Baby Food Tips

Let me start off by saying that I am no expert! I didn't even make my own baby food for my first two, but Laura convinced me to try it with Caroline and I love it! I am not into the 'recipes' because that makes the process two complicated. I just wanted to cook each fruit/veggie, freeze it and then thaw them and serve! The closest I get to making 'recipes' is whipping up some whole wheat baby cereal and throwing two different cubes into the mix. Blueberry, sweet potato risotto anyone?

One morning last week, I had the house to myself. A very rare occurrence. So what was the first thing I thought to do with my time? Make baby food for Caroline to last over 6 weeks of course! The great thing about making baby food in a big batch is that you get everything dirty at one time and only have to clean up at the end. I used the same cutting board, microwave dish, rinsed food processor, and ice cube trays for all the veggies I made that morning. Talk about bang for your buck!

Here are a few guides I made about what fruits/veggies are in season, what foods to try to buy organic, and finally, a quick easy guide to prepare fruits and veggies to freeze and/or serve for your baby. You can cut these out, hole punch and attach to a ring, or just keep these sheets in your recipe binder. Enjoy!!! (best viewed on a computer ;))

http://goo.gl/FJYq1l

Good Ole Summertime

Summer in Dallas

I am kicking myself for literally only taking one picture while we were in Dallas for the summer. I guess we were having too much fun to take pictures!

What we did:
* swam in grana and granddad's pool twice a day! (Hallie held me to this, if we missed a time then we had to go three times the next day, haha!)

* had a playdate with Hallie's birthday twin (one day apart), Anna Grace and her mommy and sister too of course! The Muellers joined the fun as well! We swam our hearts out and then had a picnic lunch.

* family trip to Hawaiian Falls. Do you see a theme? More swimming! The girls can't get enough! After riding on laps a few times, they were brave enough to go down every slide in the kiddie section without an adult, wow!


* had a playdate with Annabelle's birthday twin (8 days apart), Eleanor at her house. Chick-fil-a, dress up, movie, ice cream, what more could a little girl ask for?

Insert Picture of all 4 Girls on the Couch ;)

* had movie night at the house to watch Monsters Inc and then to the movie theater to see Monsters University with Daddy and Granddad.

* played all morning with Aunt Steph and (soon to be) Uncle Philip while everyone else went to church (yay for  a peaceful mass!)

4th of July in Conroe

We had a great time in Conroe for the 4th! The Grandkids addition to Gramps and Grandma's house is complete and got plenty of use while we were there. Comfy couch, game tables, big flat screen TV and multiple bunk beds make for the perfect kid space! We enjoyed fireworks, a community parade, grill out at great-grandma's, lunch in Montgomery, swimming and lots of outdoor time. The pictures tell the rest :)

 

 

 

 



 

 

Caroline Says 'Dada'

Ok, I know she is just making noises but this one sure does sound like she is saying 'Dada', yay Caroline!

 

 

7 Months Caroline

You are super happy, super active, love to squawk and love to eat!

Summer Camp

Summer days can be quite long with little ones so I try to plan as many fun events as possible. We aren't very mobile these days with one adult and three small children so we try to get creative at home. Monday morning we invited Jacob over for "camp" at our house. The kids swam, had a tea party snack, did horseshoes, activity workout dice, sidewalk chalk car city, and picnic lunch. Fun was had by all!

Artesian Lakes

Lakes, nature hikes, swimming, smores, carriage rides, alligators, sunscreen, cabin, dirt roads, and slides! What a great time we had during our short vacation. The girls had a blast and loved discovering everything there was to explore on our trip. Much time was spent in the pool and Annabelle started to swim on her own on this trip! She swam across the pool (the short way) with no help, way to go girl!

The girls at 6 months

Caroline, Hallie, and Annabelle at 6.5 months. I love that we got to recreate the same photoshoot at the same age for each girl.

B&W Photo Shoot and Radio Flyer

Sidewalk Sight Word Races

We had fun this morning practicing our letters, numbers, and sight words! To differentiate, I scattered 1/2 letter sight words for Hallie and numbers for Annabelle. The girls started behind the 'start' line and then I called out a word for Hal and a number for Belle. They had to repeat their assignment back to me and then I said 'ready, set, go!' and they dashed to their word/number. They then got points on the score board for correct answers. After we exhausted the first game boards, we searched for more shade and played again. This time it was 3 letter sight words for Hallie and letters for Annabelle. What an easy way to be outside, have fun, and learn :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was all YELLOW!



Me: "Annabelle, what do you want your birthday theme to be, butterflies, flowers, princesses?"

Belle: "Yellow."

Me: "Like yellow butterflies?"

Belle: "No, just yellow."

 

Caroline 6 Months

Half a year old sweet girl! You are trying so hard to sit up, you are almost there but the occasional topple still occurs. You are very active in your playing and need to be entertained all the time now. Just like your sisters, you are in your paper stage now. A single piece of paper can entertain you for 10 minutes! You also enjoy throwing toys off your high chair try and seeing how fast your sisters can replace them. Only Hallie and Annabelle know how to make you giggle the best (there is something about the phrase 'chicken blastoff' that makes you go wild with giggles, thank you Hal for discovering that!).

 

Caroline, Annabelle, and Hallie at 6 months

 

Caroline Paige, 6 months

First Signs of Summer

Outside time, bathing suits, red faces, grilling... summer is almost here!

Mother's Day 2013

Mommy got her favorite breakfast, french toast, and coffee served to her in bed. A few little munchkins requested to join the party :) What a great way to start the day!

After church, we gathered at the Holecek's for brunch, yuum!