Thursday, January 26, 2012

Green Smoothies

Do you know about them? Are you into them? Patrick and I are a little bit obsessed these days. I typically drink one in the mornings as my breakfast. Patrick often drinks one at night after a work out. Even Charlie drinks them! We call them his Good Morning Milkshake.
Recipe-ish: (you pretty much use whatever you have)
1-2 handfuls spinach/kale/any leafy green
1 banana
Greek yogurt (I'm partial to the vanilla kind)
Sweetener- agave nectar or honey
Fruit- we have used blueberries, strawberries, peaches, pears, apples, pineapple and any combination (again, whatever we have)
Additions- hempseeds, chia seeds, raw almonds, cocao nibs
1/4 cup OJ
(Our blueberries are typically frozen, so they act as our ice)

Blend and enjoy! And, an added benifit.... my yoga instructor was talking about Green Smoothies and how it boosts your breast milk. She used the analogy of cows eating grass and how good their milk is. Same concept... the more leafy greens we eat= better milk for the baby.

A little education...
Cocoa nibs: Cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than any food tested so far, including blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas. In fact, it has up to four times the quantity of antioxidants found in green tea!
Hempseeds: Excellent plant-based protein source
Chia seed: The mighty chia seed is a powerhouse food, high in protein, fiber and the essential omega-3 fatty acid ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.

Another recipe that I have become addicted to are Healthy Oatmeal Cookies. I add all of the above seeds and put in 1/4 cup chocolate chips. The first time I made them they were a little dry, so I added agave nectar to the next batch and they came out much chewier.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Happy Birthday!

To my favorite nieces and nephew! Your 3 year old birthday party was a blast!

Cooper

Isabelle

Sophia

And, if you are looking for ideas as to what to get Charlie...
DON'T get him a drum set... we would never sleep.

DO get him a doctor's kit... it was a big hit!

Guess who is 2 months old?


We go for his 2 month check-up on Friday... will update then.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Christmas Videos 2011



Pretty exciting stuff! Pictures to come soon.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Let's compare...

Charlie at 6 weeks

Collier at 6 weeks

Charlie at 6 weeks

Collier at 6 weeks

Do you think I look like my big brother?

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Collier rolled over

when he was just 11 days old!

The dcotor said it was probably a fluke, but he continues to do it. He's a strong, little man.... or a genius... or maybe both!?!?

Possibly the best thing about having a newborn...


is the snuggles.

Collier- 1 month



Collier turned 1 month old on December 22. At our 1 month appointment he weighed 8.9 lbs (up from 7.14 just the week before that) and was 22 inches long (up from 19 3/4 at birth). Such a cutie, this little man!

Christmas Eve 2011

My little elves on Christmas Eve 2011:

Now that Charlie is almost 3, I am all about starting traditions for Christmas. Here are a few that we started on Christmas Eve... We completed our Advent ornament tree:
We made a peppermint platter...in the shape of a "C" so that Santa knows the Charlie and Collier live here.
We made gingerbread cookies:
And left the cookies and milk for Santa to eat:
And, Santa created Charlie's new costume closet.

December 2011

We had a quiet Christmas around here. It was the first time that we have just stayed in Dallas... and the first time that we have spent a Christmas with just our little family. I still tried to do something "Christmas-y" every day of the month with Charlie... same as I did last year.

We went to Northpark one day and saw the trains, went to Santa's storytime, heard some singers, and listened to Scrooge's Puppet Show. (It was the first time I had taken both boys anywhere... it was a big outing! Luckily, Patrick met us for lunch to help out.)
I still decorated for Christmas:
We made a gingerbread house:
Our elf "Chippy" made an appearance:
We decorated the tree:
And hung Christmas Cards:
The finished product:
And, we added ornaments to our Advent tree:
We also did an advent calendar on the iPad everyday, went to a couple of Christmas parties, and went on many Christmas light seeing expeditions. We are creating memories and traditions around here!