Vocabulary

Luke is expanding his vocabulary:


Notice also the cute little curl... that makes me smile :)

6 months old!

Today our little guy turned 6 months old. It is amazing how this little baby has changed our lives.

A few cute stories:

1. My favorite times with Luke are right after his naps. He wakes up and begins making all sorts of noises- goos, gahs, ba-ba-bas, etc. When I come into his room, he is usually in the top left corner of his crib sucking on his blanket. He flashes a big smile when I come to get him.
Then we sit in the rocking chair for a bit and play with his feet and look out the window. Lately he has wanted to stand up as I rock- maybe he will be a surfer. :)

2. Luke loves his bath. He loves playing in the water, so much that Nathan has to hold him so that he doesn't dunk his head in. He especially loves when we squeeze water from the washcloth and will lift his hands and feet to feel it dribble down.

3. Our little guy loves peek-a-boo. He plays it with us even when we do not realize that we are playing. For instance, in my exercise routine, I do some sit ups. One day, Luke began to laugh each time I sat up.

Some pictures:

Walking

No, Luke is not yet walking on his own. However, he does love to stand up and walk if we hold him. We took this video last night:



Sorry that the video is on its side. :|

Perfected Granola Bar Recipe

I have made several variations of this recipe over the past few months, and here is my favorite.

Toast in the oven at 350 until browned.:
2 c quick oatmeal
1/2 c almond meal (only 3.99 a lb at Trader Joes)
2 T. sunflower seeds

Meanwhile, heat the following ingredients on low in a large sauce pan:

1/4 c honey
1/4 c molasses
1/4 c brown sugar
3 T. butter
1/2 t. salt
2 T. vanilla or almond extract

The mixture should be bubbly, but don't let it burn.

Turn off stovetop heat. Add toasted oats and nut mixture to the liquids. Also add 1 c. dried fruit of your choice (I like a mix of craisins and raisins), and 2 T protein or flax powder (optional). Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are well coated.

Place into a greased 9x9 inch pan. Makes 12-16 bars.

These taste great, have lots of protein and good for you stuff in them. They make a good breakfast, or a good snack after exercising.

Wiierd

Nathan just made us Wii people.

My dad came down today and brought Nathan a Nintendo Wii (past Christmas and birthday gift).

Need Help- Car Seat Recommendations

Luke is very quickly outgrowing his infant car seat (I have 1 and 1/2 lbs left in this one!), so I need to find a new one that he can grow into. I have heard that Britax and Sunshine Kids car seats are the best. My problem is that they are $250-300, which seems like a lot!

Maybe I need a reality check and I just need to fork over the money, but I was wondering if there were any other options. I have looked at countless Graco, Safety 1st, and Evenflo car seats, which are $60-110, but they have such mixed reviews. Some people love them, some hate them. Some people say that they are very safe, others not so much.

My bottom line: I want a safe car seat that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. If that is not possible, I will buy the expensive one.

Any ideas?

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Rain, rain, go away
Come again some other day
Grammy and Papa want to play
But the storm keeps them away.

Rain, rain, go away
Rain that keeps our family at bay
We need the rain the experts say
Still, rain, rain, go away.

I compose a poem for this stormy day and how it ruined our plans. :( We miss you Grammy and Papa, but we will see you soon!