addie via the iPhone lately

i've been slacking on posting pics of addie from my phone, but i've definitely been taking plenty!  here's a smattering of them :)

Feeling dubious after a long nap.  See the sheet crease on her cheek?

Still hasn't figured out that this is super fun but she tolerates it :)

Baby in a bar!  Her 1st visit to World of Beer.  Not her last :)

Dinner at Mooncricket!

Mom I'm hungry!

Pretty much mastered this sitting thing, as long as someone else sets her up :)

Both baby and dog coveting my PB&J sandwich!

Modeling at a pool party.

She loves the pool still!  Splashes up a storm :)

Monkey.

Thoughtful Adelaide.

All dressed up for the first day of the season!  Nate and I particularly appreciated the irony of the Harrison jersey, but I think Maureen was the only one who got it :)

What the heck is this?

Ready to go at 6:55 am!

this week's menu

here's what we're up to this week!  and may i say- tonight's dinner was AMAZING.  i know, i made it so i'm not supposed to say that- but both the pork and polenta were great recipes!! the pork was so easy and so delicious- we'll be making that one again and again and again!  and polenta is another thing i'm new to making... a whole grain?  essentially instant?  has fiber?  polenta!  where have you been all of my life?!

Sunday - Crispy Pork Medallions, Two Cheese Polenta, Green Beans
Monday - Beef & Snow Peas, Jasmine Rice
Tuesday - French Dips, salad, chips
Wednesday - Chili (from freezer)
Thursday - Mayo Chicken, Broccoli, Salad ... okay, i know chicken that's pretty much only flavored with mayonaise and parmesan cheese sounds scary but i have to try it, i keep hearing about it.  and i'm going to use light mayo ;)  i'll report back!

and a little dessert sidenote... i've developed a post-pregnancy sweet tooth so i've been baking more :)  last week i tried this grapefruit pound cake and loved it!  this week i'm going to try fudge walnut brownies.

Bruschetta (the best. for real.)

mom found this recipe years ago as an appetizer for thanksgiving and we've been making it ever since!  everything together is just so so yummy, i love it!  i think recipe is also what got nate to eat tomatoes on a regular basis. mmmm.....

Bruschetta


Ingredients

• 2 lbs. roma tomatoes (core, seed and dice) -- don't skip this step or it'll be way to runny with tomato juice!
• 5 tbl. extra-virgin olive oil 
• ½ tbl. lemon juice 
• ½ tsp. dijon mustard 
• ¼ cup kalamata olives (pitted and chopped) 
• 3 tbl. fresh basil (chopped) 
• 2 cloves garlic (minced) 
• 6 oz. goat cheese 
• 1 baguette 
• Pinch salt/pepper 

Directions

1. Slice baguette in roughly ¾ “ thick slices, brush olive oil on each of the slices (2 tbl. total) and bake at 425 for 5-8 minutes or until slightly golden brown (or cheat, and use your Misto to spray them all with olive oil once they're on the pan. your call.). Let cool. 
2. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, and dijon mustard. 
3. Add olives, basil, garlic and tomatoes to mixture. Spread goat cheese on bread slices, add a spoonful of tomato mixture to each.

a seat at the table

so we're planning to start feeding addie solid foods tomorrow, and last week we gave her a seat at the dinner table with a plate and spoon to try it out.  she's become increasingly interested in what we're eating over the past month or so, so we are excited to see what she thinks of eating!  we'll be setting the bar low with rice cereal but as soon as she gets the hang of moving that through her mouth, we'll move on to something more exciting and delicious like avocados.

mmm... avocados.  reminds me of when cadiem started his first foods ;)

awww .. what a cutie he was/is!

so anyway, addie's first visit to the table was funny.  first we sat her down and she was more than eager to see what was in store.

but apparently nothing but chew toys...

so.. let's throw those on the floor and get to the good stuff... and chew on the table :)

don't worry, we're giving up the goods starting tomorrow morning :)  nate has also been letting addie sip water from a cup.  she LOVES this.  now if anyone has a cup, she wants it!  i'm still not quite used to her reaching out for anything i'm trying to drink (like.. hot coffee)!  we're going to try a sippy cup soon too.

stay tuned for more on the food front!  i know there are some good photo ops in the coming days... :)

arrrrrrrizona where the wind comes sweeping down the plain...

errr... desert.  but either way, we had a wonderful time in arizona and i'm way overdue to blog about it :)  i spent more than a week out there with addie bird and nate joined us for the last few days.  cassie & cadiem were out to visit at the same time so it was mass chaos and oh so much fun :)

here are some photos from our adventures!

the cousins looking chummy :)

cousin love :) (or, "please don't let me fall off the couch!")

enjoying the weather at the cabin!

more cousin togetherness at dad's house- addie loved to watch whatever cadiem was up to!  cadiem kep saying "addie is my best friend."

Cadiem hanging out with Dad :)

Addie loves Gigi -- gets a serious case of the giggles every time she sees her! :)

Mom with the kiddies!

Nate and his partner in crime.

Love this one of Cassie & Cadiem :)  wish it was more in focus!

Marty and the kiddies!

last week's menu

• monday - beef o' bradys (i had a late meeting) :)
• tuesday - calzones!  i cheat and get the refrigerated pizza dough from the deli at publix.  definitely falls into my much loved "quick, easy and tasty" category :)
• wednesday - i cannot remember!  seems like we went out...
• thursday - summer squash and corn chowder with spring salad with grapes and pistachio crusted goat cheese - one of my personal favorites but having soup for dinner tends to depress nate :)  he liked the salad though, it was super easy and the little crusted goat cheese makes it look super fancy :)  it would be a good one for company!
• friday - something like beef stroganoff with peas-- a family favorite :)  recipe below!

Ingredients

• 2 cans Campell’s cream of mushroom soup (the normal stuff!  not the healthy request or reduced sodium....trust me!)
• 1 lb ground beef (lean) 
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms (regular or portabella) 
• ½ a medium size onion, diced small 
• Fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for color) 
• 1 garlic clove 
• ¼- ½ cup reduced fat sour cream 
• Splash of milk (or more!) 
• Egg noodles 
• Salt, pepper to taste 

Directions

1. Sauté onions, set aside. (or if you're feeling lazy  like I often am, just thrown them in near the end of browning the beef)
2. In a saucepan on medium, brown ground beef, drain off any fat (it will make the sauce too thin). 
3. Once mostly done, add in mushrooms, onion and garlic, salt/pepper. 
4. Continue cooking until mushrooms look done. 
5. Start noodles, cook according to package. 
6. Add cans of cream of mushroom soup to saucepan, mix well. Add a splash of milk or more to get desired consistency for the sauce. 
7. Just before serving add sour cream (to taste, I add a couple of spoonfuls at a time) and fresh parsley to sauce, mix well. Serve sauce over egg noodles.

adornment(s)

so every time i've put a bow on addie's head, i think she looks silly but i just ordered some from etsy and i LOVE them :) here's my favorite one:

in other news, we officially have a tummy sleeper!  she's finally figured out how to roll over on purpose and now there's no stopping her!  i think she discovered it around 4:30 in the morning last night based on how i found her when she woke me up :)  and now..the changing table, the bouncy chair, the play gym, that girl is rolling!  every time i put her in the crib on her back today, she flopped over to her belly and slept quite comfortably- i'm hoping this will contribute to some longer naps - these 45 jobs are killing me! :)

some more snippets

not too much to report this week, but here are some pictures from my phone :)

Sporting a bikini :)  GG gave her this great little onesie :)

Double fisting it at Target!

We know you're not supposed to let your child play with scissors, but they make her so happy!
 

Cleo has been especially attentive this week- I'm not sure what her motivation is (does she care?  does she want addie's toys?  is she jealous?) but she refused to leave the hallway one day while addie was napping.

Keeping herself entertained at Publix :)

giggly baby

more meals at home!

so part of the goal of me going part-time was more meals at home (and a bit more of a necessity with less income!)  here's our menu from the past week:

• Monday - Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage (I never made it out to the grocery store, so it ended up being a smorgasbord of what was available) :)  
• Tuesday - Chicken Picatta
• Wednesday - Beef & Snow Peas (love this recipe!  super easy and yummy)
• Thursday - Dr. Pepper Ribs (first time we'd tried these, they were so good!  cooking ribs in the oven, then on the grill is definitely the way to go for fall off the bone ribs)
• Friday - Food Trucks! 
• Saturday - Taco Salad

snippets from this week

Tummy time!  Getting stronger every day :)

so we've swaddled addie since the beginning and have finally transitioned out!  she's started rolling over more in her sleep and also wakes herself up by fighting to get her arms out so we started by leaving one arm out, then both arms, then tried (and failed) leaving her completely arms and legs out, then settled on a wearable blanket :)  she seems pretty happy and cozy in it so we're happy too :)  i'm also excited to see what new crazy sleep positions result from her new freedom :)

Ah, the freedom of both arms out!

The new sleep duds.

Warming up to the jumper, but still not a 100% fan.  She doesn't realize she can jump or turn around yet!

Still a big fan of her toes :)

Looking cute in her outfit from Aunt Linda, Uncle John & Ross.

Of COURSE she's a Wilco fan :)

Addie proudly witnessing Nate closing out the front half of his 99 beers card.

still not sure about that eye color...

hazel?  green?  blue? brown?  still no idea!