate or freeze.  
Yields: 1 quart concentrate.

To make limeade:
1 C. homemade concentrate
2 C. water

Combine concentrate and water in a pitcher.  Stir well to dissolve.  Yields 3 C.  

(You will want enough to yeild as much as 2 cans of store-bought lime concentrate would make.  I figure you'll need to make up 4 batches of the homemade limeade in order to make about the same amount).  The frozen homemade concentrate makes 1 quart (or 4 cups, which should be perfect).


*The homemade limeade concentrate is from www.oneperfectbite.blogspot.com, courtesy of Michael Chu

I substituted agave nectar for sugar from this recipe, making a healthier version of simple sugar that requires less sweetener and is absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream.  When using agave as a sugar substitute, you will use 1/4-1/2 the amount called for in sugar because agave is 1 1/2 times sweeter than sugar.


Part #2- Sweetened condensed milk alternative: (www.livestrong.com)
To create a non-dairy and sugar-free alternative to 1 C. of sweetened condensed milk:

3/4 C. silken tofu
3/4 C. honey 

Place both in blender and blend until smooth.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.  Use within a day, two at the most, but will need to re-blend, as it will settle.


To finish the brazilian limeade: Put homemade limeade in large bowl and add in tofu/honey mixture.  Stir well.  Add in crushed ice and serve!



I am excited to try this!  I have tried other recipes with tofu and liked them (AND served them to my family...and they NEVER knew! hahaha!)

haystacks. "healthified"

I've been wanting to try a no-cream soup version of haystacks for quite some time now.  We had some company over last night which provided the perfect excuse for my "experimentations!" Everyone thought it came out delicious, and I have to agree!

I had pinned a recipe on Pinterest, but adapted it to be healthier and more to my families' taste.  We like our haystacks to have a curry kick...

I was also thinking that this could easily be made into a vegetarian meal by just omitting the chicken.  We like to serve ours with black beans anyways, so that could be a meal with all the veggies and you wouldn't "NEED" the chicken.  Or, at least I wouldn't need to chicken!

Recipe:

1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1-2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 C. flour (could use whole wheat)
2 C. milk (or non-dairy alternative) 
1 C. chicken broth
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp. yellow curry powder
1/2-1 tsp. onion powder
1 T. lemon juice
2 C. cubed, cooked chicken

Heat large saucepan over medium; add oil and allow to get warm.  Add garlic and saute until golden.  Add flour to make a roux, then add milk and broth, whisking in well to make smooth.  Allow to come to a boil (may have to increase heat, stirring constantly.  Boil for 1 minute, or until thickened as desired.  

Once the sauce has thickened I add the seasonings and then re-season according to taste.

Add chicken chunks, if using, and allow to warm through.


Because we were having company I doubled the recipe. I also used powdered milk from my food storage supply, but next time I'm going to try almond milk (without telling my family, of course!) I made chicken broth with my chicken bouillon from my food storage- I buy it in a #10 can. 

We serve ours over rice with lots of toppings!

Toppings:
flaked coconut
cashews
slivered or sliced almonds
green and red pepper, diced
pineapple tidbits or chunks
mandarin oranges
dried cranberries
chinese noodles
tomatoes, diced
black olives, halved 
shredded cheese
black beans

beautiful montana.

what beautiful country Montana is!  I was able to enjoy a few days all to myself in remote northern Montana at the end of June for a training on holistic health.  breath taking scenery!

houser lake. montana.

the last hurrah in Montana before returning home was a big family get together at Houser lake just outside of Helena.  It was a glorious afternoon spent in the sand and sun.  We picnicked for lunch and dinner and got to spend time with my cousin Ike and his wife, Erin and their three kids, who were visiting from Oregon.  Aunt Brenda and Uncle Mike had their boat and took us all for rides.  It seems like when I'm having fun I forget to take pictures, so no pics of the cousins together!  Darn!

 zach loves the sand and the water!

my auntie cracks me up! she is so hilarious! this was her throne and she was very safe from the sun!

Olivia held on tight when we first took off in the boat!  she was unsure if she liked it at first, but soon remembered the thrill of the ride and stayed on for a few hours!

my little cousin Jacobie, with his Grammie (my Aunt Linda)

Brady was there too, as were many others...like I said, minimal pictures taken!