Goodbye 20s...

Hello ARUBA!

Joe told me we were going on a trip for my 30th Birthday.  The destination was a surprise.  I got some suggestions and hints so I could pack but I was honestly SHOCKED when I found out the destination was Aruba.  It was much farther than I thought we would go for just 4 nights but it was beautiful and not too long of a flight.  There isn't much to say about the trip itself... we relaxed and slept and relaxed some more.  It was exactly what I needed!

 We found a local place that served my favorite beer... 

soooo good after an exhausting day at the beach :)

View from our room:

Beach where we snorkeled:

Watching the sunset on our last night:

How Joe really feels about getting his picture taken:

 Enjoying a great meal (scallops & risotto) on the beach:

Tapas

Joe and I alternate years for planning Valentine's Day and Anniversary.  I don't believe that these things should fall on the man alone... mostly because I enjoy planning this stuff.  Last year, Joe made an beautiful meal.  2012 was "my year" to plan V-day dinner (and eventually the anniversary).  I made a variety of tapas which was a LOT of work.  I tried to keep it (somewhat) healthy which was a challenge.  I perused pinterest and one of my favorite online resources for lots of healthy recipe ideas.  

The result was the following:

Beef Carpaccio

Pretzel Bites

Baked Zucchini Sticks

Asparagus and Shrimp Wrapped in Prosciutto with Horseradish Dipping Sauce

Baked Empanadas

Baked Lump Crab Cakes

Vietnamese Cinnamon Creme Brulee

I need to give an additional shoutout to skinny taste for a few more of our favorite recipes that are in regular rotation at the house:

Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken

Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting

Chipotle Burrito bowls (recipes links to other Chipotle remakes... delicious)

Bouncy Bouncy Bounce

Look at those thighs... we had to do something to get him moving :)

Lover Boy

I can't stop singing a certain song from the movie Dirty Dancing while Kamden wears this shirt!

6 month update

Get in my BELLY

 No surprise here - Kamden likes to eat.  Solid foods have been no exception.  I make his baby food... Not because I am some elitist mother that thinks her precious, perfect child can have nothing jarred or with preservatives.  I do this because I am thrifty and it is SO easy.  It started this fall with an incredible harvest of butternut squash and sweet potatoes (thanks, Mom!).  This is a picture of the sweet potatoes.  They were the biggest things I have ever seen:

We are still eating the harvest from this fall.  He has squash or sweet potatoes everyday, usually mixed with something else.  It is getting near the time where they might go bad so we are eating them as fast as he can.  His other favorite foods have been: avocado, green beans, and bananas.

 

He is pretty "involved" in the eating process so it gets rather messy!

 

If anyone has questions about baby food making - ask away.  It is a huge money saver and hardly takes any time at all. 

Great Grandma

Kamden only has 2 Great Grandparents.  This is a cute picture that was inspired by pinterest.

This is his maternal Great Grandma... or as the kids call her "Grandma Violet"

She is an amazing farmer's wife and at almost 85 is still living on her own and doing pretty darn good!