Nolan on the Farm

This weekend we went to a birthday party at a farm in Issaquah. We of course got lost out there in the boonies, but it was worth it! Once we found the farm, there were all kinds of animals! Besides a trip to the zoo (where Nolan slept the entire time) and our wild cats, Nolan really hasn't seen many animals up close and personal. We started with the smallest first.

He liked the baby chicks from afar but wasn't quite sure what to do with this little guy.

I guess we made too much of a leap on the next animal, from chicks to horses. He really wasn't sure what to do with this one, although he did reach out to pet him a few times.

We spent a lot of time in the barn with all the bunnies, pigs and sheep. They were so sweet!

Especially this little pig, Petunia who kept trying to eat Nolan's clothes.

This picture doesn't have any animals but i love it because you can actually see Nolan's gorgeous lashes. So sweet!

This is Why Pat Cooks

That's right that is a frozen pizza. One of countless frozen pizzas that I have burnt well passed edibility. I don't know why i keep trying, hoping for a different outcome. I keep thinking that one day my luck will turn, that I'll make a wonderful meal that my family will love (and doesn't stress me out) and forever onward be a great and patient chef. First i need to conquer the frozen pizza though.

Luckily I'm married to a man who isn't just a great cook but doesn't mind that I'm awful. He lucks out in the baking department because I love to bake and i like to think I'm fairly good at it. The same night as the burnt pizza, I tried to lift my spirits with a new recipe i found on the Pioneer Woman Cooks site. It's called Baked Fudge and it is my new favorite thing.

Here is the link to the recipe

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/02/sweets-for-your-sweetie-1-delicious-baked-fudge/

It is delicious and super easy. Definitely give it a try if you really like chocolate as it is basically hot fudge in a bowl. Here is my version, before i put ice cream on top, much better then the whip cream topping that the recipe calls for, but i love hot/cold combinations.

Nolan update

Nolan has learned so much in the last month I'm sure I'm going to leave something out. But here are a few things that Nolan has been perfecting.

He babbles all the time, I think he's telling himself stories because he cracks himself up. He is definitely a talker and I love that he is. He can correctly identify Mama and Dada, although Dada is the only one that he yells at in very high decibels...teehee. He can say hi, bye, yeah, shake his head no, diddy (kitty), nana (banana), and last night i swear i heard him say night night.

He has 8 teeth (2 molars popped up last week). This would explain the extreme fussiness the last few weeks and the frequent night wakings, which are wildly out of character for my little sleeper. Hopefully his teeth will give him and us a bit of a break before the next set come in.

After just 2 physical therapy sessions for a weak midsection, he has gone from a fairly mobile 1 year old to a very active toddler. He is pulling himself up to stand on everything, cruising around on all the furniture, scooting around at lightning speeds and sitting up from any position (the milestone he was most behind). He has even started crawling in a "traditional" way, something that i thought i would never see my boy do and i will hopefully get on video very soon. The crawl is very illusive, as soon as he notices that he is being watched he sits back down and scoots. Who knows maybe he secretly has been crawling all along?

He has gotten through his first stomach flu and cold in the same month(an achievement for us too), and he graciously shared both with me.

I can't wait to see what he does next, but am enjoying this time before he learns to walk as I know those quiet moments will grow fewer and farther between.

Day to Day

Just so you don't think our lives are full of spontaneous trips to Hawaii and chocolate tastings (oh how i wish that were true) I figured I should post what our day to day life is like. We are starting to get into quite the routine, which is pretty funny since no one in this house is very routine minded. We spend a lot of our day just hanging out and playing with our toys. Lately, even more of our time is spent yelling (others would call it whining).

Before you start feeling sorry for him, I want you to know that I have met all his needs and that this yelling is only out of wanting to be held ALL DAY LONG. I think that once he is able to talk, this face will be accompanied with a loud "I'm bored!" Luckily, I have backup, because nothing is more fun then harassing the cats! Cortez was egging him on here though with his tail flicking into his face.

The other go to distraction is snack time. I feel like i spend 3/4 of my day sitting with him at his high chair, but i don't mind at all. Since he is so active it's the only time i can get him to hold still for 10 minutes and it's also where his personality really shines. He sings, babbles, flirts and giggles in that chair.

Since he started finger foods he has really enjoyed sharing his food with me. He takes turns feeding himself and then feeding mama. This is nice when he eats normal things like banana but I'll pass on the collard green flavored cereal.

He especially likes faking me out, where he reaches out to feed me and then pulls it back and takes it for himself, he's such a clown!

This is him today with his new favorite snack, toast with cream cheese. Messy and delicious!

He was reaching out to feed me here and realized that his hand was empty, which really cracked him up.