Friday's Foto

March 17, 2013 

15 Months Old!

We went in for Zeke's 15 month doctor appointment this morning. His stats: 23 lbs. 10 oz. (just over 25%) and 30 3/4 in. tall (50%)! They said he is pretty much perfect :o)

- He is wearing a combination of 12 - 18 month clothes and size 3 diapers.

- He finished nursing sometime in March and drinks milk before bed every night.

His development has really taken off the past 3 months, especially the past few weeks! Some new things in his/our life:

- He is signing "please."

- He has his 2 front teeth (came in on April 11 and 21) and I see one coming in on the bottom as well! We have begun to brush his teeth during bath time!

- I trimmed his hair (the bangs and around his ears) for the first time.

Just before the bangs were trimmed... 

Post-bath hair cut

- He is waving "bye-bye."

- On Sunday when we were playing with his tractor, it sounded like he was singing "ee-i-ee-i-oh" along with "Old McDonald."

- He has started clapping and thinks it's quite fun to play Patty Cake.

- He likes to give us pats {of encouragement} on the back. Sometimes he gets both hands going, but only if he is very pleased with us ;o)

- He is constantly pointing to things wanting to know the name of the object and/or wanting to play with it.

We took lots of chilly walks in March and April! 

- He laughs a lot more than he used to; he even giggles unprovoked.

-  He is becoming more interested in puzzles.

- When we come into his room after his nap, he stands and waits for us to come to his crib, then he points at his monitor, reminding us to turn it off so the alarm doesn't go off. I ask "What's next?" Then he points to his heater/vent to be turned off. I ask one last time, "Now what?" and he points to himself or lifts up his arms. Love it!

- We transitioned to a forward-facing car seat just before our trip out to Colorado in the middle of March. He enjoys looking out the front windshield and being able to see Mom and Dad.

 - We can tell he understands so much now! He responds to simple commands and requests. I have borrowed a "Baby Signing" book from the library so I can teach him more signs so he can communicate with us more easily as he is in this transition time before he can speak clearly.

What a sweet and wonderful boy you are, Ezekiel! Every day is an adventure and we learn so much from one another! I look forward to every day -- watching you grow, develop, learn, and mature. You are deeply loved!

To life... full of cutting teeth!

Friday Fotos

Easter 2012                                                                                Easter 2013 

Apparently I like sweater vests for little boys! 

 

And cardigans for me! 

 

And being outside for family photos! 

Citrus Scallops

For Jeremiah's birthday this year I made him scallops - his favorite! He loves to order them when we go out to eat, but this year we were being a little more economical, so I tried my hand at making them at home for his birthday dinner. The recipe I picked came from my Taste of Home cookbook. It was Citrus Scallops. Even though when I'd tried Jeremiah's scallops at a restaurant I didn't like them, this recipe I enjoyed. 

My favorite place in the house -- the kitchen! 

Ingredients: 1 medium green or sweet red pepper, julienned (I used red and actually looked up in my cookbook how to julienne!) 
                   4 green onions, chopped
                    1 garlic clove, minced 
                    2 Tablespoons olive oil 
                    1 pound sea scallops (I used bay, nearly half the price.)
                    1/2 teaspoon salt 
                    1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 
                    2 tablespoons lime juice
                    1/2 teaspoon grated lime peel 
                    4 medium navel oranges, peeled and sectioned 
                    2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro (didn't use this and I didn't really miss it.) 
                Hot cooked rice or pasta (I made rice.) 

The scallops 

Slicing, dicing, & peeling. 

 Directions: In a large skillet, saute the pepper, onions, and garlic in oil for 1 minute. Add scallops, salt and pepper flakes; cook for 4 minutes. Add lime juice and peel; cook for 1 minute. Reduce heat. Add orange sections and cilantro; cook 2 minutes longer or until scallops are opaque. Serve with rice or pasta. Yield: 4 servings 

Side Dish: Yellow Squash and Zucchini 

The finished product! 

There were a lot of oranges in this dish, Jeremiah thought it was too much - he likes the fishy taste. I thought it was ok, so use your discretion if you decide to try this recipe! This recipe is really quick, so make sure you start the rice early and any other side dish before you get going. I had everything cut up and ready to throw in as it called for it.

To life... full of making scallops at home!

"Made to Crave"

I recently finished the book, "Made to Crave" by Lysa Terkeurst. It sparked my interest because I have struggled with my weight for years; never being content with the way I looked. I always felt incapable of making wise decisions if I was having a craving for something, if I was offered a treat, if I was stressed out, and so on. I felt powerless to do anything about it, but to accept what life threw at me and get through it via eating.

For some people it's chips. Others it's candy. Me? I love the good, old-fashioned cookies, brownies, and cake. And most of the time, once I start in, I have a hard time stopping. And another MAJOR weakness -- graham crackers with frosting. That's one of those where if you could listen in on my thoughts, you'd hear, "Well, that was too much frosting, so now I need another piece of graham cracker, but I'll stop when I'm done drinking my milk. Then I eat another and decide, well I'll just get a little more milk. Now, that's too much milk, so I'll have just one more cracker with frosting." ... quite the vicious cycle!

Lysa talks about her struggle with weight over the years. Her weakness with junk food. And justifying her thoughts, "Well if this is the worst part about me, I'm really not doing that bad." I was able to connect with many of the difficulties she shared throughout the book and in doing so, I was also encouraged that I too could have victory!

One of the stories that has stuck with me is from Chapter 13, "Overindulgence." In it, she talks about her pastor's sermon one morning; he began talking about the overindulgence of alcohol, then shifted gears into our overindulgence of food - gluttony. It goes into much more detail, but it makes me examine my habits and realize, just because eating as much food as you want (all-you-can-eat buffets, anyone?) is widely accepted, does not make it right.

She approaches the topic of healthy eating practically, but she also throws in several doses of humor and real-life stories and struggles. She references many Bible verses which support our need of self-control and finding our satisfaction in God, not food. There are many aspects that she unpacks throughout the 19 chapters in this book. Some chapters had such an impact that I am already making changes in the way I approach food. It is hard to change habits, especially ones that are over 20 years in the making, but I have confidence that I can turn to God when I'm struggling in those tough moments and come out on the other side a victorious overcomer!

If you might be interested in the book too, you can click on the pictures below. The first one is for the book, the second is the workbook/devotional. This could be a great study for several friends who would like to hold each other accountable. The pictures will take you straight to their page on Amazon.


          

To life... full of changing habits and relying on God to do so.

Friday's Foto

It's been a busy week here, but I downloaded a few pictures today, so thought I'd make time to put up a photo for your viewing pleasure since I've been short on writing recently. Have a great weekend!

Jeremiah's 28th Birthday

My New Style

One week ago I went in to get a hair cut. The last time I had cut my hair was August 2010! I had a couple of trims in the past 2 1/2 years, but other than that I had just let it grow longer and longer. During the past couple of years I have taught myself to french braid and use bobby pins with more ease. I enjoyed finding different hairstyles and being able to do so many things with my hair! But about a month or so ago, I was ready for a change! I won't see my hair this long again for quite some time... 

My hair donation. 

I was able to send in 13" to Locks of Love. If I remember correctly, this may have been my longest donation! I believe this is either the third or fourth time I have cut and donated my hair to Locks of Love. You can find more information at their website: Locks of Love.

I really like my new cut! It will be nice and cool for the warm months coming up. And washing and brushing my hair is so quick and easy now! It's fabulous!

To life... full of finding ways to give!