Home Made Fruit Roll-Ups

This recipe was in my September issue of Food Network Magazine, and it really got me inspired to make something home-made for my little guy. He LOVES fruit snacks, but they are so loaded with sugars and preservatives that I would much rather have him eat something that is wholesome and you can pronounce all the ingredients. We decided to make a Strawberry-Banana flavor, and they turned out really well! They are time consuming, so don't try to make them in the morning and have them be ready by lunch!

For the complete recipe, go to FoodNetwork.com

Bath Time Fun!

Brendan has been loving his baths now that he is in his big boy bath chair! Here are a few pictures of bath night the other night!

Liam always looks so excited to take pictures

Taking a bite out of tigger

Making splashes

Everything goes in the mouth for this smiley guy!

4th of July!

We had lots of fun on the 4th! We went over to my parents house for a bbq and Liam did some swimming in his little pool. We tried to get Brendan in the pool, but I think it was a little too cold for him, and he started freaking out. Afterwards, we headed over to Yucaipa High School to watch the fireworks. We found an empty field behind the high school and sat in the trunk to watch the fireworks. Liam loved them, and each color was a Power Ranger. Brendan just watched for the first half, then fell asleep! It was a great night! Liam has been asking each day since to see more fireworks!

6 months - a few weeks late!

It's a few weeks late, but here is Bredan's 6 month update!

Brendan had his 6 month check-up about 2 weeks ago, and it doing well. He is almost 18 pounds and measured 24.5 inches. The doctor was a bit concerned because at his 4 month checkup, he was the same height. To me that's not correct. We all feel that he has gotten taller, and he no longer fits into his 3 month clothes and barely his 6 month clothes. His feet are hanging out of his car seat and in general, he just feels longer. The doctor said she wants to watch it and we'll make sure to check him at his 9 month check-up. She said that if he had lost weight, she would have been more concerned. I think he was measured wrong at his 4 month check-up, but that's my own opinion :)

Brendan is trying so hard to crawl right now. He really tries to pull himself to things that he wants and he actually gets there. He will be mobile before we know it. He's sitting up pretty good, but still falls over after a while. He eats like a champ! If he hasn't had his meals by a certain time, he gets really cranky! He loves his brother and really enjoys playing with him. Liam is the one person that can make Brendan laugh hysterically. His personality is really growing and he is so much fun. He loves going places and seeing people, and loves to ham it up with the ladies!

5 Years

Today Deron and I celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary! We went to the movies and out to lunch at our favorite restaurant, Chevy's. I can't believe it has been 5 years already. But, 5 years and 2 kids later, here we are! I am lucky to be married to such a great man. We've had to endure a lot as a couple and family over the last year, and I wouldn't want anyone else by my side. I love you very much Deron, and look forward to many more years together!

Brendan - 5 1/2 months

Brendan is just doing so much more these days. And, I realized the other day that it has been a long time since I have taken pictures. So, here are a few pictures from today.

Brendan is such a smiley baby. He loves laughing at his brother, and has been trying so hard to sit up. I think within the next few weeks he should be sitting up pretty well. He LOVES to eat baby food. We cannot feed it to him fast enough, and he gets so mad when it is all gone. We are pretty sure that he is getting a tooth. His drooling has increased quite a bit, he's really chewing on his fingers and he seems to have a lot of discomfort when he is drinking a bottle. Hopefully, we will see something pop up soon! He is growing up so fast and we are loving watching his get bigger. He really loves his brother and wants to be involved in everything Liam is doing. I can't wait to see these two boys as they grow older.

1st Week of Preschool - Complete!

Liam started preschool this past Thursday, and he is having a blast. I will admit that when I dropped him off on Thursday, I spent the rest of the day worrying and hoping that he was going to have a good day, and wouldn't tell me he never wanted to go back when I picked him up. All my worries were gone when I went to get him and the director told me that he acted as if he's always been going to school there. He ate all his food, took his nap, played well with the kids, listened to the teachers and even helped clean up! The cleaning up part baffled me because we cannot even get him to do that at home! The whole way home all he did was talk about school. He really had the best time. On Friday when I dropped him off, he sorta freaked out and started crying. But he was fine by the time I got to the car and did great once more kids started getting there. He gets reports sent home each day and everything has been positive. He even seems to favor one kid, Wilbur, since that is who his teachers says he's been playing with each day. It makes my heart smile to see my little boy enjoy something so much, and since that something is school, it makes me even happier. Hopefully he will always love school :)

Here is his first project: a caterpillar, from the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar

When I picked Liam up on Friday and we were going to get his stuff, he said to me, "Mom, did you know that caterpillars turn into butterflies? They are hungry, then they turn into butterflies!"