New Foods

Waffle Strips

Yes, I have been very busy and technically I still am. I am just going to throw a few videos on here to appease the grandparents. Connor has been eating more and more real food lately and he always makes us laugh when he samples something new. FYI, he made these same faces with celery, dog food, grapes, blue berries, etc. He makes a disgusted face and then goes back for more. What a goober!
I will post more later this week or early next week. Please be patient!

Curious Connor

Connor is now an accomplished crawler. He is everywhere & into EVERYTHING! Which brings us to the Great Debate:

To Baby Proof or Not to Baby Proof

People fall on both sides of this debate and rightfully so. There are valid arguments for each side. Baby proofing does not teach baby not to touch things he shouldn't, but not baby proofing can cause safety risks. Hmm...

As usual, Matt & I fall somewhere in the middle. We have baby proofed the outlets & cabinets with cleaning supplies & chemicals. However, we are also doing LOTS of "No touch!" and thumping little fingers these days. Things that are off limits & on Connors list of favorites include: The X-Box, DVD player, satellite box, VCR (yes we still have one), dog food & water bowls, glass cake stand, large glass floor vase, hall night light (the cute shade has beads that dangle!) and any sort of electrical cord. The list could probably go on and on. He is a curious boy who is gaining speed daily. In fact, this post was prompted by his speed.

No more than 10 minutes ago I was standing at the sink washing dishes while Connor played in the living room. Apparently that room became of no interest to him, so he VERY quickly made his way to the kitchen, found the dog food and water & began playing. I could not get my (soapy/icky) rubber gloves off fast enough. I firmly said "No Connor. No touch!" He looked at me as he pulled the sloshing bowl closer to himself. The water was everywhere & as I bent down to get him, in went the dog food! Two pieces of brown hard ewwgie dog food. Connor, thankfully, did not enjoy the taste. As fast as the food went in, out came his tongue displaying his treasure. I burst out laughing. I didn't beat him to the punch this time, but I did get a good laugh out of it!

All in all, he is most certainly learning and responding to the training and he is protected from things that could truly hurt him.

Here is a short example of how he keeps us laughing. Silly boy!

I came across this article today & found it to be very interesting and very accurate. I also found it to be pertinent considering my post yesterday. Click on the title to read the article.

The Case for Early Marriage

"Amid our purity pledges and attempts to make chastity hip, we forgot to teach young Christians how to tie the knot."

5 Years!

This post is a little tardy, but here none the less. Last Friday, the 7th, we celebrated FIVE years of marital...status? It's hard to say it's all been bliss. Marriage is an enormous blessing, for both of us, but constant bliss? I think not. We have had our ups and downs and bumps (baby and otherwise) along the way.
As a part of our anniversary date night (much thanks to Mimi & Papa for providing child care!) we reviewed our last five years and looked ahead to the next five. We talked about some of our favorite memories and some of the more difficult moments. As we talked we began to see more and more how much the Lord has grown us, both as individuals and as a couple. We are the very best of friends and for that I am eternally grateful. We enjoy each other and we know each others' buttons. We know when and how to push them and when to walk away. We've learned to bite our tongues in public, listen to what the other is trying to say - which is not always what they actually are saying! I am still learning how to say, "I'm sorry," and Matt is working on, "You were right." (Those are things we struggle to say to each other, not that they always apply.)
We talked about goals and where we feel the Lord leading us in the next few years in terms of family, ministry, financial stewardship, etc. I love dreaming together. I love that although we want the same stupid superficial things, when we stop and analyze our goals and get at the heart of them, we want the same significant & eternal things most. We want to walk with others as they explore their relationship with Christ. We want to raise children that love and fear the Lord. We want our little lives to be marked by sacrificial service to Him.

August 7, 2004July 2009

And of course - a family of 3!

Quiche

This is my favorite quiche. It is a combination of Florentine & Lorraine. It's been a work in progress for a while and I think this is the best version.

1 uncooked pie crust (I prefer Pillsbury)
1 t butter
2/3 C diced onion
1 lb fresh spinach (or less if you're using frozen; NEVER use canned - yuck!)
3 strips bacon, cut up and cooked until almost crispy (bacon is optional & I have used turkey bacon and not even noticed a difference.)
1/2 t salt
dash of pepper
1 C shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 C Parmesan cheese
4-5 eggs
1 C heavy cream or half & half
dash of ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out the pie crust into a greased pie pan. Saute your onion with the butter, add spinach until wilted. Season with salt & pepper. Remove from heat, drain excess liquid and spread over pie crust. Combine eggs, cream, nutmeg and mix well. Stir in cheeses. Pour over spinach & onion. Stir around to mix ingredients and remove air pockets. Bake for 45 minutes (or until set & golden on top). Allow to cool 15 minutes. Serve with muffins and fruit!

Mommy is Funny

Connor thinks I'm a riot. He can hardly catch his breath!

What a Ham

Connor is such a ham these days. He loves the camera! He has this new smile that cracks us up. He squints his eyes almost shut, pulls his shoulders up to his ears and says "heeeeee!" He either does that or opens his mouth wide and throws his head back with delight. Either way, he is thrilled to have a camera pointed at him. Yes, our child is quite vain I'm afraid. He loves pictures of himself and mirrors and will laugh hysterically at videos of himself. It's pretty fun though, for now at least.

Even while fighting a hat (which would have been so cute!) Connor managed his goofy smiles for the camera.

"Give it up Mom, the hat's a goner!"

"Ha Ha! I won!"

"Here are my tonsils!"

"And here you can sort of see my two teeth."

Goofiest and Greatest baby smile ever...

Now, in case you were thinking this was just the still shots that Connor was a ham for, here is some video to demonstrate that it is any camera! I had the viewing screen part turned toward him so that he could watch himself being filmed. I think he liked it. What do you think?