Labor Day in Lake Tahoe

We had the opportunity to go to Lake Tahoe with Grant's family on Labor Day and of course, we were so excited to go. It was Rowan's first trip on the plane, she did so well, and to California! We stayed in an awesome cabin and had so much fun with everyone. We can't wait to go back for New Years Eve!

Grant and I at the Brewery - They have the best pizza in Tahoe!

Here are Grant, Rowan, and I on the deck of Riva Grill overlooking the Lake. They have the best drink, "the woody" that they are famous for. We all had a few on the trip!

Here is Rowan taking a bath in the sink, she did not like the big tub!

Here we are after the boys finished a round at Tanglewood and we all met for lunch and mojitos at the club house.

The fam: us, Jim, Janet, Zack, and Heather

The men

Rowan's 6 month photo shoot

We had Christi with Candid Chic Photos do Rowan's 6 month shots. They turned out really good! Well, with the exception of my bra strap showing in most of them. Luckily, Christi can edit it out of the ones that we purchase. If you would like to take a look, go to www.candidchicphotos.com go to "Clients" then "Holiday 2009" and then you will find Rowan's pretty little face. The password is: brooke. Rowan looks so adorable. We are so lucky to have a smiley, healthy baby!!!

Breakfast in Bed

We started a new tradition on Saturday's by having breakfast in bed with the fam. We get Rowan up and bring her into our room and feed her and chill out in bed while Grant makes breakfast. I crack up because a.) Rowan clearly has the worst bedhead out of any of us and b.) she is super interested in watching us eat pancakes and bacon. I love her little footed pajamas too - they seem so comfortable. It is the perfect way to start the weekend as a family and hopefully this will be a tradition for many years to come.

6 Months Old!

I can't believe that Rowan is already 6 months old! She it turning into quite the little ham and her personality is really starting to show. She is such a pleasure to be around. She laughs, screams, babbles, and talks all day long. She will let you know, though, when she needs a change of scenery or if it is time for mama to pick her up for some TLC. She is rolling all over the place, can sit up assisted, and is grabbing her feet and trying to stuff them into her mouth. She is in the 50th percentile for her head size (finally catching up!), 75th percentile for weight (she weighs 17 pounds), and 97th percentile for height. She is going to be tall!

The day of her half-birthday was Sunday, August 16th and we had a full day. We started at lunch with Grandmommy at the new Los Vaqueros, followed by taking tons of pictures with the pigtails I put her in, and then we made our way to the miniature train by the zoo. She really enjoyed the train ride and we had such a fun, peaceful day!


Lunch with Grandmommy

Giving mama kisses

Pigtails!!!!!

Loving the train...

Domestic Experiments...

So now that I am a stay at home mom, I have had the time to renew my passion for cooking...and eating of course. I didn't have a kitchen for so long and with a newborn, there just wasn't the time. Now that Rowan likes to hang out in the kitchen with me, we have a lot of fun cooking together. One of my favorite things to do is go through cookbooks and cooking magazines to look up new and different recipes and try them out on my willing husband. I enjoy cooking and eating healthy meals, so I am always in the market for vegetable and chicken recipes that offer a new spin on the usual steamed veggies and grilled chicken that we have grown tired of. I found a recipe in this months Cooking Light for a roasted beet salad. Being the wannabe foodie that I am, I always see chefs utilizing beets as part of their menu on shows like Top Chef. When I think of beets, I think of the jarred beets that my southern mom served as a side in nearly all of her dinners. I thought...the fresh ones look so beautiful and the recipe that I found seemed easy enough. To my delight, it was really good, easy, and my husband actually did enjoy it (well - it did have cheese on it.). Here is the recipe...I recommend trying this one!

BEET AND ARUGULA SALAD

3 BEETS (RED AND YELLOW OR WHATEVER IS AVAILABLE)

2 TBLSP. RED WINE VINEGAR

1 TEASP. EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

1/2 TEASP. SALT

1/2 TEASP. PEPPER

6 CUPS ARUGULA

1/4 CUP KEFALOTYRI CHEESE (I COULD NOT FIND THIS GREEK CHEESE IN CENTRAL MARKET, YOU CAN SUB PARM. REGGIANO OR GOAT CHEESE - I USED GOAT CHEESE BECAUSE GRANT LOVES IT)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Leave root and 1-inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets in a baking dish, bake at 425 for one hour and ten minutes or until tender. Cool; peel and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Arrange beet slices in a single layer on a platter. Drizzle with half of vinegar mixture.

Combine remaining vinegar mixture and arugula in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Top beets with arugula mixture. Sprinke with cheese.

8 servings; 50 calories, 1.8g of fat

Viva Mexico!

We went to Mexico in mid July with Zach and Vicki Sawyer for a much needed vacation sans the babies. We stayed at the Royal Hideaway in Playa del Carmen and enjoyed it so much. The food, drinks, and scenery were all awesome and I highly recommend this all inclusive resort. We had so much fun with the Sawyers! We were ready to get home to our sweeties though.

Having a mojitoBefore dinner the last night

Drugs and Deli...sounds delish! Only in Mexico!

The four of us


Zach, Vicki, and Grant took a sailboat out, I happily took pics, and finished my book, the Glass Castle. Highly recommend that as well!

Pretty much sums up our trip!

Me and Grant

The most awesome part of the trip...our pool right next to the ocean!

5 Months Already!

I can't believe that our little one is already 5 months old! So much has changed in the last month that I don't even know where to begin. She is really starting to reach out and grab for things, especially my hair or a cup that I am drinking from. She has a little playard that she lies on her back in and she will reach up to the hanging toys and hold on to them and try to get them in her mouth.

The funniest experience that happened was in her crib when we discovered that she could roll over. She has a little lighted toy that has a fish scene that hangs on her crib and I turn it on for her to soothe her before a nap. We call it her "show." So I put her on her back to watch her show and left her in her crib to clean her bottles and when I heard the music go off, I went in to check on her and she was asleep on her stomach, thumb in her mouth. So I was really excited that she could roll over. About an hour later I hear her laughing and carrying on so I go to get her up, and she is on her back again! She rolled over twice without us seeing it! Ever since then, she has been turning every which way, working on her new discovery.

She is most interested in sucking her thumb still, which I can't argue with yet. She also really enjoys her changing table and the wall next to it. She is constantly turning on her side to feel the wall and its textures. She is all smiles all the time and gets the biggest kick out of dogs. She laughs so hard she starts coughing/choking because she isnt getting enough air while in hysterics.

Another big accomplishment is that she has started taking solid foods and drinking from a cup. Her first tastes were rice cereal, peas, banana, and sweet potato. I have really enjoyed cooking her food for her thanks to the Williams Sonoma baby cookbook that my sister, Lindsay gave me. I have realized that I am saving a lot of money by cooking a big batch of food and freezing the portions in covered ice cube trays that can last up to 3 months! She enjoys sitting in her high chair while watching me cook and describe to her what I am doing.

Along with the joys of watching Rowan grow and experience firsts, there are also going to be not so great moments like her first ear infection that we have been battling and some teeth that are in her not so distant future. I hate more than anything seeing my sweet little girl in pain and not her usual happy self.

My poor little love bug had major congestion and runny nose with fever for about 2 weeks while going through her ear infection. She can't breathe through her nose in this picture. Sad...

We have had so much fun with Rowan in the last month, I have been so lucky to be able to stay at home with her and see her smiley, happy face every bit of my day. She is growing up so fast, I just want to stop time and get a few more years of this adorable stage that she is in.