C 19 month update

C update! Our little man is getting so big! Here are ridiculous amounts some pictures of the things he's up to!

He's way into putting things "in."  I find all sorts of things in the most random places. Most recently decided to put his Tigger in the toilet! :)

C loves to make trips to our little library for story time or just to color and get some new books!

C lets us know it's time to eat by climbing in his chair and saying "Na, na?" (Snack, snack?)

C loves to copy, whether putting on lotion like Mommy, mowing like Daddy, or pretending to talk on the phone. We even caught him the other day with the lid off Hubby's deodorant trying to put it on his arm pits! 

 Had a fever so no shirt! Still playing hard!

 Notice the clever use of diaper package as a step.

New sandals!

Sad this is blurry! Teething on Tigger. He is working on his 2 yr molars!

C loves our neighbor dog, Phoebe, and goes to the fence and calls her, "Bebe!" 

Target is always a fun place to shop because he gets a free cookie! 

Reading with uncle "Do" (Joe)

Playing with Grandma's dog, Tucker.

C will say "Mo" (more) when he likes something or wants more of it. He'll even ask for more of something we have no control over like birds flying out in front of us on walks, loud motorcycle noises, or animals we see on a car ride.
His vocabulary is exploding! He says all sorts of words now; bike, dog, joyce, phoebe, nat, joe, grandpa and grandma, door, scooter, mower, juice, snack, shoes, bath, please, I love you, thank you, meat, strawberries, banana, pajamas, ball, car, etc... It's so fun that he can communicate so much more now!
C is only taking one nap as of about 6 weeks ago and now sleeps 10+ hours a night! Woohoo!
C loves to give Tigger a 'bath' in the washer. Whenever I say I need to do laundry C runs to get Tigger and puts him in the washing machine!
He loves to mooch snacks off Daddy. Whenever Hubby sits down to eat C comes over and says "Mo? Peese?" (More, please?) Of course Daddy always shares.
C brings so much joy to our lives! We are so happy God gave him to us!

Pella!

We made a trip to a local Dutch community yesterday that has a tulip festival every year. The festival isn't for a couple weeks, but it's been so uncommonly warm that the tulips are at their peak now so we decided on a whim to take the afternoon and head down their with my hubby's parents. It was a fun and beautiful day!  Here are a few pictures: Getting ready.....

 ...and "cheese!"

 

 Smelling the tulips!

 The original fire station from the late 1800's!

 Dutch letters. Pastry rolls stuffed with almond paste. A local tradition and super yummy!

Whenever we go places Hubby always likes to try the local specials and hole-in-the-wall places. I like to do that too, so it works out great! :)

More smelling!

Notice Hubby's death grip on the shirt. C tried to jump in several times.

 I just love these pictures of C holding onto Hubby's hand. ::heartexplosion::

Grilled Chicken with Greek flavors

This recipe is a summer favorite! When my garden is producing I can get a couple of the ingredients from there! Nothing beats home grown tomatoes and basil!

What you need:

4 chicken breasts

Red wine vinagrette

Fresh or dried basil or oregano

1lb cherry tomatoes

Sea salt

2-4 oz. feta

Marinate 4 chicken breasts in  red wine vinaigrette (about 1 cup) and 1 T. fresh basil or oregano for 1-2 hours. Grill till cooked through.

Make a foil "pan" for cooking tomatoes by folding up edges of foil rectangle and pinching corners.

Toss together:

1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved

 2 T. red wine vinagrette

1/4 t. sea salt

Cook in foil pan, tomatoes cut side down, on grill till tomatoes are just soft.

 Mix tomato mixture from grill with 1/2 T. fresh basil or oregano (I used 3/4 t. dried here) and 2 oz feta. (I do a little more)

Serve on Chicken.

Easter!

We celebrated Easter yesterday with Hubby's family and had a great time! Here are a few pictures from the day!

Grandpa had the tractor out so the boys did lots of tractor rides!

 With cousin Sam.

Riding in the trailer

  C really got the hang of it!
**Disclaimer: This is a posed photo. C did NOT drive the tractor**   :)

Trying to get a picture of the boys pre-egg hunt. This is the best of 50.

The first one!

Pretty soon C was carrying his own basket and finding the eggs on his own.

 The boys with their loot! C isn't wasting anytime opening his eggs. It didn't take him long to realize they had candy inside. :)