Insta-matic August

Here are some of my favorite Instagram pictures from August.
As always, obsessed with my little lady.


A banana can solve any meltdown.

Eating a slice as big as her!

Dinner with Dada.

Happy.

Examining a blueberry.

First pony ride.

Breakfast love on the front porch.

Our happy little family waiting on dinner.
Look close...I'm there too!

Perfect pancake face.

Sitting in her favorite pink chair.

Play ball!

Soooo big!

Taking notes at the doctors.

Washington Park fountains in the evening.

Wishing she could ride bikes with the bigger kids.

 

Five on Friday

Happy Friday! After a week off, I am back for another link up with April and the ladies.
Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend!

One

I am a big to-do list person.
{sometimes I add things to the list just so I can cross them off! ha!}
However, there is so much that still needs to be accomplished at our house that I have just given myself a few projects to tackle each day.
I hate feeling defeated when I don't complete the list.

 I saw this on the book of faces and had to laugh because this is how I have been feeling most nights!

Two

I am loving the kids line at H&M. I am thrilled to live near a location.

I picked up a few pieces for Sophia that she can wear now and in the fall.

If you are not near a store, you can now shop online too!

She is teething and NOT in the mood to model her cute outfits,
but this is one of the dresses I purchased.

Three

Sophia's new favorite game is to run away.

The giggles, squeals, and trying to run as fast as she can are super cute.

The actual running away part - nosomuch.

At home I am doing my best to ignore her.

When we are in public I do my best to laugh along with her while I chase her down.

I am hoping this phase is short-lived!

Four

We went on an unplanned dinner picnic at Washington Park this week.
It was nice to get out of the house and spend time together as a family.
After setting up the picnic I took out the camera to take pictures
and realized that the camera battery was at home.
I was so bummed, but thankful to at least have the phone camera.
We ate, listened to some live jazz, played in the fountains, and watched some kickball.

Five

I am very much looking forward to Riverfest on Sunday.
Each Sunday of Labor Day Weekend Cincinnati and Kentucky throw an end-of-summer party
that concludes with fireworks.
We missed the fireworks on July 4th thanks to rain and being exhausted from driving to Ohio.
Dave is supposed to be off and there is a slight chance of storms,
but I am looking forward to exploring another part of our city.

via

Eighteen Months

Sophia,

You are eighteen months old today (August 28, 2013).

We will be going to the doctor's next week so I will know your weight and height then.

You have red hair and hazel eyes. Your eyes change color but they keep getting darker, so I won't be too surprised if they end up brown.

You wear size 3 diapers. You are interested in the potty, but we are not training yet. You sit on the potty each night before your bath.

You are outgrowing your 12 month clothes and mostly wearing 18 month clothing.

You have twelve teeth and are working on more. You are such a slow teether so we have had a few rough spots.

You love eating, except for your vegetables. I hide them when I can, but you typically won't eat them alone. You will eat them from the pouches, but we don't purchase those often. Your meals are gluten-free, but you snack on 'regular' foods.

You continue to be a great sleeper. You average about thirteen hours a night and take at least a two (usually three) hour nap. We are all still getting used to the noises in our new neighborhood.

You are a pretty healthy little one. You have had two stomach viruses and a few ear infections. Since you have been home with me you have not had any runny noses.

You are OBSESSED with dogs. There are dogs in almost every house in our neighborhood and you want to love on all of them.

You love books and are constantly bringing us stories to read to you. You continue to love music and dance to most sounds you hear (even construction vehicle noises).

You are into everything and extremely independent. You love to do things by yourself and have gotten pretty good at navigating the stairs. You are constantly picking up pens and writing notes.

You can point to most of your body parts when asked. You love to point out 'eyes' when we are reading.

You are talking more. I think you say "DOP!" (stop) most frequently when you are talking to the dogs. You have very lengthy babbling 'phone' conversations which you always end with "Bye!". My favorite word is 'mama'. It melts my heart to hear you say it. This is the most frustrating time for communication between us. You know exactly what you want, but can't always share that with us. You are getting much better at repeating your signs. We added 'help' to our sign language vocabulary and you use it frequently.

Your daddy and I love you to the moon and back. It has been an amazing eighteen months with you in our lives.

Love,

Mama and Dada

 

p.s. Sorry for the crazy hair. Most of these pictures were taken after naptime while you ate your snack and you refuse to wear bows!

Meal Planning Success

Last week I planned out meals for the first time ever.
I am pleased that I (mostly) stuck to the plan!
Wednesday is the only day that "LIFE" got in the way.

Unfortunately I didn't take any great pictures.
Photographs took a huge backburner when the little one was hanging off of my legs wanting to eat.

Alton Brown's Guacamole was awesome.
I was afraid that it would have a little too much heat for Sophia, but she loved it.

We all enjoyed the Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowls.
Dave thought they needed more salt (typical chef) and I wanted more lime flavor in the quinoa.
I will be adding lime zest next time.

I adapted the recipe for Carnitas that I found.
I had more pork than the recipe called for and added extra cumin, along with zest from the orange and lime.

I doubled the Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken recipe.
I served it over corn tortillas for myself and made a 'chicken salad' bowl for Sophia.
Although the flavor was great, there was a little too much liquid left over after cooking.
I will be cutting back on the chicken broth next time.

We eat much better when I take the time to plan out the week.
Hopefully the heat will break soon so I will actually want to turn on the oven again.

Have a favorite recipe?
Please share - I need all the help I can get!!

Blueberries

Blueberries -

 

eaten the only way she will eat them -

 

straight out of the container.