Jacob at 4 Months

Here are a few pics taken on the 25th, at 4 months old.  Hard to believe he is that old already!  He truly is one of the happiest babies I have known.  We love his smiles and laughs!

First Rice Cereal

Both boys had a great check-up at the doctors yesterday morning.  Matthew weighed in at a whopping 34 pounds (84th percentile!), and he was 90th percentile for height.  Jacob was both 50th percentile for height and weight, weighing in at 14 pounds, 15 oz., and 25 1/5 inches long.  The doctor gave us the go ahead to give him a little rice cereal, and he enjoyed it, although he wasn't so sure how to eat it at first.  Here are the pictures we took to capture the event...

Ready to go...we gave Matthew some cereal too, so he could "participate"...

Hmmmm, what is this?

First bite...

Not so sure about it...

This stuff is pretty good!

Getting the hang of it...

Happy baby!

Our rice cereal foodie...

Cute video:

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Clever Clovers

 I came across these cute fun treats a few weeks ago while reading the Disney Family Fun Magazine.  I immediately knew I had to make them for St. Patrick's Day.  They are really simple, and oh so adorable!  What a great idea!

Start by arranging some yogurt-covered mini pretzels on wax paper as shown, adding broken pieces for the "stem"...

Combine 1/4 tsp. vegetable oil with 1/4 cup white chocolate chips an melt them together in the microwave according to the chips' package directions.  Dab the mixture between the pretzel pieces to adhere them.  Let the chocolate harden.

Working with one clover at a time, pipe the edges and stem with green icing (I used some cheap pre-made store brand icing, and added green food coloring to it.  I then placed it in a piping tube fitted with a round tip.)

Then quickly sprinkle them with decorating sugar (I used white, and green).

Voila!  Cute "Clever Clovers" for St. Patrick's Day! Enjoy...

Jacob Laughs at Himself

Here is a really cute video of Jacob discovering the "man in the mirror" and laughing at himself.  I love this age of discovery...

New Pics

A couple weeks ago we had Matthew's 3 year pics and Jacob's 3 month pics taken, and we were able to squeeze in a family picture!  Please excuse the quality, I had to scan them in.  Here are the highlights:

Matthew at 3 years...

Jacob at 3 months...

The boys together...

The family pic...

Asian Dumpling Soup with Vegetables

I found a recipe on the Tasty Kitchen website that looked good and easy sometime last year, and have been making it with my adaptations ever since.  It truly is quick, easy, and oh so yummy!  What can be easier than opening up some cans of broth and dumping in a frozen bag of Chinese potstickers?  There are minimal veggies to chop as well, but believe me, it comes together so fast, and is a family favorite for sure.

Asian Dumpling Soup with Vegetables

1 (48 oz.) box of chicken broth (or 48 oz. worth of canned broth)
1 can of coconut milk
1/2 to 3/4 tsp. of curry powder (to your taste)
1 or 2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 bag of frozen Chinese dumplings (such as pork, chicken, shrimp, veggie, etc...mine was a 20 oz. bag of pork and veggie dumplings)
1 or 2 mushrooms thinly sliced
1 or 2 green onions sliced on the diagonal
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves

Pour the broth, coconut milk, and curry powder into a pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Add the carrots. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the dumplings and mushrooms and simmer for about 8 minutes. (Do not cook the dumplings at a rapid boil or they will break open.) Add the green onions and spinach leaves and continue to simmer for about two minutes longer, or until the dumplings are heated through and the vegetables are tender enough.
Enjoy!

Jacob at 3 Months

Posting a few days late, but here is Jacob at 3 months old.  He is a real joy, and smiling all the time now!

Another step in babyhood...we have broken out the Bumbo seat, and he sits really well in it!

A short video...