Georgia's Big Ball

I truly feel like Georgia Mae is our first child, and so when life gets crazy and she's been ignored, I will often try to make it up to her (going to the dog park in Dallas in July was one of the worst ideas I've had). I saw this ball at Target last week and had to get it for her. She loves playing with balls this size! ...until she pops it, which she always does.

I didn't realize when I bought it that it would be a toy that they could play with together! He will watch her chase it around nearly all day long. I got too many cute videos to share with you, but did want to post this one, the best one. And I love how gentle she becomes when he gets too close. Her look to me at the end of the video is saying "Mom, could you get him away from this? That's my ball." Almost like she's tattling on him!

Making Baby Food: Corn

Here's how I make Corn for Austin:

-steam frozen corn until well done (about 20 minutes)

-wash with cold water to cool down so as to touch easily

-blend in Magic Bullet

-freeze in cubes

-reheat as needed

This was actually my first time making corn for him as it's on our pediatrician's 10-12 month food chart, and he just turned 10 months. I enjoyed it as much as one can--steaming veggies on the stove while the temperature outside is a steamy 105+! The corn was steaming, and I was steaming. :-) The smell of steaming corn filled the house and took me down memory lane which was both nice and sad. I wished for years gone by, making homemade sweet corn with my extended Mattison family. My heart aches even now, just thinking of it. Anyways, I didn't find corn much different than the other frozen veggies-turned puree and will definitely make it again.

my supplies: ice cub trays, Magic Bullet, foil, Sharpie, measuring cup, and a spoon

This is my second-biggest pot, with the steamer inside.

Two packages of frozen corn. Beware of the brand you use because some companies add salt. Make sure the ingredients list includes just the vegetable and nothing added.

After putting several inches of water in the bottom of the pot, I add both bags to the steamer, and let them cook for about 20 minutes (from the time the water is boiling). (The yellow splotch you see on the cover is not butter, it's a reflection of the hood light.)

the cooked corn, in my big colander, which is sitting in the sink... I do this so I can spray it down with cold water.

I scoop it out with the measuring cup and put it into the Magic Bullet container. I then add some water to the container and puree it.

This has been one of my best investments!

I scoop it out of the container with a tablespoon and put it into the tray.

I would have gotten a little over three trays, but I was making two veggies this day, and needed the two other trays for that veggie. So I froze some in these bowls we have.

sealed, labeled and ready to freeze

what it looks like straight from the freezer..

and right after I take the foil off..

Corn has so far been THE hardest veggie to get out of the trays. I normally let them sit out at room temperature for just a few minutes (like 2), twist, and out they come! But, the corn had me sweating and nearly swearing they were so challenging! I finally caved in and ran some water over the back of the tray to get them out. I don't typically like to do that because it makes the outsides just ever-so slimy/smudgy that they don't freeze as nicely.

Bagged and labeled. Ready to be reheated at a moment's notice!

Austin's FLYING now!

The loud squealing you hear at the beginning is Austin crying out in frustration as Seth was holding him back (not allowing him to walk) because I was working on turning on the camera and getting ready to take the video. He stops squealing as soon as Seth releases him. ;-)

Making Baby Food: Green Beans

Here's how I make Green Beans for Austin:

-steam frozen beans until well done (about 20 minutes)

-wash with cold water to cool down and preserve color

-blend in Magic Bullet

-freeze in cubes

-reheat as needed

Easy, Easy, Easy!

my supplies: ice cub trays, Magic Bullet, foil, Sharpie, measuring cup, and a spoon

This is my second-biggest pot, with the steamer inside.

Two packages of frozen green beans. I prefer the ones that are already cut because it makes them easier to fit into the Magic Bullet, and quicker to steam. Beware of the brand you use because some companies add salt. Make sure the ingredients list includes just the vegetable and nothing added.

After putting several inches of water in the bottom of the pot, I add both bags of green beans to the steamer, and let them cook for about 20 minutes (from the time the water is boiling). (The yellow splotch you see on the cover is not butter, it's a reflection of the hood light.)

The big metal colander sits in the sink, and after spraying them with cold water to preserve the color and cool them enough to be easy to handle, I scoop them out with the measuring cup, into the Magic Bullet container. I then add some water to the container and puree them.

I would have gotten a little over three trays, but I was making two veggies this day, and needed the two other trays for that veggie. So I froze some in these bowls we have.

seal and label

This is straight from the freezer after being frozen for over 24 hours.

What they look like once you peel the foil off,

and what they look like after coming out of the trays.

Labeled, sealed, and ready to go back into the freezer. Ready to reheat as needed.

Our Newest Addition... Meet Marcone!

We have a new addition to our family: Marcone from Brazil.

Marcone Franca Da Silva

I have been wanting to sponsor a child (either through World Vision or Compassion) for several years, and Seth and I just finally got around to talking about it and deciding on doing it. You know how when life is really crazy, you're only able to take care of immediate needs (like groceries) and you can't get to higher-order things (like sponsoring a kid)? Kinda like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs... Well, we've just been having so many major life changes over the last several years that we couldn't get ourselves to make this desire a reality. Until now.

I finally have felt confident enough in my routine as a SAHM (plus Georgia Mae) that I have started tackling larger-scale, more higher-order things, and this was one of the first on that list. Seth and I discussed what factors we would use to search for a child, and decided on using: 1) Austin's birthday, 2) boy, and 3) from the southern/central Americas region. I did one search, and came across Marcone's cute face. I knew in an instant that he was for us. That funny smile and those big eyes sold me in an instant!

We received our World Vision packet in the mail approximately one week later, and I was ecstatic! I poured over the materials, often re-reading things several times--especially the part regarding the rules for sending him stuff. I must admit that one of my more selfish desires in wanting to sponsor a child was so that I could send letters and care packages to someone on a fairly regular basis. (Most of you know that I love sending cards ... aka 'love' in the mail to people.) And what a more appreciative audience than a super cute baby thousands of miles away!?

I mailed our first letter to him this morning! It was a blast writing to him. I talked about all sorts of things, giving a background on our family, and asked equally as many questions. I know he can't read it yet, heck he can't even speak yet, but I am praying that someone will hold onto these notes from us so that he'll have them when he's old enough to appreciate them. I plan to send pictures of us in the next letter, but didn't have any sitting around, so I colored something for him instead. 

I SO look forward to our first return message, but the materials tell us not to expect it for several months. They do encourage us to keep writing to him, though, which is good because I bought a bunch of Brazil stamps this morning, and hope to write a note of some kind on a monthly basis. And once Austin's able to put a writing utensil to paper, I hope to encourage that passion in him as well--to paint something or color something, etc. Eventually writing letters back and forth to one another. I pray Marcone and Austin will develop a connection across the miles that will last a long time.... like forever.

our first letter to Marcone included this Elmo that I colored

Making Baby Food: Sweet Potatoes

Here's how I make Sweet Potatoes for Austin:

-wash the potatoes

-puncture several times with a fork, all over--up and down the length of the potato

-wrap in foil

-bake at 400 degrees for an hour on a cookie sheet

-once cool, unwrap, cut, peel, and cut into sections

-blend in Magic Bullet

-freeze in cubes

-reheat as needed

This is actually one of my favorites to make as it's so easy to cook them. Other foods that I make are harder because I have to monitor the stove the whole time, but these are easy to cook, easy to blend, and I get a large quantity of food for the effort.

Here's what they look like after cooling down and being unwrapped.

Then I cut them in half.

They peel right out of their skins once completely cool (and well-cooked).

I hack sections off with a spoon and drop them into the Magic Bullet container.

I add some water and blend.

Those five potatoes were huge, so I got four full trays out of the effort. (These are just regular ice cube trays though I know they make trays especially for making baby food. I just couldn't justify the price of those when these work just fine for me.)

I put foil over the top of the tray, label them, and stick them in the freezer for 24 hours.

This is what they look like straight out of the trays.

Then I put them in labeled freezer bags to store in the freezer. They're ready to use whenever I want one.

It's that simple! The worst part about making his food, right now anyways, is that it heats up the house, and when it's 105 outside, the last thing you want is something heating up your house. Except for that factor, I love making his food. It's a lot cheaper than buying it all the time, and I know he's getting exactly what I want--pure food rather than a bunch of preservatives/chemicals. I highly recommend making baby food if you're so inclined. It takes a smidge of practice, but comes easily to me now and is time well spent.

Austin's Serious Lower Lip

People always comment "Austin's such a good baby. All he does is smile!" Well, that's not exactly true, and I finally have proof!

When Austin first starts crying, there is usually a display of a major pouty lower lip. Then he launches into tears and a frown and the whole works. I have yet to catch this on my camera, though, so I could never prove to people that he did in fact have meltdowns. And then, last week, my friend Christina was in town, and I challenged her to catch a picture of it with her super fancy camera. And she did! (Thanks Christina!)

Here's how he looks when he's in full meltdown mode. ... It's proof he's not always smiling. :-)

Spofford Bday Celebration, Austin presents #1

It's a good thing I married into the Spofford Family. Rather than some other family, I mean. 

I LOVE birthdays. They are my number one holiday! I don't mean my own birthday, but anyone's birthday! I love the decorations, the presents, the cake, the celebratory atmosphere, the everything. And, in the Spofford Family, we celebrate birthdays a lot. A lot, a lot. Here's the second Spofford Bday Celebration/Lake Day which was Austin's first birthday event. He loved opening presents, but he really loved the handles and tags on the bags!

chewing on a tag...

I love how he's looking so intently at the card!

All he wanted from this present was the green sticky note attached to the outside!

This picture captures his reaction perfectly. He was THRILLED with this gift.

Our official position on gifts for Austin is: "He can never have too many Books, Clothes, and Experiences. AND No John Deere. Ever." Some of Seth's family asked me for ideas just a few days before the event, so he got mostly books and clothes. YAY! And Gran didn't ask for ideas. So when he opened this toy, with its lights and sounds, he was ecstatic! Everyone pointed out his reaction as if to say that we shouldn't be so harsh on people giving him toys, but most of those people don't realize how much stuff he already owns that has lights and sounds. Most of which he rarely plays with (the above toy included). His current favorite toy is a wooden stirring spoon. So, we're sticking with the decision. (Thanks for your judgement, though.) I'm honestly really hoping that someone will be really creative and start a process of gifting experiences, but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe it'll happen at one of his next several birthday celebrating events?