In this JOYFUL life: May 2013

Hello friends! Many people have been asking for the quinoa patty recipe from my instagram! I would like to say it is certainly not my recipe, I got it from one of my favorite recipe source Mel's Kitchen Cafe. She is a momma of 5 and cooks everything from scratch. She is amazing. She has tons of delicious recipes that I frequent. The two I made last night were her Little Quinoa Patties and her Mexican Tomato and Corn Salad. I used italian bread crumbs in the quinoa patties as she gives you the option of saltines, ritz or bread crumbs... its just what I had on hand. The patties are DELISH and a great healthy source of protein and fiber. I made the corn salad for a memorial day party and had all the ingredients to make it again, and so I did. I hope you enjoy these recipes and find other great ones from Mel's. I will certainly let you know others that I make and approve :)

Dinner last night: Quinoa patties, broccoli and Mexican tomato and corn salsa. Yum.

Well here we are at 9 and a half months doing our 9 month update! Things have been very busy but very good around here! When I do my little "monthly recaps" it really sums up the month prior so now that they are officially 9 months, I am actually summing up month 8. Make sense? Okay....

This month the babies dropped their evening catnap and are taking 2 naps a day lasting 1.5-2 hours each. They are still breastfeeding four times a day and have now officially become consistant solid food eaters! They usually get solids with 2 out of 4 meals––usually lunch and dinner. At breakfast they get a lot of my milk since I have lots to give them in the morning from not feeding them overnight, so they don't usually get breakfast with that. At the last before bedtime feed, they usually have just milk there too. They are going to bed at 8pm and waking up at 8am, sleeping all through the night. Still no crawling or talking yet, just babbles. They are really interacting with each other this month which is oh so precious. They have had a few little conversations and smile at each other lots (as well as take each others toys) They are still cloth diapered and this month we switched to cloth wipes! I love them so intensely I want to cry just looking at them. They are my joys and my heart is so full. Here are more specifics on each baby...

Jack Henry: You have finally decided to roll from your back to your belly! You are much more physically active this month! You can change positions, like starting off seated and then roll on to your belly, and then on to your back but you still strictly sleep and stay on your back in your crib. When you sit on your bottum, sometimes you will rock back and fourth. You have FINALLY decided to like food! I mixed some avocado and banana together in my vitamix and that is what started it all for you! Now you are even a better eater than your sister! You love baby einstein and praise baby videos, you totally trance out when you watch them so we limit you there :) You love playing peek-a-boo and especially love it when we play with you covered under a blanket! You are still our talker and love to babble and talk often! I find my self listening to your coos in the other room and wish I could pause that moment in time and come back to it often because eventually you wont coo and babble anymore. You will talk. Your growth and development makes mommy so happy and proud but I am watching you grow so quickly that I cherish everything "baby" about you, and your babbles are my favorite. You also love to squeal and screech which I am obsessed with! You feel HUGE to me. Like you feel twice as big and heavy as your sister. We will find out your weights next week at your nine month appointments. I love you so much my precious baby boy.

Hadley: You are my teeny tiny cupcake. You feel so much smaller than Jack Henry and I love how teensy you are! You are so gentle and delicate and just precious! You are still so interested in everything and are just busy busy busy. You look like you are close to crawling as you have been on your hands and knees and rocked back and fourth a couple of times. You and your brother love to go on walks in the park. We go every morning and I think you are just so in your element there as you just sit back in the stroller, so calm and good and soak in everything there is look at. You love our kitty Moo. You laugh with delight when he walks past you. You do the most precious thing in the world when you get excited... you make this gasping sound like you are gasping for air and you get the biggest grin on your face. When I go to get you out of your crib from naps you make this delightful sound and it fills my heart with joy. You don't talk as much as your brother but you love to laugh and will belly laugh when we give you kisses. You are my precious girl and I love you!