Dana's Dirtworks

Christmas 2011 Decorations

2012-01-15T22:43:00.000-06:00

I realize it is no long Christmas or 2011...but this is my scrapbook.

Thank you Pinterest for new decorating ideas!

Lil' D's 1st Christmas ornament!

2012 Pursuits

2012-01-15T21:54:00.000-06:00

I've never been a fan of New Year's Resolutions, and I feel that "resolution" has a very negative connotation because so many people make unrealistic ones that are doomed to fail. I also think people need to be more original in their resolutions. I often avoid the gym in the month of January because of New Year's resolutions! I don't think it is a bad idea to start the New Year with some new goals. So this year, I have some goals or pursuits. It would be nice to do this every year and reflect/revise/add new goals at the end of every year.

1. Plan and Save for kitchen renovations--We are not living in our forever home, and we have already decided that before we look at selling our house we need to do some kitchen renovations. I say, why not do them now so we can enjoy the kitchen, especially since we spend so much time there? Nicholas and I both have a lot of ideas, so I want to start writing them down, researching options and looking for deals. I feel that we have made so many reactive changes to the house and would really like to start making proactive changes!

2. Learn to cook with more of the food I want Lil' D to eat. I want Lil' D to be a "foodie" snob like his mom. There are so many foods that are jam packed with vitamins and minerals that I have really never eaten because I don't know how to cook them. I want to learn to cook with more foods like beets, quinoa, kale, and brussels sprouts. I like variety and want my family to, as well.

3. Let Nicholas do more. It may surprise you to know that I take on a lot of responsiblity. I have so many things I want to do...cook lots of food, make my own bread, homemade chicken broth, make creative finger food for Lil' D, blog, make scrapbooks, do needlepoint, and take pictures. There are also so many things that go into running a house with an 11 month old. I try to do it all and the reality is that is just not possible since what I really want to do most is enjoy my baby. I need to allow Nicholas to do things around the house without feeling bad that he is having to do it or I am not doing it and NOT try to tell him how to do it!

Christmas, Part II

2012-01-12T22:22:00.000-06:00

We went to Dallas the weekend of New Years to celebrate Christmas with my family. We left on Friday and spent the day in the Grapevine area. Friday afternoon we went to the Gaylord Texan and enjoyed their Christmas display.

Then we had dinner with my cousin, Mike and his girlfriend, Maria. Lil' D wowed them with his mad eating skills. We spent the night at Mike's, and my Aunt Jerry came over for a while to visit after dinner.

Saturday morning we had breakfast at The Original Pancake House. Lil' D wowed everyone with with his ability to put away the pancakes. Then we spent some time outside enjoying the beautiful weather, and Lil' D played with Major.

Saturday afternoon we walked around downtown Dallas looking at art and being tourists. We spent New Year's Eve with my family.

BaiBoo really wanted me to take pictures of her so I told her that I would take pictures of her sharing with Lil' D.

New Year's Day we had Christmas with my family. Lil' D had a great time opening more presents!

He met Great-Grandmother and Great-Granddady Williams for the first time.

Mini-J with her new dancing monkey.

Baby A and BaiBoo opened a few present that required a little assembly...

Reading "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"

Personality

2012-01-10T11:52:00.000-06:00

At church Sunday someone asked how old Lil' D was. 11 months, Saturday! Then she mentioned something about him having personality, so I wanted to take this opportunity to document Lil' D's Personality.

Bedtime Silly Time--When it is close to bedtime, Lil' D gets really playful. Currently, he likes to practice standing up and then fall down on Mommy or Daddy. When Nicholas gets him ready for bed, he puts him in the crib to take off his clothes. Lil' D starts bouncing around and plays peek-a-boo through the crib slates. And there are LOTS of giggles!
Peek-a-boo--Speaking of peek-a-boo, Lil' D loves it! He will play peek-a-boo with anything and anyone! Coming back from Dallas in December, Lil' D woke up about 45 miles outside of Austin. We found him playing peek-a-boo with passing cars using a blanket he found within reach of his car seat. He also will just move his head back and forth and close his eyes to "hide." And strangers are perfectly good peek-a-boo partners! Lil' D is such a flirt!
Car seat Meltdown--Lil' D is not all smiles and hugs. He definitely gets upset. Currently, he is unhappy about getting in his car seat, despite loving to go places. He starts screaming, arches his back, and straightens his legs. Despite Lil' D's amazing strength, it is still possible for one person to get him strapped in, but it is a little easier with two people!
Problem Solving--Lil' D is quite the little problem solver, and Nicholas loves giving him problems to solve. This morning he was trying to open the bottom drawer of the china cabinet. The drawer is filled with large candles, so it is heavy. There is a big box currently sitting in front of the cabinet that was preventing Lil' D from opening the drawer. He figured out that the more he tried to open the drawer the more the box would move and the further he could open the drawer.
Inquisitiveness--Lil' D is very curious, and he has a very serious face when he is examining something.
Mommy's Little Helper--Lil' D is beginning to be very helpful. He helped me fold diapers the other day by getting them out of the basket and handing them to me. Tonight he was handing me Tupperware lids.
I Know What I Want (Sometimes)--Lil' D is starting to point at things that he wants. It seems that distance is no obstacle. If Lil' D is being held, he will likely point and try to leap in the direction of his desire. Often he likes to reach for Mommy if Daddy is holding him and then immediately reach back for Daddy (and vice versa). If something happens that he does not like, he will make a sound that is a mix between a grunt and a scream. Sometimes he will clench his fists, flap his hands in the air, straighten his legs, scrunch his nose and mouth and close his eyes real tight or make a tight frown with his eyes open and his neck muscles flexed (like a Gila monster).
Some things Lil' D does not like: not knowing what he wants; not eating when other people are eating, or more appropriately when said people are not sharing; not getting his food fast enough, unless he is full, in which case he will drop the food on the floor; getting strapped into his car seat; laying down to have his diaper changed;
Some things Lil' D loves: reading books; Mommy and Daddy and people he knows; smiling and giving kisses; eating; nursing; exploring new places; playing with musical toys; playing with stacking toys; Peek-a-boo; dogs; being held by tall people
Lil' D is shy when someone first starts paying attention to him. If we are holding him, he will laying his head down on our chest/shoulder so he can still view the new person and will most likely give the new person a shy smile.

Overall, Lil' D is a calm, peaceful, easy to laugh, smart, curious, problem-solving little boy. We are most certainly blessed, but so is he. He is surrounded by people that love him, interact with him, and teach him new things everyday.

Dallas Arts District

2012-01-09T21:36:00.000-06:00

Nicholas, Lil' D and I spent New Year's Eve afternoon walking around the Dallas Arts District, enjoying the beautiful weather, and being tourists.

Nicholas caught me trying to read the map on my phone!

Tony Cragg exhibit at the Nasher Scultpure Center

2011 Recap

2012-01-04T21:19:00.048-06:00

After an usually busy December, we find ourselves thrust into 2012. There will be more posts about Christmas, but here I will pause to reflect on 2011.

January

We spent January preparing for baby! Nicholas was busy with the TSE jewelry project and spent long hours in his studio. We were blessed with two baby showers!

February

We celebrated Nicholas' 30th birthday, and we became parents. We spent the month of February experiencing life with a newborn and pretty much only leaving the house to go to the doctor. We had lots of visitors excited to meet Lil' D.

March

We started taking Lil' D out and about. We made our first visit to church, took Lil' D hunting for bluebonnets and enjoyed his first smile. Nicholas was very busy preparing for his shows in April. Lil' D and I spent a lot of time together, just the two of us.

April
I turned 30. We had more visitors, and took our first road trip to Dallas. Nicholas had two very successful art shows, and finally got to spend some more time at home with Lil' D and I. Nicholas and I had our first night out away from Lil' D.

May
I enjoyed my first Mother's Day and hosted the first annual Mother's Day Muffin Mixer. We took our first airplane trip with Lil' D to Colorado for Jeremy's graduation from Colorado State University. We had lots more visitors and celebrated Lil' D's baptism.

June
We took another road trip to Dallas and met new people. Nicholas had a great Father's Day, and Lil' D went swimming, something he loved! Lil' D also attended his first and second weddings in the same weekend.

July
We flew to Alabama to visit my aunts. Lil' D started eating solid foods! I was hot hot hot in Texas.

August
We took another road trip to Dallas and met more new people. Lil' D started crawling and pulling up to stand! Lil' D attended his third wedding. It was dreadfully hot in Texas!

September
We flew to Santa Fe to visit Nicholas' aunt and uncle. It was still dreadfully hot in Texas. We had family visitors from Dallas and Alabama. We all attended my cousin Chris' wedding. Nicholas and I started teaching Sunday School.

October
Lil' D's first Halloween! We spent a lot of time at church, teaching Sunday School and enjoying family events. We had many pumpkin photo shoots, enjoying the hint of Fall in the air and lots of time at the park. I changed jobs and Nicholas and I spent our first night away from Lil' D.

November
Lil' D and I made our first solo road trip to Dallas. He slept the whole way there and back. He woke up the morning after with his first stomach bug! Lil' D enjoyed his first Thanksgiving and some of his favorite foods--pumpkin, squash, and turkey. We took another trip to Dallas as a family.

December
Oh so many firsts! There were lots of Christmas presents, Christmas decorating, and tree hunting. We made an impromptu visit to Dallas for my Granddaddy's funeral. We stayed in Austin for Christmas and did lots of celebrating. traveled to Dallas the weekend of New Year's to spend Christmas with my family. Lil' D became an expert gift unwrapper!

Christmas, Part I

2012-01-02T21:19:00.000-06:00

Our first Christmas with a baby was filled with a whirlwind of presents and events! We went to the 5pm Christmas Eve service, which ended up being a somewhat difficult time for Lil' D based on his typical nap/nursing schedule. Though, he wore a smart looking three piece suit, so no one would have noticed that he was a bit fussy because he was too cute!

Afterwards, we had a little gathering at our house with Nicholas' family.

I made lots of yummy food and cookies!

Lil' D very determinedly opened his present from Aunt La La.

His "1st" bacon...that talks...

After everyone left, Nicholas and I started a new tradition where we each open a gift from the other person. Nicholas got slippers, and I got a pie shield, pie weights, and a swivel vegetable slicer I have been salivating over since early December.

Christmas morning, we woke up, got dressed and took some obligatory pictures in front of our tree before all the presents were gone!

The we headed over to Nicholas' parents house. We got there around 9:30. We started breakfast/coffee and sat down to open presents.

As I was filling stockings, I knocked all the stocking hangers down (and broke one) because I was stuffing them too much!

Lil' D got LOTS of toys...

like puzzles and blocks...

and books...

And a few non-toy things like a humidifier and diapers...

Other people also received gifts--

Lil' D had so many presents to open that he had to take a nap in between! He woke up in a very happy mood!

He then learned about bows and what happens to gift bows after they come off gifts.

Oh...and he opened some more toys.

Working on playing the harmonica with Daddy

We didn't finish opening until around 1pm. Then we had a nice Christmas dinner. Lil' D took another nap and enjoyed playing with all his new toys. He had so much fun playing that he was mad at us for leaving! He was not his usual easy to bed self! All in all it was a blessed Christmas, a great first Christmas for Lil' D, and a welcome joyous celebration in an otherwise no-so-celebratory December.

Family Pictures

2012-01-01T16:20:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had a little family photo shoot at the Huebner's. We started with testing the lighting with some very willing models.

Then Adrienne took some great pictures. Lil' D cooperated enough to get some nice pictures.

Dallas Impromptu Visit

2011-12-28T21:17:00.000-06:00

We went to Dallas two weekends ago after my grandfather passed away to be with my family and attend the funeral. In sad times, it is so nice to have so many young kids around to brighten the day.

Uncle Nick, I want you to stand right here!

Pretty new dresses

December Happenings

2011-12-22T22:53:00.002-06:00

Our December calendar was packed full of events before the after Thanksgiving meal nap. I have been busy working. After Nicholas recovered from the EAST Austin Studio tours, he has been hanging out with Lil' D, doing some much needed stuff around the house (more on that in another post), and helping to get ready for Christmas. We have both been very busy at church with Sunday school, church council, and youth events. We took Lil' D to the Christmas Party for his second visit with Santa. He's not too sure about Santa.
We went to my work Christmas Party. Aunt La La played with Lil' D. It was nice to go out just the two of us, something we have not done lately. AND we have a picture of just the two of us!

I was also helping with the Church Christmas pageant again this year. Unfortunately, I missed the pageant due to an impromptu trip to Dallas. My grandfather passed away on Friday at the age of 84. It was a small funeral, mostly just family, and I gave the eulogy. I will miss the way his face lit up when he saw me, even when he couldn't remember exactly who I was.

After coming back to Austin mid-week, I have been busy catching up at work. We are scrambling to finish getting ready for Christmas. I am hoping to get to some holiday baking this weekend!

SOTH Christmas Party

2011-12-22T22:42:00.000-06:00

Two Sundays ago we enjoyed our church's Christmas party. Lil' D was excited and fresh after a nap!

The theme of the party was "Away in a Manager." There was a Sheep Herding area for Lil' D and his friends!

There were crafts--creating a nativity ornmament garland keepsake. Pastor Heidi read a Christmas story.

There was a sing-a-long of pageant songs, and lots of yummy cookies!

And, of course, there was a visit from Santa! It was Lil' D's second trip on Santa's lap.

Ten Months

2011-12-21T17:38:00.000-06:00

At 10 months, Lil' D loves to cuddle, give kisses, is starting to give hugs, and flirts with everyone he sees! He puts himself to sleep at night and sleeps for an average of 10 hours. He eats three meals a day with snacks. While he eats lots of delicious food that Mommy makes, he is starting to notice if what he is eating is different from what is on Mommy and Daddy's plate. He loves dogs, especially Halley. He says "woof-woof," "Ma-Ma," "Da-Da," and something similar to ball and dog. He can be found crawling all over the house, throwing a tennis ball, putting things in containers, reading books, exploring the kitchen cabinets, eating, and spending time with family.

Lil' D's First Christmas Tree

2011-12-20T21:15:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving came and went. We had a great time. Lil' D discovered a new found love of all things turkey. There was no Christmas decorating in our house the weekend after since we were out of town. Plus, I think Nicholas has an aversion to decorating before December. Something about not enjoying one holiday before moving on to another. The first week of December came, and I was itching to get a tree; however, now that it is December, rain has come to Austin. Not so perfect weather for picking out a Christmas tree. I convinced Nicholas to go, anyway, to the Home Depot down the street...just to check and see how the trees looked.
Of course, we ended up getting a tree, Lil' D's first!

The tree had been slightly covered from rain, but we left it in the garage over night to dry a bit, just in case. On Sunday (during naptime), we rearranged the living room to make a semi-baby proof spot for the tree. When Lil' D woke up, we started the next generation tradition of cutting the bottom off the tree!

Lil' D helped a bit.

Watching Daddy

Hmmm...I think I understand, now. Let me try!

While we (Nicholas) brought the tree, Lil' D had a grand ol' time playing by himself.

We put the lights on a decorated the tree after Lil' D went to bed.

Dallas Thanksgiving Visit

2011-12-16T23:59:00.000-06:00

We visited Dallas the weekend after Thanksgiving. We left Saturday morning. Lil' D slept the whole way like the good little traveler that he is. We stopped at David and Brenna's to see the progress of their house. Nicholas and Lil' D chased the chickens.

Then we visited the Dallas Arboretum. It was cold and windy! Then we went to my parents house.

Practicing some of Daddy's yoga moves.

We drove to Arlington to have dinner with the Dellinger's and meet the new baby!

Saturday night we stayed in a hotel in Arlington. Sunday morning we met Justin and Baby for breakfast. I enjoyed some baby holding time.

Then we went over to my parents house. Aunt Dana and Baby A read some books.

Then we went to Santa's Wonderland at Bass Pro Shop.

Lil' D did NOT cry!

Afterwards, we had lunch with Logan, Kendall, and Baby A. Then we headed back to my parents house for the Lil' D Show!

Hooray!

Callie wants to play, too!

Come on, Callie!

Dallas Arboretum

2011-12-12T21:54:00.000-06:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we visited Dallas. We spent a windy Saturday afternoon walking around the Arboretum, enjoying what was left of Cinderella's Pumpkin Village and introducing Lil' D to his first reindeer!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-11T22:50:00.000-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving at Nicholas' parents' house. We spent Wednesday night chopping vegetables. Thursday morning we started pulling things together and doing our using morning "things" like eating breakfast, nursing Lil' D, feeding Lil' D breakfast, and getting dressed. We headed over to Nicholas' parents' house to help get ready for dinner. Lil' D took a nice long nap before all the guests starting arriving.

But Dad...I want to help with the recycling!

Playing peek-a-boo with Grandma

Lil' D enjoyed turkey, roasted vegetables, bread, and squash.

We ate Thanksgiving dinner around 1:30pm. The menu: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, salad, vegetable tray, brussel sprout slaw, cranberry sauce, five cup salad, sweet potatoes, roasted root vegetables, rolls, deviled eggs, relish tray, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple dumplings, snickerdoodles with Ceylon cinnamon, and snickerdoodles with China cinnamon.

After dinner we went for a walk around the block. Lil' D watched Daddy and Uncle Jeremy play football.

Halley and Socks

2011-12-11T21:49:00.000-06:00

Nicholas' parents have been helping to watch Lil' D during the day. They have a golden retriever named Halley. Lil' D, of course, LOVES Halley. Halley loves that Lil' D drops food on the floor. As a retriever, Halley retrieves things. Like SOCKS. At Nicholas' parents' house, everyone knows not to take off their socks and leave them on the floor, because they will eventually end up in Halley's mouth.

One day Nicholas' mom saw Halley walking around the house with something in her mouth. Upon further inspection, she realized it was a Lil' D sock! Shortly thereafter, Lil' D was found crawling around the room with one of his socks in his mouth!

The Winds of Change

2011-12-09T21:34:00.000-06:00

The winds of change have been blowing around here. Obviously, with a baby, there is always change, but here I am talking about different life changing events. In September I found out my job was changing, and the future was uncertain. After that, there was a little pouting, a little action, and a lot of praying. God does provide. Within a few weeks a permanent job was available for me, and in the mean time I worked on a temporary project. Of course, everything is busy and crazy when you start a new job, and here there was no exception. Things have calmed down temporarily but will ramp up just before Christmas. Hooray!
In addition to job changes and baby fun, Nicholas and I have both committed to being more involved in our church. We both joined committees in August--Worship and Music for Nicholas and Child and Family for me. We both also teach Sunday School---middle school for Nicholas and 1-3 year olds for me. I was recently elected to Church Council, so for three years, I will be very busy with that. I am also a 7th grade Confirmation mentor.
Needless to say, our Sundays are pretty busy. Lil' D has been enjoying going to Sunday School with Mommy. Luckily, my class is only 30 minutes instead of an hour like Nicholas' class (though all the middle schoolers and high schoolers LOVE Lil' D).
Nicholas and I are both incredibly blessed that for most of Lil' D's first year, we have both been able to spend so much time with him. We pray that 2012 brings new opportunities for both of us to further our careers but still continue to enjoy our family together.

Christmas Card Outtakes

2011-12-07T21:45:00.000-06:00

Nine Months

2011-12-02T21:45:00.000-06:00

At 9 months Lil' D has four teeth. He can clap, wave hello and goodbye, and give big slobbery kisses! He crawls really fast but really hasn't shown much interest in walking. He loves to play peek-a-boo and often is the "hider." He weaned himself off the pacifier (probably because he realized it puts him to sleep), but it still working on finding a different way to self-soothe himself.

E.A.S.T.

2011-12-01T13:48:00.000-06:00

The two weekends before Thanksgiving marked the 10th EAST Austin Studio Tour. This was Nicholas' second year to participate.

Dr. Chip Miller partnered with Nicholas on the second Saturday. He is a classical pianist.

Lil' D enjoyed Daddy's art (and smiling at all the visitors)!

Christmas Lists

2011-11-30T22:14:00.000-06:00

Putting together Christmas lists is always difficult for me. I think of things throughout the year, and I always tell myself I should write it down. Or I think I will put it away in the "Christmas List" spot of my brain for retrieval later when I actually go to write the list. Inevitably, that part of my brain stays locked when I put my fingers on the keyboard. Now I have three Christmas lists to put together...

How do you write a Christmas list as a 30 year-old new mom?

The last book I picked up explained what to do for a vomiting child. I have tried many times since Lil' D was born to pick up a book, but I always lose interest, and I like to spend more than 5 minutes at a time reading a book, anyway! I spend most of my free time blogging, editing pictures, and scrapbooking about Lil' D!
I am old enough now to buy things for myself throughout the year.
Many things I want can't be wrapped and put under the tree...bye-bye lingering baby weight; for my blonde-haired, blue-eyed alarm clock to wait until at least 6AM to ring; to spend all day everyday taking pictures of said alarm clock; the luxury of travel without the price tag; the ability to take a nap without waking up to regret it; time for more than a 30 minute workout; time with my husband, in the middle of the day.
I really want it to be 100+ degrees for over half the year. I want to wear sweaters, layers, and accessorize!
I want time to do all the things in the kitchen that want and for my groceries to be delivered.

I find myself needing/wanting fewer "things." What I really want is to spend time playing with my baby (and taking pictures of him)!

Dallas Zoo

2011-11-29T12:10:00.000-06:00

On our visit to Dallas two weeks ago, my brother, Logan, and I took Baby A and Lil' D to the zoo. It was Lil' D's first visit!

This was as close to the stroller as Baby A would get to Lil' D! Silly girl!

Finally beginning to look like Fall!

Baby A running to Aunt Dana!

Checking out the monkeys.

Cute cousins!

Mommy's Little Monkey

A penguin jumped in the water as we were leaving. Lil' D was very happy!

Christmas Card 2009

2011-11-25T17:39:00.002-06:00

Wishes Whirl Holiday

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View the entire collection of cards.

Dallas November Visit

2011-11-25T17:39:00.000-06:00

On Veterans Day, Lil' D and I embarked on our first road trip together without Nicholas. We left around Lil' D's morning nap time, and he napped the whole way to Brenna's house (3 hours)! What a super baby! We stopped by Brenna's house to see all the construction progress (a new breakfast room and longer kitchen counter space). We had lunch and enjoyed some girl time/catching up while Lil' D enjoyed eating, drinking, and then playing in Mommy's car.

We went over to my parents house for the afternoon/early evening and spent time with aunts/uncles/cousins/grandparents.

Teaching Uncle Logan how to play "Arms Up."

We spent the night in a hotel. My, my it is a lot of work toting a baby and all the baggage that accompanies us into a 3rd floor hotel room! I left my rolling cart in the room all night since I knew I would need it the next morning, and Lil' D really needed to go to sleep!

Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast and packed up to head back to my parents house.

We had lunch with my friend, Jeff, who had not met Lil' D yet. Lil' D, true to form, was a very entertaining eater! After lunch, Logan and I took Lil' D and Baby A to the Dallas Zoo. It was Baby A's second trip and Lil' D's first! It was a short trip, but both babies enjoyed the adventure!

After the zoo, we went back to my parents house for more visiting and dinner.

Aunt Kendall, I love your new hair color!

After dinner, I readied Lil' D for bed, and we began our journey back to Austin. Lil' D slept most of the way. Unfortunately I had to stop for gas, and of course, he woke up. But I was entertained by a baby that was happily waving at me through the back window! We got home, and Daddy put Lil' D to bed. He slept all night long. Sunday morning we got him out of bed to find he had a stomach bug! I am so thankful that I drove home Saturday night!

Nicholas' Witticisms

2011-11-21T20:57:00.000-06:00

Since Lil' D isn't speaking in sentences yet, and I already feather the blog with my witticisms, I decided to capture some of the crazy things Nicholas says. Oh it's always laugh time at our house!

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(said with a silly grin) "What?!? I'm not being ridiculous."
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On tasting Sawyer's dinner of turnips mixed with sweet potatoes and oregano:
Me: It tastes interesting.
Nicholas: I'm surprised he hasn't had more of a reaction. Do you think he has a taste deficiency, or do you think he really does like everything?
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Nicholas--after tasting Sawyer's dinner of plums and barley, "It tastes kind of like plums and hard cracker crumbles. It's not bad. If I was in an orphanage, this would definitely be my favorite meal."
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Nicholas--"...because you're a hoss, and I mean that in a sweet way."
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Nicholas--"He's so adorable in that shirt, it's almost too much for me to handle!"
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Stomach Bug---The First

2011-11-18T21:51:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I took my first solo road trip with Lil' D. We left for Dallas Friday morning, and he napped the entire time on the ride up! It was a short trip. We drove back to Austin Saturday night at Lil' D's bedtime. He slept most of the time. He woke up while I was getting gas so he could wave really hard at me! He went back to sleep. Nicholas took him up to bed when we got home, and he slept all night long.
Nicholas got up with Lil' D and brought him to me. For the first time ever Lil' D did not want to nurse in the morning! We spent the morning with Lil' D not interested in eating/nursing and throwing up. I did end up going to the doctor before the after hours clinic closed on Sunday. I think we have survived our first stomach bug, and the only other person that go sick was Grandma. Poor Grandma!

Halloween

2011-11-13T17:23:00.000-06:00

Lil' D had a great first Halloween weekend. He sported his super cool costume that was made with lots of love (and months of attention) by his Aunt La La. He was a luchador, El [Lil' D] Supremo! On Saturday we met up with the Huebner's for lunch. Then Nicholas' family came over for dinner for his uncle's last night in town. On Sunday we had a busy, busy day. We visited Cedar Park for my friend, Wendy's birthday. Then we went to the Halloween party at church.

Afterwards, we stopped by Nicholas' parents house to show off Lil' D. It was his first trick-or-treat door opening!

Monday afternoon we went over to the Huebner's house to take a few pictures of babies, pumpkins, and Halloween costumes.

Then we went over to the Turmans house for trick-or-treating with all the big kids!

Parade of Visitors--6 Months to 9 Months

2011-11-11T21:34:00.000-06:00

All the people who met Lil' D for the first time between 6 and 9 months.

Stacey

Meredith

MaryAnn

Tom Adler

Great-Aunt Wendy

The Pody's

Alpha Dog

2011-11-09T12:30:00.000-06:00

We don't have any animals, but we have lots of friends and family that do. Nicholas' parents have a dog, and she has been pretty good with Lil' D (even when he cries!). Now that Lil' is very mobile, he is very aware of everything on the floor at his level, including dogs. Lil' D shows no fear with exploring his environment and tries to crawl right up to dogs. Each dog reacts a little differently.

Halley--Nicholas' Parents' dog (Golden Retriever)
Halley is pretty good with Lil' D. She lets Lil' D touch her, and just walks away when she is tired of Lil' D. She has learned that Lil' D drops food on the floor, but is careful to only grab it once Lil' D lets go.

Izzy--Nicholas' Aunt and Uncle's dog (Standard Poodle)
Izzy wasn't really sure what to think of Lil' D. Lil' D would try to crawl up to her, and Izzy would back up and bark. Lil' D would growl back, and Izzy would bark more. At one point, Izzy tried to hide behind me! Apparently the bark Izzy was using for Lil' D was different than any bark she has ever used before!

Theo--The Dellagiacoma's dog (Grand Pyrenees)
We went to meet the newest addition to Lil' D's 2011 baby friends. The Dellagiacoma's have two dogs, Theo and Lucy. Lucy was very friendly with Lil' D (trying to lick his face). Theo was not sure what to think of Lil' D. He kept a safe distance and barked at Lil' D from afar. When Lil' D was crawling on the floor, Theo tried to stay away from him. It was pretty cute to watch Lil' D try to chase Theo around the couch!

To recap, Lil' D gets really excited to see his furry friends. Not all the furry friends are excited to see him. Lil' D kicks his arms and legs in excitement. He gets a little high pitched scream. Sometimes he growls. Sometimes he barks back. But he definitely has no fear.

Cow Hunting

2011-11-01T20:14:00.000-05:00

Two weekends ago we took Lil' D cow hunting around Austin around the Cow Parade. "Art" cows have been adorning Austin landmarks since July, and I wanted to capture Lil' with the cows. They will be auctioned off for Dell Children's Hospital in mid-November. On Saturday, we hit the payment with the jogging stroller and canvassed all over dowtown from the River to the Capital to City Hall to Whole Foods. Lil' D was quite a trooper!

Cow #1 was a Psychodelic Crossword cow. We are both looking pretty cute before getting a little sweaty and windblown.

Lil' D also enjoyed taking breaks from stroller riding to see everything from Daddy's vantage point.

Green Grass!!

This was the Girl Scout Anniversary cow. Fortunately we captured this cow on Saturday because it was littered with Occupy Austin protesters on Sunday!

We went cow hunting on Sunday after church and a nap. I promise we also fed little boy first!

This is the Schlotzsky's Bun Run cow. I think Lil' D enjoyed Day #2 of cow hunting less than Day #1. We mostly just drove around and hopped out of the car so there was a lot of getting in and out of the car seat. All in all it was a wonderful weekend, though, and we captured about 40 cows!

Baby Schaefer--3 Weeks

2011-10-30T21:48:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of photographing CC a couple weeks ago. He is ADORABLE!

Eight Months

2011-10-23T14:21:00.000-05:00

At eight months, Lil' D can win a crawling race, stand up and "cruise" around furniture. He is a pro at feeding himself finger foods and has exponentially increased his palate. He says "ma-ma" and "da-da" and knows which one of us he is talking to. He can wave and give kisses. He has three teeth, loves knocking down towers, cuddling, exploring, searching for hidden objects, reading books, and looking for Mommy in the kitchen.

Dancing with L

2011-10-14T21:16:00.000-05:00

One of the best things about weddings is all the dancing. I love watching all the cute kids dancing. My cousin's daughter L is 5 years old and a bundle of energy. She was all over the dance floor at the wedding, pulling anyone and everyone that was willing (or not so willing) with her.

L: "Spin me faster!"

Nicholas: "I can't spin you faster. We might run into someone."

L: "I DON'T CARE!!"

Me: "How do you want to dance?"

L: REALLY FAST!!

We spun around until I was about to lose my balance. When we stopped, she barely stumbled.

L: "Are you tired?"

Me: "Aren't you?"

L: "Never! Keep Dancing!"

Johnson Wedding

2011-10-10T17:24:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago my cousin was married at a castle in New Braunfels. It was Lil' D's fourth wedding. It was great to see my family.

Aunt Sharon always lets her nieces adorn her hair!

Nicholas getting some dancing in with a former professional dancer, my aunt.

Lil' D meeting Uncle David and Aunt Donna from Delaware.

Lil' D getting some dancing in before bedtime.

He fell asleep while dancing with my mom and slept in his stroller for the rest of the reception.

Family Weekend

2011-10-08T16:31:00.000-05:00

A couple weekends ago, my cousin was married in New Braunfels. My aunts from Alabama stayed with us for the weekend and my parents and little sister came to town for the wedding.

Lil' D just keeps growing everyday!

Before the wedding, we had a little birthday celebration for Aunt Judy. Happy Birthday!

We had a wonderful time at the wedding...but more on that in another post.

Aunts let Lil' D do things that Mommy and Daddy wouldn't normally let him do.

It was also a big weekend for the Schaefer family! They welcomed baby boy on 9/23! Congrats, Cam and Keith! He is absolutely precious.

How to Entertain a Baby at an Outdoor Wedding

2011-10-05T21:41:00.000-05:00

We went to my cousin's wedding a couple weeks ago. It was at a castle in New Braunfels (a.k.a unicorn country), and the ceremony was outside. Lil' D enjoyed the weather and GRASS! He "watched" the ceremony from the comfortable grass.

Santa Fe

2011-10-01T20:37:00.000-05:00

Two weekends ago, we visited Nicholas' aunt and uncle in Santa Fe. It was Lil' D's third plane ride to his fourth state! We left Saturday morning and had a layover in Dallas. Lil' D fell asleep right as we were landing in Dallas, so we layed him out in the stroller while we ate breakfast at the slowest restaurant EVER. Luckily we had a two hour layover.

Our flight from Dallas to Albuquerque was overbooked so we were not able to take Lil' D's car seat on the plane (for the first time). We had been very fortunate thus far to not be on completely full flights, so even though we did not pay for a seat for Lil' D we were still able to have a whole row to ourselves. He was pretty good on the second flight, and we had a surprisingly smooth landing in ABQ.

Nicholas' Uncle Steve picked us up from the airport, and we had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen where Lil' D discovered his love for chewing on bendy straws. Oh, to be a baby again and discover so many new things everyday! It is a hour drive from ABQ to Santa Fe, so naturally Lil' D did some more sleeping. The weather was amazing and a much needed break from the 100+ degrees Austin days. One of the first things we did when we arrived in Santa Fe was introduce Lil' D to his bird cousins (of which there are many). They kind of just looked at each other.

Lil' D enjoyed exploring his new environment. He immediately practiced standing up on everything at his level. His favorite toy was a drum (a real, authentic one at that).

Friday night we had an amazing Moroccan dinner after Lil' D went to bed. Lil' D did not sleep well the first night AT ALL, so Sunday morning was interesting. We spent the later morning hanging around the house. Lil' explored the house some more.

Then we sat outside and he watched the dogs. Well, he watched Izzy licked the deck, but I am sure that she was just trying to protect us from the cat...

After lunch we went downtown to the plaza and enjoyed walking around.

We went to visit the Miraculous Staircase. Lil' D was impressed.

We enjoyed drinks on a rooftop deck that overlooked the plaza. Lil' D napped on Mommy.

We had dinner at Harry's Roadhouse and sat in the garden. It was beautiful, and Lil' D amazing Steve and Wendy with how much he can eat!

We got up Monday and had to leave Santa Fe by 8AM. Lil' D spent his 32 week birthday on Southwest. After we arrived back in Austin, Lil' D had completed his 10th flight leg! Oh, and Elijah Wood got on our plane when we were stopped in El Paso. It was Lil' D's first movie star sighting!

Technology and the Digital Abyss

2011-09-29T19:10:00.002-05:00

It's no secret that Lil' D is a well photographed little boy. In fact, Lil' D has his own blog. The boy currently has 6 photo books made especially for him and 3 family books that have been made (also mostly about him) since he was born. We have taken roughly 20,000 photos of Lil' D that comprise 45 GB on my external hard drive. My external hard drive that is on the verge of crashing.

I am dreadfully behind in blogging. We have visited New Mexico and attended a wedding, and I haven't blogged about either of those big events or all the other "little" events that Lil' D experiences everyday. In fact, I just blogged about Lil' D being 7 months old...8 days before he turns 8 months old!

I have spent a good portion of my limited free time the past two weeks attempting to move those 20,000 photos of Lil' D to another location since I have been too busy taking care of, taking photos of, blogging about, and just plain enjoying Lil' D to have backed them up, yet. *Sigh*

Rest assured that I will catch up on picture uploading, picture editing, and blogging in due time. And I will get most of those pictures moved and backed up. Technology is a wonderful thing, and I am grateful that I have the access and ability to scrapbook Lil' D on the Internet for all our friends and family to see. Sometimes it's like a 4th job (you know, behind being a Mommy and Wife, my actual job, and my almost full-time job volunteering at church). I do love it, and despite the frustration I have had the past couple weeks grasping at the photos of my little boy in the digital abyss, it has been wonderful to look back upon all his happenings these past 7.5 months. Goodness how he has grown and changed!

Seven Months

2011-09-29T14:40:00.000-05:00

At seven months, Lil' D can crawl on his knees, pull up to stand, and sit himself up. He is eating solid foods and has two teeth. He jabbers all the time, and says "Ma-Ma" and "Da-Da." He has outgrown his infant carrier carseat and wears size 12 month clothing! He loves to eat, sit on his knees, put everything in his mouth, swing, go for rides, and be outside.

In the Kitchen--Tacos Al Pastor with Grilled Pineapple Salsa

2011-09-25T21:29:00.000-05:00

Nicholas often orders tacos al pastor when we are eating out, so I couldn't pass up trying this recipe when I saw it in our Cooking Light August issue. This was a delicious recipe!

Sunday Afternoon

2011-09-20T20:56:00.002-05:00

Sunday, September 11th, we were very busy!

Lil' D crawled all over the house and stood up on things before his morning nap.

He crawled around the floor at church during Rally Sunday.

He enjoyed lunch at Panera before taking a nap in the truck on the way to Daddy's studio to pick up something.

Then he played the pack 'n play in the Courtyard at church during Fall Fest.

And explored the grass...

And Daddy showed everyone how to do some lithographic prints.

In the Kitchen--Fish and Vegetable Packets

2011-09-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

I made this recipe about a month ago. I had some fish but I struggle with cooking fish, and I didn't want to put it on the grill. Then I found this article on 7 Simple Steps for Cooking in Packets. While the weather is still summery here, it was well over 108 when I turned on the oven for this dinner. I am adamantly against using the oven in the summer because it heats up the house so much. This recipe was perfect! I had the oven on for a total of 20 minutes, and we had an amazing dinner!

I cut a heart out of parchment paper, and placed the salmon on one side.

I topped the salmon with a little butter and sliced carrots, bell pepper, and green onions.

Then I sealed the packets and put them in the oven for about 15 minutes.

DELICIOUS!

Mt. Mommy

2011-09-14T07:24:00.001-05:00

Lil' D learns about 15 new things everyday. One of his current favorite things to do is climb. He has been pulling up to stand for 15 days. I feel that doing that was just like climbing for him.
Do you know that exercise called the Mountain Climber? Let me illustrate. Put your feet hip width apart. Now place your hands on the ground in front of you and walk them out so your back arches. At this point someone looking at you would see a bell curve shape to your body. Bend your elbows a little bit and pull your left foot to your hands. Now switch your feet. The beginner version of this exericse stays at this pace. For all you advanced people (read that: those of you who did not just birth a baby and lose all of your core muscles), jump your feet back and forth. This is exactly what moutain climbers look like when they climb mountains, right? Okay, no, but this exercise is called the mountain climber because it works the same muscles as when you climb a mountain.
Now that you know what the "Mountain Climber" is--picture Lil' D doing that...while nursing. The boy is OUT OF CONTROL! Since I am talking about nursing, when he is finished, he works his obliques by lifting his head and his leg in an attempt to go somewhere else. Oh, and he also likes to roll over (thankfully delatching himself), sit up and smile a big smile. Today he did that and immediately started crying (after the smile). I suppose he realized he was no longer nursing and seemed to think I had something to do that!
Back to the climbing. I believe his #1 goal in life is to climb Mommy. If I dain to sit on the floor to play with him he automatically crawls over to me and uses my [insert any body part not to exclude hair, finger, toes, and clothing] to stand up. Sometimes he lets go and falls on another part of my body. In the process he is probably reaching for my hair so he can pull it. He likes to use his toes to grasp onto anything so he can get where he thinks he wants to go. It is especially painful when I am wearing a nightgown, and he pinches my inner thigh with his toes. And being held does not stop his climbing instinct. He would leave any boot camp trainee in the dust climbing over the wall since he practices that all the time when we are holding him.
I am his favorite climbing apparatus, but he has no problem climbing other people. I think he really enjoyed trying to climb over Uncle Jeremy's shoulder while being held. Clearly Lil' D has no fear! He also enjoyed grabbing Uncle Jeremy's nose, chin and mouth.
I am sure this climbing phase will quickly be replaced by another equally entertaining behavior, because babies are adorable!

Another Day

2011-09-11T20:41:00.000-05:00

My Facebook homepage is replete with comments about today, the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Many have posted with remembrance of where they were on that fateful day. Nicholas and I have spent the day at church celebrating the beginning of a new church year and Sunday School. I have been formulating this post in my head all day. What exactly do you write?
On September 11, 2001, I was 20 years old; a junior in college. I didn't have class that day, and I was working at the daycare I worked at all through college. In the morning, I wasn't assigned a class, so I remember listening on the radio to news of what was happening thousands of miles away. I had a 7pm class that wasn't cancelled. It was a three hour class, but we only met for about an hour before we were released to attend a candlelight vigil at the UT Tower. It was a powerful experience. I don't remember anything else about that day. What I remember is everything that has happened since that day.
9/11 will never just be another day. At the time, I was not effected personally by the events of 9/11. I did not have any friends or family in any of the areas that the planes hit, nor did I know people traveling. Since then I have flown on a plane probably 50 times, an experience that has forever changed. I have celebrated the return of my oldest sister and brother-in-law from the War in Iraq. I have celebrated the return of another sister and brother-in-law from tours of duty in Iraq. I have celebrated the return of my oldest sister from her second tour of duty in Kuwait in time to attend our wedding. I have mourned the loss of a dear friend who joined the Marines because of 9/11 and lost his life in Iraq. I have lived in the northeast and visited New York City on numerous occasions. I have stood at Ground Zero and watched as people continued to mourn 6, 7, and 8 years after the horrific loss of our nation's sense of security.
Nicholas stated earlier that September 11th is the defining event of our generation. On this, the tenth anniversary, I bow down and count my blessings. I am thankful for all the family and friends that surround me and my family and give unending love to Lil' D. I am thankful for our military and those who sacrifice time with their families, some more than others. Most importantly, I am thankful that I will wake up in the morning with no fear because I truly do live in the land of the free. I pray that our generation never forgets this freedom isn't free.

Showering Baby Mendez

2011-09-06T10:22:00.000-05:00

Two Saturdays ago, I went to a baby shower for Baby Mendez who is scheduled to arrive on October 26th (because, you know babies get scheduled :)). Lil' D stayed at home so I could enjoy the shower (and take pictures)!

I am sure that Lil' D is very much looking forward to having another little boy to play with!

Weekend Affairs

2011-09-03T10:45:00.000-05:00

The days really fly by around here. Lil' D is growing and changing so much everyday that it is hard for even me, his faithful historian, to keep track of it all. The weekends especially go by really fast! A couple weeks ago, my college roommate, Stacey came to visit and meet Lil' D for the first time! She just finished law school at UNC, took the bar exam, and moved to Sterling, Colorado where she began working a few days after leaving Austin.

It's been a year since I have seen her and two since Nicholas last saw her. She was also in town for her brother's wedding, so we didn't get all of her time, but it was great to spend time with her and Meredith. We enjoyed a little Tex-Mex, Texas BBQ, introduced them to the game, Settlers of Catan, and, of course, got lots of Lil' D time in!

Last Saturday was real busy...after little sleep Friday night when Lil' D cut his SECOND tooth! Lil' D hung out with Daddy while I went to a baby shower.

Then we went over to Nicholas' parents house to celebrate Laura's birthday. In honor of Laura's birthday, Lil' D cut his second tooth AND started crawling on his knees for an extended period of time.

In the Nursery--Sneak Peek

2011-08-30T18:40:00.000-05:00

It seems that I should have been posting about the progress of the nursery this time last year, but that is just not how we do things around here! Lil' D is in fact sleeping in his nursery in his very own crib! The walls, however are not completely decorated for the "full nursery reveal," so here's a little teaser! Enjoy!

Hands

2011-08-28T18:46:00.000-05:00

"Do you ever just look at his hands and think they look like they are just glued on to his arms?" --Matt Turman, age 12

I love looking at these hands.

I love watching them reach for things.

I love watching them explore. I love watching them feel completely as a sense, something I don't often do.

I love watching these fingers move. These fingers that interact with so many things--the carpet, spoons, Mommy's hair, toys...

I love watching these hands grow.

I love that these hands make me smile.

I love watching these hands pick up objects differently than my hands would. I love watching these hands move objects all around.

I love watching these hands explore new textures and make new sounds for your ears to hear.

I love that these fingers move and open from a fist that looks like you are telling Mommy to "come here."

I love these precious,

6 month old, cute, baby hands.

Baby in the Box

2011-08-24T15:17:00.000-05:00

Nicholas made a fun toy out of our last disposable diapers box. Lil' D has been enjoying playing with it ever since! (Ok, Nicholas has really been enjoying it, too!)

In the Kitchen--Stuffed Cuban Pork Tenderloin

2011-08-23T09:48:00.000-05:00

Chicken and pork tenderloin are pretty much the main meat dishes we eat around here. I don't really eat red meat, so Nicholas gets his beef elsewhere. I saw this recipe for Stuffed Cuban Pork Tenderloin in my August Cooking Light magazine. Despite our not-so-successful previous attempts at "stuffed" dishes, Nicholas decided to jump into making this recipe. (Lasagna rolls, eggplant rollitini, and turkey rolls were some of the failed stuffed attempts.) Nicholas recommends "pounding" the pork really good so you can roll it well. Also, we did not have cooking twine, and highly recommend using that instead of any form of toothpicks or wooden skewers like we did.

Overall, this recipe was delicious. It is not a recipe that we will make all the time, but I would make it again.

Lunchin' at McAlister's

2011-08-19T13:59:00.000-05:00

Before we left Dallas, we had lunch at McAlister's with some of my siblings. It was great time with four kids and six adults!

Little Boy napped on the way from the hotel to lunch.

Aunt Dana, he's too heavy!

Splish Splash!

2011-08-17T09:08:00.000-05:00

While we were in Dallas, we took all the kiddos swimming at the indoor pool in our hotel. They had a great time splashing and playing in the water!

Dallas August Visit

2011-08-16T20:54:00.000-05:00

Two weekends ago we traveled to Dallas for Lil' D's third road trip. After two airplane trips and three road trips, Lil' D is an expert traveler, right? We spent Thursday night at my uncle's house. My cousin and his girlfriend came over for dinner. It was the first time that my Aunt Jerry met Lil' D (although he was asleep when she got home from work so she didn't see him until Friday morning). Friday morning we had breakfast with my aunt and uncle. They enjoyed Lil' D. We even got to spend a little time outside before the temperatures hit 100!

Nicholas and I left around lunch time. It is about an hour and a half drive from my uncle's house to my parents house. We spent A LOT of time in the car when we are in Dallas! We had lunch at Corner Bakery on our way out of Southlake in hopes that Lil' D would nap afterwards. He did! Then we went over to my parents house. Lil' D met Uncle Steven and Miss S for the first time. Miss S is now 8 months old, and Steven has been home from Afghanistan for about a month. The babies had a great time playing together.

I guess when babies play together, they really only play next to each other!

Miss S, 8.5 months old

Mini-J saw Mommy playing with Lil' D and decided to just come pick him up!

Mini-J loves playing with Uncle Nicholas!

We ended up staying in a hotel on Friday and Saturday night. It was Lil' D's first hotel stay! I reserved a suite thinking we would have 2 rooms, but we ended up with just one room. I guess you have to look for the 2-room suite options! It worked out well anyway since we had a ginormous room! We just put Lil' D to sleep at one end, and then we hung out on the other end of the room after he was in bed.

On Saturday my siblings came to visit us at the hotel so we could go swimming in the indoor pool. What a nice perk! All the kids loved the pool, and it had some neat jets that shot into the pool. It was nice to be able to entertain the kids indoors for free!

Mini-J--"A pillow fight? That's a great idea!"

Mini-J was singing songs to Lil' D, and he loved it! First she sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and then she made up her own special song!

After swimming we had lunch at Panera. We were the people that took up that long table! Then we went to visit my Granddaddy who lives just down the street from where our hotel was. It was his first time to meet Lil' D.

Our next adventure of the day was a short visit with Justin and Chris Dellinger. It was also their first time to meet Lil' D. Lil' D enjoyed Justin's facial hair!

We ended the day with dinner at my parents house and hanging out with the family.

Baby A was not too happy sharing her toys!

Sunday we had lunch at McAlister's on our way out of town. Lil' D was such a good sport spending so much time in his car seat all the time we were in Dallas. We enjoyed reading some books on the way home.

Six Months

2011-08-13T11:42:00.000-05:00

At six months Lil' D is learning so many new things everyday! He is army crawling (but still has no teeth), sitting up, putting his toes in his mouth, laughing, reaching for toys, sleeping through the night in his own crib, eating solid foods, and rolling all over the place. He loves to read books with Mommy and Daddy, put everything in his mouth, play with Daddy's childhood keyboard, and go places in his car seat.

Parade of Visitors--5 Months to 6 Months

2011-08-11T09:32:00.000-05:00

All the people that met Lil' D between five and six months old--

Great-Aunt Cora and the Alabama family

Keely Schaefer

Stacy Wilson

Great-Aunt Jerry

Great-Granddaddy Johnson

Justin and Chris Dellinger

Uncle Steven and Aunt Annette

Cousin Miss S

Sunday Afternoon

2011-08-09T09:15:00.000-05:00

Two Sundays ago, we again were struggling with entertaining ourselves to beat the heat.

Against my better judgement, I turned on the oven for dinner. What a mistake!

Lil' D LOVES to read! He also sometimes likes to taste the books, too.

In the Kitchen

2011-08-08T21:33:00.000-05:00

Here are some more yummy recipes we have been enjoying this summer!

Spicy Poblano Burgers--I don't eat or cook with hamburger meat, and I usually substitute ground bison. That is what I did in this recipe. It turned out horribly, but I think that had more to do with the bison being finicky. The recipe, however, is amazing! Definitely make the chipotle cream as well. It is divine!
Chipotle Shrimp Salad--We apparently really love shrimp on our salad. This is also another great chipotle recipe.

Grilled Pork Chops with Two-Melon Salsa--Oh goodness, this was amazing! I doubled the salsa recipe so there would be more than plenty for the pork chops.

Couscous Salad with Chickpeas--This tasted really good, but it gave me bad heartburn. I am thinking it might have been the raw garlic. Nicholas really liked it and didn't have any problems.

Sunday Afternoon

2011-08-02T20:43:00.000-05:00

Two Sundays ago I was busy making some baby food for Lil' D!

Saturday Adventures

2011-07-30T20:47:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we took Lil' D on a lovely "Austin" day. We started our day at the AT&T Conference Center for Austin Space Day. Apparently, Austin has plans to build a planetarium. It was a great event for elementary school aged kids. There were instructions on how to make a homemade comet.

There was also a mobile planetarium and a station where you could walk across non-Newtonian fluid!

Lil' D rode in the Ergo carrier for the first time. He was relatively happy despite the heat.

Then we headed to Central Market for lunch where Lil' D sat in his own chair for the FIRST time!

He also ate carrots for the first time and loved them! Then we visited the Blanton Museum.

These are the dorms I lived in my freshman year. Yes, they look like a prison. The Blanton is located on land that used to be a parking lot (where some friends may or may not have gotten parking tickets in---if the lot no longer exists, neither should your unpaid parking tickets, right?).

Nicholas and Lil' D with the Capitol Building and the Frost Bank Building in the background (click on it because it is a really good picture!).

Then we visited the LBJ Library. This is a picture of my favorite fountain at UT that is obviously not on because we are in a severe drought! Then we visited the mega-Whole Foods. It was insanely busy on a Saturday late afternoon. Lil' D was amazing and we were all beat!

LBJ Library

2011-07-29T15:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday we took Lil' D on his first visit to the LBJ Library. There are currently 13 presidential libraries. Nicholas and I have been to two of them (LBJ and JFK). I love history and presidents and plan to share this love with Lil' D!

Lil' D's first oval office visit!

Lady Bird's office

Austin skyline from the 10th floor of the LBJ Library

DKR Memorial Stadium

Presidential Archives

Lil' D and I with the not-life-size LBJ

Sunday Afternoon

2011-07-25T12:20:00.000-05:00

Nicholas and I were just talking yesterday about how much we love our Sundays. A typical Sunday (when we are in town) looks something like this--Lil' D wakes up, and I nurse him in bed. Then Nicholas and I lay there talking to him and play with him. We take turns showering, getting ready for church and eating breakfast. Lil' D eats again before we leave and usually falls asleep in the car on the way to church for his morning nap. Sometimes we stop for coffee, and Nicholas and I usually get some conversation time in. We attend the 11 o'clock service at church. After church we usually go to lunch with friends or family. By the time we are finished with lunch it seems to always be around 2pm. Lil' D usually needs to nurse before we head home because he will most likely fall asleep on the way home. Then we spend the afternoon doing stuff around the house, playing with Lil' D and just spending time together as a family. I suspect "Sunday Afternoon" will become a recurring series here at Dana's Dirtworks, and I am so excited to share glimpses of this wonderful time through the lens of my camera.
Our current challenge is finding activities to beat the heat. I think Lil' D often gets tired of playing in the living room all the time, and he loves being outside watching the trees. This is especially difficult as the afternoons are the hottest part of the day and today marks 40+ days of 100+ degree temperatures (with a forecast of 104 today) in Austin this year...and we are not yet in the hottest month of the year! Two Sundays ago we tried water play in a bucket, but Lil' D was fussy before we put him in the bucket, and the probably-too-small-for-my-not-so-small-baby-bucket did not alleviate his fussiness. For dinner, Nicholas and I had a picnic in the living room, mostly because we didn't feel like cooking. Lil' D enjoyed teething on a carrot stick which entertained him for a good long time.

I don't even remember how Lil' D got into this position, but Daddy distracted him from crying with the cow!

Lil' D got his legs stuck under the couch.

Watching Daddy talk on the phone to Uncle Jeremy

I'm not so sure what I think about this bucket!

Photographic evidence that Lil' D doesn't smile all the time...just most of the time.

Looking at trees

Teething on a carrot stick while Mommy and Daddy have a picnic.

Said carrot stick got thrown into the hummus, and little boy went after it!

Showering Baby Schaefer

2011-07-23T21:14:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, I co-hosted a shower for Baby Schaefer at my house. Baby Schaefer's Mom (a name she will soon be referred to as by most people) a.k.a. Cam and I have been friends for quite some time. It's pretty exciting that we will have two little boys born in the same year. I am sure they will be great friends!

Cute Sisters!!

Cute Cousins!

In the Kitchen

2011-07-21T14:05:00.000-05:00

We took a respite from cooking after Lil' D was born (surprised?), but we have enjoyed getting back into cooking the past few months. Last summer, I was in my first trimester of pregnancy, so I wasn't interested in cooking much, so we have been enjoying some of last summer's Cooking Light recipes. It is also constantly 80+ degrees in our house with the A/C running constantly so I avoid using the oven at all costs. The grill was possibly one of the best investments we have ever made!

Shrimp Cobb Salad--I don't do bacon, but everything else in this salad is wonderful. We have had it several times. Nicholas loves the dressing. We have done it with and without roasted corn, but it is definitely better with the roasted corn. I also use whatever veggies we have on hand.

Mexican Street Corn--This is what Nicholas calls the corn we have been making on the grill. We take fresh corn, remove the hair, but leave the husk. Then soak the corn in water for a couple of hours. Nicholas sometimes adds some fresh squeezed lime juice. Grill until the husk is starting to burn through at a few points. Take off the grill and remove husks. Then butter the corn and season with paprika, chili powder, and fresh lime juice.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Pasta--Delicious! I made this for lunch one day when day when Adrienne was over. She loved it and so did Nicholas!

Tuscan Lemon Muffins--DELICIOUS!!

Pistachio Chai Muffins--An unusual combination of flavors. The chai taste is strong, but good. Don't skip the "icing." It totally makes the muffins. Both muffin recipes freeze well.