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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Blake is 7 months!

People aren't kidding about time flying by when your babies are growing.

I can hardly believe Blake is already 7 months old!

It's been a big month...

• learning to eat solid foods, of which peas are the most delicious (this also resulted in his first solid poops!)
• sitting up on his own
• lots of new sounds, the current favorite being da-da-da-da -- Levi likes to think it's for him
• first car trip to Spokane to visit Grammy & Grandpa 
• loves the cats -- tracks them, follows them, corners them, pulls on fur & tails whenever he can get them
• army crawl -- he's pretty fast on the hardwood floors
• still the biggest flirt around 
• and finally, the big one...

He is on the move!
Usually the incentive to crawl is the cats, but this time it was the iPad with Grammy & Grandpa on Facetime.  :)

New Carseat

Blake's X-Wing Fighter (& co-pilot, Calvin)

Focaccia!

Last Saturday, a local Heifer volunteer hosted a fundraiser. She invited friends to her home to learn how to make focaccia from a couple of experts -- we spent a few relaxing hours stirring dough, visiting, sipping wine & enjoying a delicious lunch. 

 Everyone went home with focaccia dough to rise overnight & cook the next day.

I've always wanted to make bread & this was a delicious introduction. Since I had a full sheet of focaccia, Levi & I experimented with different toppings -- garlic, rosemary, feta, gargonzola, bacon, cherry tomatoes, & kalamata olives.

 It was delicious.

I'm excited to make more bread, but am a bit concerned about how much more we'll eat because it's soooo good!

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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Solids

Blake has decided that solid food is pretty good.

As long as it's not bananas, which were rejected all over the kitchen table.

It's mostly been fun, with a few frustrations, as we steam, puree & taste test our way through various fruits & veggies. For a short time, it appeared that Blake would eat from anyone but me, opening his mouth wide & cooperatively for dad or grandma, but looking away & being generally disinterested when mom was holding the spoon. Fortunately, after getting the hang of eating from dad & grandma, he decided mom was good for more than just milk.

 The current rundown...

Green peas -- keep 'em coming (definite favorite)

Carrots -- yum

Sweet potatoes & yams -- yum

Pears -- yum

Applesauce -- yum (most of the time)

Avocado -- not so much but we'll try again soon

Bananas -- yuck!

Green beans were not successful -- they didn't puree well, probably because of how stringy they are, & I threw them out. 

Apples causes this delightful little "shiver", I'm guessing due to their tartness.

This weekend we caught it on film, along with Blake's helpfulness in wiping his own face with a paper towel. The towel just has to be taken away in a timely manner, otherwise it is mistaken for food.

(if you are on an iPad, there will be a blank spot here -- it's the video but for some reason it doesn't show up on iPads).

This week, hopefully some yummy homemade cereal -- sweet brown rice &/or millet!

Resemblance?

Three photos of Levi when he was a baby...

 

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"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

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Easter

A small, delicious family breakfast.

 The first Easter with our special little bunny.

 Baskets & fun play for all.

 Off to church (& an exciting meeting with baby Leo!)

 Tradition calls for a family photo on the "photo rock." The sun is shining, the grass is green & Blake is happy.

 Family walk to the bluff to enjoy blue skies & blossoming yards.

A short nap, then off to more family fun at the Pistay's house.

Three cheers for a big sun-drenched deck & even better, for a cancer-free healthy Tillie!

Hours spent outside, hunting eggs, playing in the grass, talking & relaxing, eating great food, playing hide-and-go seek. 

For Tillie's last hiding spot, she crawled underneath a car. 

In her Easter dress.

That's our girl.  :)

"Easter is not a time for groping through dusty, musty tomes or tombs to disprove spontaneous generation or even to prove life eternal.  It is a day to fan the ashes of dead hope, a day to banish doubts and seek the slopes where the sun is rising, to revel in the faith which transports us out of ourselves and the dead past into the vast and inviting unknown."

-Author unknown

Farm Visit

A little behind on posts right now -- with nicer days come more photos & adventures & I'm having trouble keeping up! It doesn't help that I am also spending quite a bit of time editing photos & creating collages. It's just so fun!
 Last week, on a particularly beautiful sunny day, I headed out with Blake & my mom to Moonshadow Farm. Nestled high on a hill in Duvall, the farm is 20 mixed acres of cultivated & forested land, & a haven for unwanted animals. Farm-owner, friend & Heifer volunteer, Sharon, welcomes anyone seeking a peaceful respite & reconnection to the earth & seasons.

 I love coming out to this special corner of earth to visit with Sharon over tea, purchase fresh eggs & walk the farm, conversing with the animals. I also love that doing so is, in part, my job. Sharon has been a Heifer volunteer for many years, building awareness about the importance of local foods, the connection this has to our wider global community, & the responsibility we have to help struggling families build their own sustainable, local systems. I met Sharon through our joint commitment to Heifer & have known her for half a dozen years or so.

 On April 28th, Moonshadow will host Heifer Farm Day, to welcome individuals & families into our Heifer community & participate in fun activities that provide a tangible glimpse into how Heifer is building a healthy world. I went out last week to plan the logistics of the event (more info about the event can be found on Facebook: Heifer in Seattle). My mom carried Blake, leaving me free to take dozens of photos of the farm & animals for the event publicity. It was so fun to watch Blake -- he was very solemn as he checked everything out, watching the animals carefully & taking it all in.

I am eager to bring him back at the end of the month & see how his reactions may change. This day he was quite content to observe everything from the safety of grandma's arms.

We had a lovely, productive afternoon & drove away with fresh eggs to dye for Easter & plans for the upcoming Farm Day. Always a great day at Moonshadow Farm.

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