Playing Cars

It’s crazy to think that Rowan is big enough to play anything yet, but he is a toddler now and busy as ever! He really loves this car ramp he got for his birthday. It makes fun noises and he likes to watch the cars race down the track.

 

 

He Has Hair!!

You can totally see it in this picture. At least we’re saving money on haircuts around here…

UW Research Participant!

Don’t worry! This isn’t as scary as it looks….

When Rowan was born, the hospital gave me a form to sign if I would like to be contacted about future research studies going on at UW. I thought it would be fun, especially with my background in early childhood, and today we got to do our third (and most fun) study!

This study was on language and how babies process certain sounds. When they showed me the cap he’d have to wear, I never thought he’d keep it on. After they put it into place, one of the gals had to insert a syringe full of saline gel through each of the holes so that he would have the gel on his scalp. This took quite awhile. Throughout the prep, and actual study, there was another girl who’s job was to entertain him. She had a lot of fun toys that made loud noises, played music, lit up, or vibrated. Rowan loved it and did great keeping the cap on. Afterwards he got to use the “hair washing station” which looked like something out of a salon. The lady took some photos of him and emailed me the one above earlier today. I think he looks so serious, and funny!

Bananas for Bananas!

 

Rowan absolutely LOVES bananas. In fact, he has started “saying” it.. “Bah-nah!” So cute. He likes to hold the whole thing but as you can see.. he started out on the couch, and ended up in his high chair. Not only is he messy with it, but he sticks way too much in his mouth at a time. Slow down bud! The last pic is of him hollering at us since we took it away! hehe

Andrea’s Bachelorette Party!

Saturday night was Andrea’s Bachelorette party. We had a pretty big crowd so instead of going out, we had a lingerie shower! The bride wanted whiskey and pizza… so that’s what she got! (along with other apps, desserts, and spirits of course).

We had a really great time celebrating her and now there’s only 2 weeks until the wedding!

  We played a game with toilet paper where teams had to dress their “model” up with TP lingerie. It was super funny and way cooler than the TP wedding dress game we’ve all played at bridal showers. The Bride with all of the beautiful models: My beautiful friend Liz and I enjoying the super yummy Pinkabella cupcakes she brought.  Erin and I!Bridesmaid Picture! Apparently some of us were thinking it was time to serious..and some, silly! haha  

Andrea and some of her loot. She got some really fun and cute stuff!

   

Monthly Meal Plan:Weeks 2 & 3

 

Okay…the whole point of all of this is probably just for me to lay it all out there and I’m already falling behind. So… I think I’ll just post what I made last week (with links) and what I’m making this week.

Week #2

 Beef & Butternut Squash Stew- (Giada De Laurentis)ammmaaaazzzing. Russ took a bite and said… “are you kidding me??!!” Guess it’s a keeper!

White Chicken Enchiladas with Green Chile Sour Cream Sauce - (Let’s Dish Recipes Blog) – Definitely yummy and will make again.

Bean & Cheese Quesadillas with Cilantro – no recipe here.. lol. Just something simple on a busy busy day.

Spinach and Chive Linguini with Olive Oil and freshly grated Parmesan. Just a few fresh ingredients courtesy of my favorite place to shop for groceries- Trader Joes!

Week #3

Ginger Chicken Stir-fry: No real recipe here… I used an organic chicken breast,  and a few handfuls of Costco’s frozen stir-fry veggie mix (yep… cheating). I cooked jasmine rice in my rice cooker, and replaced the water with low fat coconut milk (trader joes). I DID however make my own sauce and it was DELISH!

*Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a sauce pan. Add about a 1’’ chunk of freshly peeled and minced ginger. Let simmer for about a minute. Add 1 1/4 c. chicken broth, 1/2 cup soy sauce, and 4 tbs corn starch. It gets nice and thick. I also added a few splashes of rice wine vinegar. It made quite a bit and was really yummy!

Black Bean Soup with Rosemary Bread: (Dawn’s Recipe Blog) Love this soup.  It’s apparently a knock-off of Panera’s black bean soup which I haven’t had. My hubby didn’t even mind that there wasn’t any meat in it.

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches- (Mel’s Kitchen Cafe)We don’t do any pork in this house and I’m excited to pull out my crock pot tomorrow morning and reap the results at dinner. I plan to serve them on whole wheat buns.

Beef Stew- This recipe is from my Test Kitchen Cookbook which I make practically everything from. The stew uses a chuck roast, peas, carrots, red potatoes, red wine, etc… Should be great for the projected wintery weather this weekend!

 

I know I said I planned to make 5 meals per week but we’ve had A LOT of leftovers recently. I might end up doing breakfast for dinner but otherwise I think all of this will be enough. Thanks for following me on my little adventure!

Day at the Park

Right down the street and behind the library and City Hall is a big gorgeous park. There is a huge open field with a lot of old trees and nature. I never knew it existed until Russ and I went on a walk a little over a year ago and found it! There’s a great little playground and in the summer it even has a toy that squirts water.

Rowan and I went the other day for one of our last sunny Fall days. I was hoping to get some better pics of the beautiful autumn colors but I only have so many hands and I can’t take my eye off this guy for a sec. ;-)

 

  

He still loves to swing but really just wants to be outside in general… exploring, picking up bark and banging on stuff to see if they make noise.