Another Year, Another Wymount Opening Social

Yeah, we did this last year too. All the events are the same, just with a bigger boy!

Jared with his orange balloon bear and cookie. He spread on the frosting by himself, then found a spoon and scooped it off and ate it that way.

Train ride!

Ultrasounds are Awesome

I have a little case of the blah this week, but I have a nice pick me up on the fridge!
We got another ultrasound this week! At the first one the technician wasn't able to see and measure all that she wanted to so my midwife suggested that I get another one. However, ultrasounds are pretty darn expensive, so we were going to put it off until we got a new job with fancy insurance. Fortunately, I found out from a friend that the on-campus health center now offers ultrasounds for $10! (With a doctor's order of course.) So we went this week and got another peek at our little girl. Everything is measuring well and she is definitely a girl still, so that was nice too.
Hurray for modern technology!

Our Best Parenting Trick Yet

As most toddlers do, Jared has become much more picky about what he will and won't eat. I've been amazed at his dexterity and ability to pick around the vegetables in our meal and only scoop up meat, carbs and cheese. Fortunately, we found a technique that gets him to eat just about anything. It combines a desire to be like his father and a desire to take things that aren't his and claim them.



So we just tell him what is on his plate belongs to Dad! He quickly throws it in his mouth to tease his dad and then he usually likes it!
This happens at almost every meal these days. But he is eating vegetables, even tomatoes!

Toddler Speech

I just want to remember his cute pronunciations forever! I just love the following things: "Noke" is milk, his exaggerated "oo" sound, how he sounds Irish when he says "trow it," ham is "sam," his current preoccupation with silly geese.
He is so cute I just want to squeeze him!

Sweet Summer Corn

My Ultimate Favorite Dinner I Ever Make, Ever

After a successful week of patio garden harvest I got enough tomatoes to make my favorite dinner! The title of this post may sound like overkill, but it is seriously amazing. As soon as we have enough tomatoes this dinner is happening again.
I was lucky enough to find this recipe in last years Better Homes and Gardens magazine. (Thanks Mom!) I just love this dish it is so easy, but it has soooooo much wow taste. It is best to use cherry tomatoes (or orange cherry or grape or tiny yellow pear) because they just pop and ooze just right.
Okay, no further ado...

Ta-da!!!!!
This is five ingredients, my friends. And almost no chopping or prep work. Perfect meal, right?

Slow-Baked Tomatoes with Garlic and Mint

Ingredients

1-1/2 lb. cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
7 cloves garlic, peeled, split lengthwise and green shoot removed
1 bunch fresh mint, trimmed
1 to 2 tsp. coarse or flake salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Wash and drain tomatoes well. Pat dry with paper towels.

2. In a nonreactive (such as earthenware) 2-quart baking dish place tomatoes in a single layer. Pour on olive oil so they are very well coated and there should be a thin layer (1/8 inch) of oil on bottom of dish. Toss in garlic, mint, salt and pepper.

3. Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 60 minutes or until tomato skins split and soften but tomatoes still retain their shape.

4. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Spoon or mash over slices of toasted bread and serve with goat cheese. Makes 8 servings.

Now, I have just a few personal notes. Firstly,the batch pictured above is a halved recipe because I didn't have a pound and a half of tomatoes ripen at once and am too cheap to buy cherry tomatoes. I love this served over chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper (as pictured below). Definitely thumbs up on the crusty bread and while I've never had it with goat cheese and cannot possibly see how that could go wrong. Last of all, savory, sweet, tangy, garlic, salt, spiciness can I wait to have you again?

Third Trimester

Sweet baby is still growing! I'm excited about this milestone. This means I start seeing the midwife more frequently and next week I take the glucose screening. Now I am seriously pregnant, even though I've got a while before the baby will come.
Hurray to pregnancy and hurray to the light at the end of the tunnel!

Also, just to note I am not ashamed of my looks, it is just that no one was home and this was the best spot to set the camera. You'll have to see my face another time.

Tie Dye Fun

I think I am going to do more of this. It is so fun and my hands are back to a normal color!