double trouble

celebrated: 120 years.

total...that is. a double 60th for momdad/grandpagrandma/randydebbie. good food, good friends, sweet memories. grandkids and kiddos: some cooked, some cleaned, some did dishes, some worked on spreadsheets, some snuggled with grandma, some played with piggies and rode grandpa's tractors...I'll let you figure out who's who.

happy, happy, happy birthday!

squirrel.

this video may be moderately cute/funny for many of you, but it is mainly meant for a certain few college friends of ben's (you know who you are). an inside joke, if you will, of which involves a mispronounced animal. so upon having a short conversation with the jman, I realized I should probably start capturing this moment asap. because, well, since being welcomed into the fold, I've witnessed grown men answer the phone, greet one another after long periods of time, or even yell across the Lourve a mispronounced version of this same little word.

this one's for you 2b et al...might you always feel free to channel your inner 10 year old self.

go blue

amidst a sea of green, we're still a maize and blue family here (and of course black and gold, but are little boys going to cheer for anyone but who their dad is cheering for? unlikely). and do I get some 'good wife' award for putting the boys in this attire? especially since it required searching through the 12-18 month clothing box after Thatcher blew threw outfit #1?

meet:

Hootie. 

(pronounced 'WhoTee'...with two very distinct syllables.)

I realize he has made an appearance before, but until now, he's just been the nameless cozy coup that roams the backyard.

But his very proud owner found a suitable name. And Hootie has since been a part of our daily conversation and an oft sought after friend for times of solitude and reflection during this spot of nice weather.

The naming went something like:

J:  "I'm going to take Hootie to Walmart to get somefing."

B: "Take who?"

J:  "Hootie. My car."

And so it was.

And now you've had a proper introduction. Because I think Hootie may be joining us in many days to come...

4 months

{4 months}

found your voice... in a big way.

we've entered the great "keep swaddling?" debate.  you can bust out of it, yet don't know what to do with your arms once they're free.

oh, and sleep training. you're picking up quickly (and sleeping better), but I hate doing it. however, you've left us no other option.

still just an all around joyful baby.
16lbs. 8oz (77%) 26.5 in (91%). 

 continuing to love your brother more every day. he almost has you rolling over just to see him.

you actually took your first bottle. finally. and it wasn't as bad as you thought.
you continue to be pretty low key...and as long as you're full and rested, you're willing to hang out with about anyone.

comparison

We've been getting a lot of opinions lately about whether or not the boys look alike. I certainly think that they each have their own look, but you can definitely tell they're brothers. What do you think?

pre-bed wrestling

I have a feeling this is what is going to be happening in my living room for many years to come...

whole wheat blueberry scones

I made these the other day, and they were good. I'm not too dogmatic about only cooking healthy/with healthy ingredients (okay, not dogmatic at all...I like good food and would rather go with a moderation approach than an eating cardboard one) but when I stumbled across these on Pinterest, I thought I'd give them a whirl. Whole wheat flours, not much sugar, and substitute greek yogurt for some of the butter. I even pulled out my stash of blueberries (which I keep frozen from the summer and am a bit...stingy...with). Worth making. I know I will be again.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons turbinado
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• zest of one lemon
• 3/4 -1 cup blueberries 
• 1/2 cup plain low fat Greek yogurt 
• 1/2 cup low fat milk 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Combine flours, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and whisk together.
3. Slice butter and drop into dry ingredients. If you have a pastry cutter, use it to cut the butter into the flour. If you don’t have a pastry cutter, use a knife to cut the butter into tiny pieces and mix it into the flour.
4. Add blueberries and lemon zest and gently stir. You can use frozen blueberries, no thawing necessary.
5. Gently mix in milk and yogurt. Eventually you’ll need to use your hands to knead the last of the flour into the dough.
6. Form dough into a circle about that’s about an inch deep all around. Cut the circle into 8 slices.
7. Separate slices and place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper or foil.
8. Sprinkle the tops of the scones with a bit of raw sugar.
9. Bake for 15 minutes or until light brown

Speaking of Pinterest...I actually have made several things that I've pinned. Mostly recipes, but I will try to keep you apprised on my Pinterest productivity--so as to prove that my time pinning is most certainly time well spent.