Noah and his Grandma
Showing off his new move for the Grandparents
Wrestling with Grandpa
Sandbox fun
There’s just no stopping them
Such joy
Ez and mommy sliding (look at his giant belly!)
Dad and Noah
15 months
Another month has passed and the boys are growing and learning like crazy. At their 15 month check-up Noah weighed 24 pounds 11 ounces and was 31 inches, Ezra weighed 23 pounds 15 ounces and was 30 inches. Noah still has just 2 teeth, but he is getting his top two right now, and Ezra still has 4, but he is getting some more also.
They are very active now which is a lot of fun and a lot of work! (but I love it, seriously I do, I am in the best shape!) Ezra is running and Noah is walking everywhere. Their favorite activity is anything outside. They love eating dirt, sand, grass, and Ezra loves rocks (why did we purposely put them in our backyard?).
Noah is such a happy boy. I am really shocked by this because he was not a super happy baby, but he is one happy toddler. He will sit still and play, read, or work on a new skill. The other day he played in his sandbox for a good 15 minutes while I chased his brother around the yard and daddy did yard work. Noah loves his sleep (he takes after his mommy), it really irks him when Ezra wakes him up in the middle of the night or early from his nap. He eats anything I put in front of him, occasionally after a few bites he’ll reject a new food, but he tries it. He can say kitty and hi. He is still in love with peek-a-boo and now uses furniture to play the game.
Ezra is an independent boy, he loves his mommy and daddy but really wants to do everything on his own. He is constantly moving, I mean constantly. He has little fear and scares his mommy a lot! He loves animals, our animals tolerate him and he is so gentle. He is a pickier eater, but not a picky eater yet. I have been having problems finding dinners that he loves, I finally scored a big win the other night with a mac and cheese recipe that had cauliflower puree hidden in it. He still just says momma and dada, but he has his own Ezra language and uses it a lot. He is constantly talking.
They are both such a joy to be around. Even though the tantrums have begun.
Wordless Wednesday – 02.17.2010
Noah’s Gift
Noah gave us a wonderful gift for our referralversary. He took his first steps. We were in the living room goofing around and I put his back to the couch to see what he would do and he started walking!
MVI 6235 from Stephanie Adams on Vimeo.
Referralversary
One year ago today we first laid eyes upon the two most precious baby boys. We knew our lives were changed forever and were beyond excited for our future as a family as four. We have enjoyed this past year so much and are looking for many more wonderful years together.
Here they are as we first saw them:
They both weighed around 6.5 pounds and were only about 18 inches long. The only developmental milestone listed was that they could move their head from side to side.
My how things have changed, they both weigh about 24 pounds now, and last time daddy measured Noah was 30 inches and Ezra 29 inches. Ezra is running and Noah is happily crawling everywhere. We have been beyond blessed to get to know them this past year and are so thankful for the wonder of adoption.
After trying to re-creat their referral pictures, I tried in vain to get some pics of them together.
Now for some video, because they are just so cute.
Noah super excited about his referralversary:
MVI 6207 from Stephanie Adams on Vimeo.
Ez pretty much implying get me out of this crib:
MVI 6211 from Stephanie Adams on Vimeo.
Wordless Wednesday – 02.10.2010
Spring is just around the corner
Sorry to all my friends in colder states, but spring is just about here in Arizona and I am super excited. The last chance for frost is late February for us, so that means I get to start seeds in January. Two weeks ago I started bell peppers, two kinds of cherry tomatoes, eggplant, watermelon, two kinds of cucumbers, and galia melon. One week ago I planted tomatillos, jalapenos, banana peppers, black zucchini, roma and pink tomatoes, royal burgundy bush beens, and rattlesnake beans.
I am thrilled because seeds are already sprouting-everything but the eggplant, zucchini, and peppers-this is the best start I have had since gardening. I’ve really struggled to find the right windows to start my seeds, you are supposed to use southern facing windows and we only have one southern facing window and it has a patio cover and a shade screen. I decided to try my west facing windows this season and haven’t been disappointed (I tried east in the past).
I have also started two sweet potatoes in hopes of getting some sprouts to plant. Plus this weekend I started basil, dill, sage, parsley, mint, catnip, and some flowers. I planted thyme, rosemary, and flat-leaf parsley in my new-to-me concrete planters (free score from a neighbor) out front.
I am really excited about this gardening season and very happy that it is off to a good start. We have lots of weekend projects planned for February to get the garden ready. Can’t wait to start eating all that yummy produce!
Outside! Outside! Outside!
The boys love to be outside. LOVE. Good thing the weather this time of year is near perfection and we also love to be outside. We spent the bulk of time outside yesterday. Matt and I did a little yard work and the boys “helped.” Yard work takes significantly longer with two little helpers. 🙂
*Please ignore the snotty noses, we wiped and we wiped, but we are teething and there is a ton of allergens in the air.
Photo Friday – 02.05.2010
Wordless Wednesday – 02.03.2010
Butternut Squash Casserole
I made this recipe the other night and it is yummy. Ezra ate just the squash, and Noah ate mostly squash with a few noodles.
Butternut Squash Casserole
Parents Magazine
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes (2 cups) Okay I don’t know about you, but what the heck would I do with the other half of the squash? I just buy a small/medium one and use the whole thing, also they have really thick skins so I don’t peel, I chop in half and then use my melon baller.
2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 lb whole wheat elbows, I found quinoa elbows at Whole Foods in the bulk food section
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. Flour
1 1/4 cups reduced-fat milk
1 3/4 cups low-fat, white cheddar cheese shredded and divided (1.5 cups and .25 cups)
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss squash with oil and salt on a foil-lined tray. Bake for 20 minutes or until tender, set aside.
2. Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than package directions; drain and place in a bowl with squash. Meanwhile, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour; cook for 2 minutes.
3. Slowly whisk in milk. Bring mixture to a boil then simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1.5 cups of cheese stir until melted. Stir cheese sauce into pasta and squash.
4. Spoon into 6 greased, individual ramekins. Sprinkle remaining cheese. Bake 10 minutes. Okay I don’t have ramekins so I bake in a 8 x 8 pan.
Nutrition per ramekin 330 calories; 17g protein; 13g fat (7g saturated); 39g carbs; 3g fiber; 329mg calcium; 2mg iron (mine would be slightly different since I used quinoa instead of whole wheat)
Photo Friday – 01.29.2010
Green Bee
As many of us know buying fresh produce for our families can be pricey. Thanks to my neighbor, I recently discovered Green Bee Produce. Basically you get a box of produce for $18.50 and $2.00 of that goes to the school where you pick it up. It is very nice produce, but it is not organic or local. I did email them to ask where they bought the produce from and they did reply that they stay as local as possible. The produce we received today came from California, Mexico, Idaho, and probably Ecuador (for the bananas). Our local grocery store doesn’t have local produce (very often) and not much organic anyway so this isn’t much different then what I would buy. I try to stay as local as possible, so most of the time I stick with the west coast, we get a fairly good variety that way thanks to our close proximity to California.
Now let’s talk value. Here is a run down of the produce we received and my estimates of what it would cost to purchase it at the store I usually shop. I am going off of memory and guestimates for the grocery store prices, but I will try to low ball it.
2 packages of Blackberries – the best deal I have seen 2 for $5
Pint of strawberries – $2.99
3.25 pounds of bananas – usually $.59/lb $1.92
1.25 pounds of Asparagus – $2.99/lb $3.74
1.25 pounds of romaine lettuce – (okay I have no idea on this one) $1.00/pound $1.25
1.75 pounds of apples – $1.50/pound $2.19
1 pound of tomatoes – $1.00/pound $1.00
5 pounds of potatoes – $2.99
3 pounds of pears – $1.50/pound $4.50
2.25 pounds of onions – $1.00/pound $2.25
2 green bell peppers – $2.00
1 red bell pepper – $1.50
3 lemons – $.39 each $1.17
Total store guestimate – $32.50. So I saved $14 and supported a local school.
Wordless Wednesday – 01.27.2010
