happy boy

christian has always been a pretty happy boy. and now that he's going to someone else's house during the week while shane and i are at work, it's been quite the relief to see him remain so -- and then some.

yesterday when i arrived to pick him up after work (and i was even about 10 mins late...), he was pattering around in a toy car, all smiles, with no interest in getting out and every interest in showing off his driving skills for me. he even teased me by opening the plastic door several times like he might step out and give me a hug, and then he'd shut it playfully and continue on his way. when he finally did decide to step out and insisted i pick him up, i was all the more anxious to hold him close (all 26-plus lbs. of him! no wonder women have hips -- otherwise i'd have no chance of carrying him around).

{what a poser...definitely a sellers' trait}

on the way home, the happiness continued when he discovered some bubble wrap left behind from a package. he was all giggles as we fought our way through traffic on our way home to make dinner.

{the fact that he couldn't figure out how to pop it didn't seem to bother him...}

{at this point, he just wanted my phone -- his all-time favorite thing to play with...unfortunately}

it was just another one of those parenthood moments that makes your heart happy. even though my day hadn't started off so great it sure ended well. isn't it incredible how much love you can feel as a parent? indescribable for sure.

asian noodle salad

we made this recently and LOVED it. another pioneer woman hit. this is a raw veggie lover's dream. warning: it makes a TON. which was okay considering we didn't mind eating it for like three days straight. if that's your plan, be sure to keep the dressing separate and don't add cilantro to the dressing till you serve it. oh, and go easy on the hot peppers at first if you aren't a spicy person. you can always add more.

one thing i would change to hurry it up: chop the veggies in advance if you are planning to whip this up after church or at the end of a long day. your noodles will cook and cool faster than you can chop. (at least, if you are me.)

salad ingredients:

• 1 package linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
• ½ heads sliced napa cabbage, or more to taste
• ½ heads sliced purple cabbage, or more to taste
• ½ bags baby spinach, or more to taste
• 1 whole red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 whole yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 whole orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 bag bean sprouts (also called mung bean sprouts)
• chopped cilantro, up to 1 bunch, to taste
• 3 whole scallions, sliced
• 3 whole cucumbers peeled and sliced
• 1 can (about 10 oz.) whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet

dressing ingredients:

• 1 whole lime, juiced
• 8 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons (up to 3 tablespoons) sesame oil
• ⅓ cups brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons fresh ginger chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 whole hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped
• chopped cilantro

mix salad ingredients together. whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.

note: dressing keeps for up to three days before serving, without cilantro.

{confession: i'm already craving this again -- just from typing up the recipe! i can easily see why pioneer woman says this is her favorite salad EVER.}

another check-up: 15 months

now that he's 15 months old we finally got christian in for his one-year check-up. we went in closer to his birthday and he was running a fever so they treated him for an earache and we had to wait to do all the shots and such.

so today this tough guy put up with four shots in his cute chubby thighs. we also found out he has jumped from 75% percentile for height and weight to 90%...and that's with them adding in the fact that he's actually 15 months old, not 12. so i guess all that eating he's been doing has really paid off. we figured a growth spurt was under way but still. shane was sure impressed. he was always 90% for height and he's been waiting for christian to follow in his footsteps. i just keep hoping he doesn't get my short, stubby sellers legs. i guess time will tell.

christian's favorite things these days:

• bubble baths: he thinks it's hilarious to splash whoever is supervising him and he loves to float on his back with his head supported by one of our hands
  
• his ikea mutt and his black bear: he enjoys sleeping with both of them at night
• "playing" the wii: he begs us to turn it on and then pushes buttons for about five minutes before moving on to the next adventure -- his favorite is mario kart with the steering wheel
  
• reading books about animals -- especially ones with fur or feathers he can touch
• his push car: we push, he sits in the car -- although he enjoys getting out and pushing it too
• jumping on the tramp: i have mini trampoline for working out; he thinks it's his
• talking on the phone: he's always loved the phone but now he's jabbering more with people instead of just listening: he also interrupts his own jabbers with fake laughs -- SO funny!
  
• protein shakes: random but we've been making these more as we've been more dedicated in our workouts and he BEGS for a sip every morning -- must be the banana and ice!
• blackberry jam and toast (see exhibit a): i think his infatuation started because he saw us popping bread in the toaster in the morning before running out the door to work -- he basically wants to eat anything we eat but some thing stick more than others
  
• feeding himself with "real" silverware: a while back he refused to let us feed him in any way, shape or form so it's all on him to get things into his mouth -- most days he does pretty good -- he LOVES his fork -- but sometimes he gives up and digs in with his hands
• sleeping: he actually seems to enjoy taking naps and going to bed when the time is right -- if he's having trouble falling asleep we usually just have to slip a pacifier into his mouth and he dives back into his crib eager to escape to dreamland -- and oftentimes he'll sleep in if we let him
• his daddy: more and more, shane is his favorite toy these days -- he jumps with delight, says "dada" and runs to the door when he hears him come in -- and he often works his way into our bedroom when he knows shane is in there studying
• strawberries: if we see them in the store christian points at them and grunts until we pick them up and by the time we checkout he's halfway finished with them -- if only they weren't so messy!
• water: any kind will do: splashing in the sink as we try to wash his hands; standing in sprinklers outside as long as we let him; he's fearless at the splash park -- while the other kids his age are on the sidelines dipping their toes in he's taking on the water full blast; he'll jump in any pool, lake, etc. (which scares us to death!) we can't wait to get him swimming lessons next summer
• snuggling up in bed: he's fascinated by meri's make-shift bed in his room and will go lay on the pillow and pull the covers up, pretending he's ready for sleep
• climbing: on ANYTHING -- he's all over the couches, the church pews, the kitchen table (if we don't tuck the chairs in), the dishwasher, the toilet -- he stands up and dances on top -- like a victory dance maybe? he'll push things over to the counter so he can stand on them and then reach up or climb on top (this kid DEFINITELY keeps us on our toes!) in fact, he tried to climb the hood of the car the other day while we were waiting outside and was mad that he kept sliding off!
  
• hugging: lately he's been giving us these big, long hugs and sometimes he'll hug me and hum and i walk him around store or up to the apartment after a long day. we have such a sweet boy. {sigh}
  

toast, please!

christian is all about toast and blackberry jam in the mornings. here he is, still sleepy-eyed, enjoying a warm slice.

snuggle bug

yes, this is totally a christian-centric blog. i'll give you that. but i can't get over how content he was the other night, freshly bathed, bottle in hand, snuggled up next to his dad on the couch. oh, and let's not forget, he's obsessed with his little ikea mutt -- he insisted on rescuing him from the super-clearance section and now it's his favorite stuffed animal. {i'm not even going to think about how many little kids gave that pup a "cuddle" before christian discovered him...}

at 15 months christian is really starting to become a daddy's boy. he jumps for joy when he hears the door open and shane come home from work and/or class. (although, i will say, i'm still his preference when he's truly in need of comfort.)

balcony gardening 101

For three years now, we've killed several rounds of plants out on our balcony. Part of the problem is us and part of the problem is our location. Our poor plants get FULL SUN for much of the day and during the week sometimes we completely forget about them and by the weekend...well, let's just say they are looking pretty thirsty, if not totally shriveled up and dead.

However, the family below us has a brood of beautiful, thriving plants that are getting ready to yield some lovely produce. I'm totally jealous. I asked them what the trick was and they told me: EarthBox.
I was intrigued and looked them up. They claim to the plants refreshed and make it near impossible to over water them. Next year, I'm thinking we just might have to splurge on these suckers. Think it could be worth it? Maybe for once we can make it through the growing season without drying up all our herbs and produce. {Either that or we'll need to plan some extra trips to California during harvest time so we can steal fresh veggies and spices from my parents' and grandparents' impressive gardens.}

three years + eternity

Shane and I have been married three years as of today. We celebrated by going on a little retreat this past weekend. We kicked of the marathon date by seeing Toy Story 3 in 3D -- yes, maybe not the most romantic movie on the block, but it was a nice way to get our mind of everything and enjoy a few laughs (and tender moments) together.

wearing our 3D glasses
{forgive Shane's squinting, the poor guy was blinded by the flash}

From there it was off to a fancy dinner with a beautiful view and then a stroll around Crystal City -- our old dating digs. We definitely miss being so close to the Mt. Vernon trail and DC itself but our life on the West End of Alexandria has been good to us.

Neither of us can believe we've already been married three years. We've definitely had some ups and downs along the way -- what with school, career decisions, our first child, new jobs, etc -- as most everyone has, which probably makes it all go by that much faster. But we also can't get over how sweet life has been to us -- and we look forward to the many more years we have together -- in this life and the next.

christian vs. yogurt

Christian insisted on feeding himself yogurt this morning. It's not often that he lets us feed him these days. By the time he was done I had to laugh at what a mess he had made -- and he had just been showered too. At least I had the sense not to get him dressed for the day till after breakfast.

I think the yogurt definitely won...

eggplant & grape tomato pizza

Confession: we tried out Pioneer Woman's favorite pizza recipe yesterday and LOVED it. Even my sister, Meri, who's in town visiting was a fan. At first she was a little weary of the eggplant but by the end, she told me that we need to make it again. Soon.

Fine by me.

Here's the recipe, from Pioneer Woman's website (between prep and cook time, this will take about an hour to churn out):

FOR THE CRUST (MAKES TWO CRUSTS):

• 1 teaspoon Active Dry Or Instant Yeast
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• ⅓ cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

FOR THE PIZZA:

• 1 whole Large Eggplant (or Two Medium Eggplants)
• Kosher Salt, For Sprinkling
• 1 pint Grape Tomatoes
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 8 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Very Thin
• ½ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil For Drizzling
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

TO MAKE THE CRUST:

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined.

Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you need it. ***It’s best to make the dough at least 24 hours in advance, and 3 or 4 days is even better.

TO MAKE THE PIZZA:

Preheat oven broiler.

Slice the eggplant thinly. Sprinkle both sides with kosher salt and place into a strainer in the sink. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant lightly in cold water, then pat the slices dry between layers of paper towels.

Slice grape tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss into a bowl with minced garlic.

Slice mozzarella very thinly.

Cut eggplant slices into fourths, and toss with olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and place 8 inches under the broiler.
Broil for 3 minutes, then toss around and broil another 3 minutes. Remove pan from oven and add tomato/garlic mixture. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove and set aside. (May do this 1 hour in advance.)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and use fingers to coat thoroughly. Remove HALF the pizza dough from the bowl. Stretch pizza dough into a large rectangle, pressing with fingers to finish forming. Dough will be very thin.

Lightly drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and use fingers to spread. Lay mozzarella slices over the surface of the dough. Spread vegetables all over the surface of the cheese. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly. Remove from pan and slice with a pizza cutter. Serve immediately!

one little monkey jumping on the bed

Recently, Christian got a new crib recently and he was super-excited. Well, I should say he finally got a crib. He's been sleeping in a pack'n'play in our room almost his entire life. I thought he'd have a hard time adjusting to life in his own room, but he's doing just fine. If anything, Shane and I are the ones having a hard time adjusting. It's weird not to see him pop up out of his crib in the early hours of the morning begging to sneak into our bed. The other night he wasn't sleeping well and it was kind of fun to have him nestled in between us like old times.