So Much Fun at 16 Months

Henry still LOVES the game of chase.  He squeals and giggles the entire time.  His laughter is infectious.

Cars, trucks, tractors, trailors...basically anything with wheels...remain a favorite source of entertainment for Henry. 

 What a poser!

Henry will do just about anything to go outside.  He really wanted to sit in the big chair on the back patio the other day, just to climb out 10 seconds later. 

 Bang, bang, bang.  Still sooooooo much fun!

All smiles.  All giggles.  So much fun at 16 months.

I truely love this age right now.  He is sooooooo much fun!!!  He is learning new things at lightning speed.  He now says "Dog" fairly regularly.  Okay, perhaps Henry thinks the "g" is silent in dog, but he for sure is trying to say dog.  It is sweet to see Henry and Sophie play together.  Henry now tries to get her to play tug of war with him by trying to stuff a dog toy in her mouth.  If she doesn't bite, he'll run and get another toy to try out.  Most of the time Soph is super gentle and lets Henry win.  Occassionally, she puts him in his place and he falls on his bum when she yanks her toy away and retreats to her bed.  He then will run after her and do a belly flop on top of her.  She is so tolerant.  I couldn't ask for a better a dog around little ones.

Henry's favorite food remains the strawberry, hands down.  He also is quite fond of speghetti (with turkey sausage), veggie pancakes, waffles (with butter and syrup of course), grapes, cucumbers with hummus, smoked salmon, roasted asparagas (but only the night you roast it), crackers of all sorts, sharp cheddar cheese, raspberries (fresh and freeze dried) and pinto beans.

Henry has been teething again recently.  His third molar (11th tooth) arrived a little over a week ago.  I have a feeling that more are on the way though because he is putting everything in his mouth and he is a bit more drooly than normal.

When outside, Henry still loves garbage cans. If he can run around, he will go from garbage can to garbage can.  If a garbage can and a recycle can are side by side, he get super excited.  If he is seated, like in the car or the stoller, he will point and grunt at every garbage can we pass.  Kids are funny.  He also has discovered our next door neighbor's spray bottle that they keep in their garage.  He thinks it is hilarious when he squirts himself in the face.  But, he also finds great joy in simply squirting it, again and again and again.  It will keep him occupied for a good 10-15 minutes straight, which in toddler time, is an eternity.

Henry really likes to drink water out of a normal glass (but he needs assistance).  He will get excited in anticipation, and move his feet, up and down, super quick, like a mini march in place.  He will also with great excitement say "euw, euw, euw" until I give him a drink.  He'll slurp down a few gulps and then try to stick his entire hand in the glass.  Cute or annoying...jury is still out. : )

The other cute thing that Henry has started to do is pat the couch when he wants me to come sit down and read a book with him.  Speaking of books, Henry LOVES to be read to.  I couldn't be more pleased.  We frequently will read 5 or 6 books in a row, sometimes the same one 5 or 6 times (or more) in a row.  I really hope his love for reading endures.

All in all, I love the personality that Henry is developing.  I am excited for what the future holds.

Friday Thanks

Five things I am grateful for this week:

1. Outings with Little Man.  I simply love spending time with Little Man.  Tonight we went to the frozen yogurt shop and shared a sundae.  Delicious.  Watching Henry interact with other kids in the forzen yogurt shop while enjoying peach frozen yogurt was priceless.

2.  Lunch with a Girlfriend.  I got to enjoy lunch with my friend Britney this week.  It is nice to take an hour here and there and catch up with a girlfriend.  I am grateful I've got girlfriends in my corner that are great listeners, advisors, and confidants.  Thanks Britney for lunch. 

3.  Grandmas.  This week, I am particularly grateful for Grandma Sherry.  Grandma O is out of town for two weeks, so Grandma Sherry has graciously agreed to watch Henry while both Ryan and I are at work.  Ryan's had a couple extra shifts, so Grandma Sherry has had her work cut out for her.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Grandma Sherry for all your love and support. 

4.  Flex Schedule.  I am so thankful for the flexibilty I have in my work schedule.  Although I often take work home with me (now that Henry is part of our family), I am afforded the flexibility to leave early on a regular basis.  I don't think I could juggle (and stay sane) being a working mom if I had a traditional 9-5 that was set in stone.

5.  Magazines.  Since my spare time is limited these days, I have grown particularly fond of magazines.  It is a nice vehicle for escape in 1-2 minute chucks.  I also like all the glossy pictures.  Who said pictures books were only for kids?!?

Thai Chicken Wraps with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Recipe adapted from Rachel Ray's recipe.

This has become a standard weeknight supper in our house.  Quick, refreshing, and yummy.

Chicken:
2-3 grilled/baked/otherwise cooked chicken breasts, seasoned with soy or simply salt/pepper

Salad:

1 English cucumber, julienned

2 cups fresh bean spouts (1 package)

1+ cups shredded carrots

3-4 green onions, chopped

12 leaves basil, chopped or torn

3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves (4 sprigs)

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

Salt

Spicy Peanut Sauce:

1/4 cup room temperature chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste...sometimes I add more if I want a little more kick)

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

Wrap:

12-inch tortillas (I usually buy low carb wheat ones, but any will do...or simply consume as a salad, which Ryan will do from time to time)

I typically cook the chicken the night before, to make things quicker the day we want to eat the wraps, but I've made wraps with both warm and cold chicken. Both ways are delicious.  Chop and mix the salad.  Prepare the peanut sauce.  Put all the goodies together in a tortilla.  Enjoy!

Strawberry Picking

Strawberries are yummy, but dirt is so much more interesting.

Look Mama, I found more dirt clumps.

Is this how you do it Mama?

Look what I found.  Weeds!!!

Caught red handed, literally.  Henry may have "borrowed" a few berries for his belly.

Our strawberry picking adventure resulted in roughly 24 pounds of strawberries, which amounted to a few pounds for fresh eating, 3 gallon bags of frozen berries and 24 jars of strawberry jam...or perhaps strawberry syrup.  This was my first go at canning.  The consistency of the "jam" I made is more like syrup at this point, but my canning book says it can take up to 2 weeks for jam to completely set.  So, we'll see.  For now, I plan to enjoy my strawberry jam-syrup on waffles, in oatmeal, mixed with yogurt, topped on ice cream...the possibilities are endless.  With 24 jars to consume before next year's strawberry season (which is rather short here in Oregon...just 2-3 weeks), I need a fair number of possibilities. Have I mentioned lately that I love strawberries (okay, okay, I know, I've become a broken record)!  Yum-O

Friday Thanks

Five things I am thankful for this week:

1. Commitment.  Wednesday marked the 13th anniversary of the first date with my hubbie.  We've had so many good times together and made so many great memories over the years.  Cheers, to another 13 years of fun!

2.  Pools.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, Henry loves water.  He now has discovered the sensation of floating (with a little prop from Mama), which makes him grin ear to ear. 

3. Crock-pots.  I made pulled pork on Sunday and we ate it all week.  Taste buds bored by the end of the week, yes.  Simplified my life, yes.  I'm grateful for the simplicity. 

4. Cool mornings, sunny afternoons.  I love what we call in the utility industry shoulder months." The Spring and Fall months when the weather is quite moderate.  What I love about Spring and Fall are the cool mornings and sunny afternoons.  I love the crisp air that is contrasted by the bright, cheery sun.  Since I don't like to be hot, this is perfect weather in my book.

5. Oregon berries. I took Henry and Grandma O strawberry picking on Sauvie Island earlier this week.  I know I've said it before, but a farm/garden grown Oregon strawberry (in particular, the Hood variety) is one of the most amazing things under the sun.  An Oregon strawberry could very well be my favorite food (well...perhaps behind good pizza...hehehehe).  I love them, they are like heaven in your mouth.  Hmm, I wonder where Henry gets his love of strawberries.

Friday Thanks

Henry and I visited Daddy today up at MDA camp (for campers 18 years old +).  Henry had an absolute blast hamming it up for all the campers and counselors.  Today, I feel humbled by how blessed I am to have a happy, healthy son.  I am truly, truly grateful.

By way of an update, this picture of Henry was taken as he rounded the corner while we were playing chase.  Henry LOVES being chased.  We typically go around, around, around, around, the kitchen island, kitchen table, or dining room table (whatever creates a loop).  Periodically I will change direction and catch him going the opposite direction and he squeals with delight.  We are having so much fun together these days. He also particularly likes wheels.  When outside he will go from garbage can to garbage can throughout the neighborhood, so he can touch the wheels.  He also REALLY likes lawn mowers (toy and the real thing),  brooms (preferably the full sized variety), balls (of all sizes), cars and trucks (his Little People tiny vehicles and his toy fire truck in particular), books (The Hungry Caterpillar is a favorite) and water (from any source).

His newest milestone is transitioning to his crib for naps.  The last three days he's been home for nap time he has fallen asleep independently in his crib without fuss.  Until now, someone has always napped with Henry.  Last weekend he was a bit restless when we tried to get him to take a nap so we put him in his crib, and presto, he went to sleep.  Historically he would freak out if we tried to put him in his crib during nap time.  We have been pleasantly surprised with the recent transition, but it also sadly reminds me that he's becoming a big boy.

Friday Thanks

Five things I'm grateful for this week:

1. Family walks.  Ryan and I frequently take a walk after dinner with Henry and Soph. I love to walk, I love my family.  Family walk - match made in heaven.

2. Date night.  Although it is easy for me to get sucked into mommy mode, I am thankful we have family and friends that are willing to watch Henry while Ryan and I connect as grown-ups a couple of nights a month. 

3. Lilies.  Flowers make me smile.  I purchased some beautiful Casa Blanca lilies at the farmers market last weekend and they make me smile every time I look/smell them.  They are first thing I see when I walk downstairs in the morning.

4. Strawberries.  This spring, we planted a community patch of strawberries in front of our house in the parking strip.  We share this space with our next door neighbors. They are already producing sweet, juicy, delicious berries.  Nothing like a home-grown berry.

5. Good neighbors.  We have awesome neighbors.  I find it precious to watch our kids run around together.