Spring has finally sprung!

After a long, long winter spring has Finally chosen to show its face around these parts. Ha.. Cedarburg is seriously the prettiest place when it's nice out! This weekend was filled with playing at the park, having bbqs and picnics with friends, ice cream shop runs, and going on a couple runs and a few walks as a family.

I just love our little family of three! I never knew how much happiness a little bundle of joy could add to our little family! She makes everything a million times more exciting!

I am photo bombing from these last two weeks of miss Finley :) it's been way to long since iv updated this blog with actual day to day events, but what can one do? A least I have some kind of picture journal right?

Spicy Thai peanut curry noodles

I made this recipe up last night, and it really turned out yummy! Ben had not one, not two, but THREE big helpings of it.. And that is a big deal because these days this boy doesn't eat very much! I must warn you that it has a kick to it, so if you don't like spicy food maybe only add 1/2 a tbls of red pepper flakes.. But the whole tbls really adds some delish flavor to the dish. If you love Thai food I think you will love this too! Let me know what you think!

Spicy Thai peanut curry noodles

1/2 cup of seasame oil
1 tbls of red pepper flakes
6tbls honey
6 tbls soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
About 6-7 tbls of rice vinegar
1/4 cup red curry paste
Yellow, orange, or red peppers ( I did one or to mini ones of all three colors)
1 box Whole wheat linguini
1/2 cup green onions
Shredded chicken (i used about half of a Rotisserie chicken)
1/4 cup of cilantro for on top
Chopped peanuts for on top

-Mix the sesame oil and red pepper flakes in a pan on the stove over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
- Next, strain out the red pepper flakes, reserving the oil.
-Combine the oil with the honey and soy sauce
- boil the linguini and drain
-add the oil mixture to the linguini
-add peanut butter, curry paste, rice vinegar, green onions, peppers, and chicken.
-I stirred mine on the stove top over medium heat to make sure everything was nice and warm
-serve with cilantro and peanuts on top

Easter, and fin turns 9 months!

Easter was pretty fun this year. We were able to do a play group Easter egg hunt earlier in the week, and then another on the Saturday before Easter. On actual Easter Day we were able to go to church, and after church we had an amazing Easter feast with some friends! It is so nice having our dental "family" here in Wisconsin. Every holiday, including the little ones, we have been able to celebrate with friends.

I honestly don't know how we would get through school without these close friends we have made! It is insane to think how fast this last year has gone. Only three years left and Ben will be dr. Beeson! Woohoo! And who knows where we will be after that! For now we will just focus on school and the next year or so here.

The next day after Easter Finley turned nine months! I say it every time, but really?! Nine months already!!! Last Easter I was 7.5 months pregnant and had these pics taken.. So weird to think that was a year ago now!

Finley is so mobile and does not like to hold still! She is constantly on the go, army crawling everywhere and standing and walking along furniture any chance she gets! She loves to walk around our house, the store, at church with he assistance of Ben or me of ores. Have a feeling she ill be walking on her own VERY soon here.. Eek! I don't mind if she waits a little longer though! She loves paying the tickle game where she lifts her arms and waits to be tickled, then brings them down and laughs so hard then repeats. She waves, claps, loves to eat, climbs onto everything, and smiles and laughs a lot. We love her so much, life wouldn't be much without her in it!

Healthy, no flour, no oil/butter, no added sugar banana muffins!

I made these sweet little muffins the other day and was very excited with the results! Super moist, surprisingly sweet, and pretty dang healthy for a muffin! I liked them, but I'm easy to please when it comes to healthy food. Ben on the other hand, not so much! So when he said he really liked them too I knew this recipe was a keeper! Try it out, because I think you will like it too!

Ingredients:

- 2.5 cups of old fashion oats
-2 eggs
- 1/2 cup of honey
-1/2 cup of plain or vanilla yogurt (I used vanilla)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbls ground flaxseed
- 2tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. grease 12 count muffin tin. Put the oats in either a blender or food processor and pulse for about 12 seconds. Next, add all of the other ingredients and blend until the mixture is smooth. Put them in the muffin tin and if you would like you can add chocolate chips, craisins, peanut butter chips, any kind of nuts, blueberries, or just leave them plain! :) bake for 16-18 minutes. Enjoy!!

8 months old

Finley turned 8 months on the 1st. She is such a happy and content baby, we are so lucky to be her parents! SHe has been on the move now a days and is never in the same spot I originally set her down at. This is by far my favorite stage so far. SE is learning SO much and loves to play and interact with Ben and I.

At 8 months Finley is,

- laughing at everything. She thinks that everything is funny and I love it!
-she scoots and rolls all over the place still, constantly on the move
-is always moving her hands and legs, little wiggle worm
-loves to nuzzle in and cuddle, especially when she is tired
-favorite toys are water bottles, her Tupperware, brush, and clothes. She also loves to play with the wet ones
-she talks ALL day long! Sometimes she does the loudest continuous yayayayaya, so loud Ben and I cannot have a conversation because we can't hear each other! But we laugh because she is just experimenting with her voice.
-she has said dada and mama, but she doesn't know what she is saying yet :)
-she officially knows how to clap
-she can wave (been waving since around 6 ish months, but now she does it more consistently
-gets so excited and makes the funniest noise when Ben gets home from school, or when she hasn't seen me for a little while
- has now tried Gerber sweet potatoe puffs
-can feed herself with her pointer and thumb (which is so cute to watch her do)
-stands all the time,
- is super strong
-sleeping and napping like a champ
-has 6 teeth, 4 maxillary, 2 mandibular
-her hair is getting longer and is turning into a pretty golden blonde color

Avocado egg rolls with cilantro dipping sauce

So.. Ben and I have been in a rut lately. We have started to exercise regularly with him training for a half iron man and me training for a half ( possibly whole) marathon. We have not been doing so great in the eating department. We crave sweets like crazy these days, which I used to hardly ever crave sweets, and with all of the snow and freezing temperatures here in Wisconsin we have been eating a lot of comfort food, which equals LOTS of carbs and processed foods.

This week we are turning over a new leaf! Yay! I decided that I will blog occasionally on here when I have an especially good healthy meal, so others might feel inspired to join us in our quest to be healthier ;)

Avocado egg rolls with cilantro dipping sauce

Egg roll

- 1 large Avocado

- 1 TB. sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil

- 1 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro

- 1/8 tsp. salt

- 3 egg roll wraps

- 2 tsp chopped red onion

- 1 egg for wrapping the egg roll (optional)

Dipping sauce

- 1/4 tsp. white vinegar

- 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

- 1/2 cup honey

- 1 pinch powdered saffron

- 1/2 cup chopped cashews

- 2/3 cup fresh cilantro

- 2 cloves garlic

- 1 TB sugar

- 1 tsp. pepper

- 1 tsp. ground cumin

- 1/4 cup olive oil

Prepare dipping sauce first. Combine all ingredients except the oil and blends in a blender or food processor. Put it in a dish and add the olive oil. Put it in the fridge to chill. Next, combine the ingredients for the egg rolls and put about 1/4 c of filling in each egg roll. While folding the wraps seal the folds closed by wiping a little of the egg on the opening then pressing it together for a moment.. You could just use water for this step as well.

I chose to bake our rolls instead of frying them in an attempt to make them a bit more healthy. To do this preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place egg rolls on a foil lined baking sheet and spray them with olive oil spray. Bake for 12 minutes, or until light brown and crispy!

Finley at 7 months... ( better late then ever)!

This post is long overdue, but c'est la vie!
This age has been SO SO FUN! Sometimes it's hard to get things done because she is very busy these days, and she gets bored easy, but I love all of the learning and interacting that comes along with the business!

At 7 months Finn is...

-constantly grabbing and moving around
-no longer stays in one place
- she scoots and rolls to get to where, or what she wants
-thinks that everything is hilarious, this girl is aways laughing at or with us
-she has the most contagious smile and laugh
-she has 5 grown in teeth
-eats like a champ still
-gets soooo excited wen she she sees Ben or me
-she is always moving
-she loves to snuggle into us when Sh is sleepy
-reaches for us
-sleeps like a champ

We love you Finley Gail!