octoberfest

Let's play catch-up, shall we?
The last weeks have been very eventful for Ben and I. So much so that I have not thought about the blog. Ben has been hustling and bustling around town meeting new friends and seeing some old ones too! We now go to swim class at Houston Swim Club every Monday morning. Ben likes the water and all the activities they have for him, until it's time to leave mommy and go under water with the instructor. I can see the good in doing this activity, but I feel like at such a young age, the main goal should be FUN. I am planning on suggesting a little adaptation from their end for next week.
We also go to The Little Gym every Wednesday morning for some tumbling, stretching, dancing, and moving. I LOVE THE LITTLE GYM!!

instructors are super great with Ben, and I love getting to know the other mommies in the class. They have a lot of equipment that helps babies learn to crawl or pull or walk (whatever stage they find themselves). I am also very excited to find out that they have a babysitting service once your kid is potty trained with gym activities, crafts, snacks, and a movie...what fun!
Two weekends ago, I traveled to Austin for a girls' weekend while Will stayed back with Ben. He did such a fantastic job. I may just plan me another trip sooner than I thought. The occasion was to celebrate two of my very best friends birthdays, Gina and Julie. We were supposed to be having a roommate weekend at our ranch the 16th-18th, but Evan picked up the swine flu and we were not comfortable with Ben being around him. So, we were going to just have the girls up to the ranch instead. Well, I got on the horn with Evan, and he suggested that we just come up to Austin for a girls' shopping extravaganza. Will had already said he would be willing to babysit, so I got really pumped by the idea. We had a fabulous dinner at a winery in Driftwood beforehand. Drank some wine, had some good conversation, and and ate a fabulous dinner at the restaurant. Will's mom was so generous and allowed us to stay at her condo downtown. The next day all the girls rendezvoused for breakfast at SOCO Cafe, one of our favorite Austin hot spots, and started a most successful day of shopping and sunshine.This weekend, we got to see Julie and Evan again! Only, they came our way to the ranch. I am afraid I am spoiling myself with all the Julie- time I have been getting lately. I fear, once it ends, I may go through withdrawals. :) I am so blessed to have these two in our life! We had an uber-relaxing Saturday. I tried my hand at some Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. They had a great flavor, but the meat was too tough in my opinion, and not exactly what I had envisioned this "perfect sandwich" to be. But, my friends ate every bite. We continued the evening with some beer, wine, and spades,in which we lost to the boys because they had been cheating the whole time. Sunday comprised of fishing, riding around, football, taco soup, beer, more football, and naps! They brought their dog, Molly, and I think seeing her happiness with the bounty of bugs to catch, land to roam, cattle to herd, and rays to bask in, made my day! Evan and Julie were also excited for her to meet Haley, Joe's black mouth cur, and the reason they decided on that particular breed. To our dismay, Haley had been trained up and shipped out to some home in South Texas. We did get to meet three of his other curs, but none were as beautiful as Molly Bear. Time with the Prothro's is always a good time, and I can't wait until we see them again. Ben was WORN OUT from all the fun. He slept the the whole way home.

Better pictures to come from TAYLORlynn Photography. Free plug.

sing. sing a song. make it simple to last your whole life long

In response to the beloved Austin City Limits Festival making its fall appearance this past weekend, I thought it may be appropriate to talk music. I am a lover I assure you of all kinds of music. But this past year or so, I have literally fallen off the BAND-wagon. It was after college that 'being in the know' just wasn't a priority. I still listen to a lot of great music that was hip and happening like 6 years ago, but I am oblivious to any underground or upcoming artist. But wait, with itunes, youtube, and all the more connectivity we have, is anything really underground anymore? The search has become too easy. We have become apart of a technological advance that connects everyone to everything so swiftly that my once passion to seek out the unfamiliar wouldn't be as exciting of a venture nowadays.
So, as an ode to the good ole days, here are a few songs that I will forever love, each has a memory or two to go with it.

Al Green-Let's Stay Together
Badly Drawn Boy- Silent Sigh
Tori Amos- A Sorta Fairytale
Imogen Heap- Headlock
-Colorado and my phone ring for a while
Frou Frou- Let Go
-ping pong at Will's, and dancing (well, flailing mystically) with Julie
Weepies- Take it From Me
-driving in the fall. beautiful song, beautiful feelings.
Weepies- Gotta Have You
Nickel Creek- When You Come Back Down
Amos Lee- Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight
-Every time I hear this song it takes me back to 1615 Park Place, and my bestest friends in life.
Human League- Don't You Want Me
-My Aunt and Uncle sang this and recorded it on a tape. Every time I went over to my grandparents when I was little, I would make them play it while I danced along. For a lot of my childhood I thought they were famous)
Obadiah Parker- Hey Ya
-Being silly with Will
John Mayer- 3x5, and basically every song he ever wrote
-great sing along music
Oasis- Wonderwall
-Oh man, this takes me back to junior high one summer. I smoked my first cigarette and started becoming a little too interested in boys. Luckily, this song made a memorable comeback when I was a counselor at TBARM in 2005. This was the longest time apart that I had ever been away from Will, and I wasnt even able to use a cell phone. Before I left, I wrote him a letter for him to open everyday that I would be gone. I knew I wouldn't be able to write him everyday while I was there, so this was a great way for him to hear from me daily. Well, I got a letter from him everyday as well, and on one of the letters, he may have quoted some of this song.
Kelly Clarkson- Breakaway
-AVA
Michael Jackson- The Way You Make Me Feel
-Our awesome Wedding reception
Peter Gabriel- In Your Eyes
-high school...just a very reflective song
Neil Diamond- O Holy Night
-Will's favorite Christmas song, and I love that
Mercy Me- Finally Home
-brings me such peace and reminds me of Will and our home
Addison Road- What Do I Know of Holy

just a few favorites.

have a great day!
love.

adaptation

Mr. Mess learned how to hold his own spoon and put it in his mouth. It was wonderful to watch him try to navigate his spoon to his mouth. Even though there were more carrots on his hands and mouth than in his tummy, it was worth it because he wanted to hold his spoon today. He was ready, I was set, so we were go for a mess. I believe in truly listening to your baby's cues and signals to help me parent. At this age, he will let me know what he needs, and I will follow. It is working gloriously. You have to go at your child's pace, and adapt to them, or else you are in for stress. I bought Ben a potty today. Sounds early, I know. But wait, hear me out. I think it is a neat idea to introduce a potty to a baby at around Ben's age, to get him used to the feel and to start introducing the language that I will use when the formal potty training will begin. Who knows, it may make the whole thing a lot easier. But, I am not going to subject Ben or I to the added stress of going diaperless at this age because it is fringe or said to be better in the long-run. There is a whole group of mom's who use this method, called EC (elimination communication) to potty train their children. I am going to adapt this far-fetched idea to suite our family. I will start saying "sss" when he goes pee-pee and say "poop" when he has a bowel movement. I like this idea a lot. We'll see if it works for Ben.

itty bitty baby tooth

And we have a tooth!
All of my suspicions of him teething in the last month have proved to be correct. We can feel it and see it (in his mouth and attitude). It will probably take a couple more weeks until it totally appears in all its glory. I cannot even imagine how uncomfortable it must be to cut a tooth, but Ben is being a good sport. Just remember losing your teeth. I hated it. My dad would always do such a great job pulling our teeth. He would tie dental floss around the tooth and yank, and it would be out like THAT. How did he know how to do that so well? I don't think I could pull out my child's tooth if someone paid me. A baby's first tooth marks one of the first transformations from infant to toddler. This is a big deal! I can't believe we are here, but I am excited for it to be done so my 'happy and I know it all time baby' can come back. He will come back, right?

Here is a video I took today of Ben laughing at Chloe throwing her toy around.


so intent with his favorite toy

silly-o

Oh Happy Blog

So, today I am counting blessings! Ben woke up feeling great after a difficult night. He threw up again. We just can't go a week without his tummy getting upset. On the bright side, I woke up this morning to a cool house and a rain storm. I love rainy days, especially the kind that brings in the cool weather. It feels a lot like fall today, and I love fall. I can't wait to spend days outside and really show Ben his world. He is so curious about everything, and a 7 month old can really appreciate this time of year. I will be happy to take long walks without getting swarmed by mosquitos. I get to start thinking of our Christmas cards and gifts for family. It is the best feeling to give someone the perfect gift. It is always my challenge. This year, I am going all homemade either from me or Etsy. A little over a year ago, I discovered this oh so happy place on the world wide web and haven't turned back. It is my go-to for stationary and anything baby. When it starts getting cool, I have a tendency to get back in the kitchen after my summer hiatus. I use food network, AllRecipes, and my mother for recipe inspiration. Nothing says inspration louder to me than a trip to Central Market, though. Let's take a moment and contemplate. Ahh. I got a little taste of that happy feeling over the weekend. If I had no budget for groceries, I would go there and buy the entire store. I love the produce, fish, meat, cheeses, bread, meals on the go, and flowers. I have never bought flowers there, but I always go look, and just give a happy sigh. There is also this community that I love at Central Market. It's like everyone is friends or could be just by being there. And, I always come home with a renewed energy to eat well. In honor of eating well and a promise to my husband that I will start cooking more, here is a yummy recipe that I will make sometime over the next week. I chose this recipe because I love sugar peas, and it is quick and easy!



INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package uncooked linguini pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chili oil
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound sugar snap pea pods
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup reserved pasta water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguini pasta, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup liquid.
Heat the olive oil and chili oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Mix in the shrimp, pea pods, and garlic. Cook and stir 2 minutes, until shrimp are almost opaque. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Pour the wine into the wok, and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by 1/3. Return shrimp, peas, and garlic to the wok, and stir in the reserved pasta water. Continue to cook and stir until shrimp are opaque. Remove wok from heat, and mix in the butter, lemon juice, and basil. Toss with the cooked pasta to serve.

Happy Cooking!!

love.

check out our cute new centerpiece!

now, if only we can get him to stay this small...:)

no more mangos

My little dude had a bit of a hard day yesterday. My mom and I went to SMASHBURGER for lunch...so delicious. Afterwards, we had planned to stop by Garden Ridge and look for baskets. I took Ben out of his carseat to burp him and change him in the car. We didn't make it to the car, though. He threw up right there in the parking lot. I went on to change him and held him for a bit until he calmed down. We were not to far down the road when he started making this sickening gag look as if something was on it's way up. My mom pulled over, and i took him out of his seat again. He threw up again in another parking lot. At this point I just wanted to get him home. This was more difficult than I imagined. Ben is exhausted from hurling and it was nap time. He wants to sleep, but this mucus stuff keeps making him cough and choke, so we have to pull over on the side of the road like 3 more times. I'm thinking we'll never get home, and my mom and I are both very concerned and upset. We end up driving straight to the pediatrician. He falls asleep in my arms, so we wait for a little bit before going in. Turns out, he was allergic to the mangos I gave him this morning. Dear Gerber, don't make foods for babies that most adults have trouble digesting. I have never been allergic to anything, and had no clue that mangos are like nuts and strawberries...stay away (atleast until they get older). These were just simple 2nd food mangos, but his tummy did not like them. I learned my lesson. We are staying with simple foods that I know he is good with form now on.