Josh Turns 2!

I seriously can not believe our little boy is 2 already! I thought the first year went fast, but man this year went even faster. As much as I sometimes miss the newborn/infant days, I absolutely adore the little man Josh has become. It's so much fun to watch him learn, explore and grow. He fills our house with so much joy, laughter, and noise :)

We celebrated his 2nd birthday at our favorite park this year. We had a Sesame Street theme because he loves watching Elmo (although recently Little Einsteins has been the favorite) and we had a blast with family and friends. We love having people in our home, but it sure was nice to not have to clean this year! Less stress for Mommy! Here's some pictures from the party and a little update on our guy!

Birthday pancakes!

He's a fan!

Party in the park! It was supposed to rain all day but it was sunny and beautiful during his party!

He talked about this cake for weeks

Goody bags for our friends

Sesame Street themed food galore!

Loved these veg cups! I put ran in the bottom just before everybody got there

All ready!

Waiting for our friends to arrive

Playing ball with the big guys

Sliding with Daddy

Party time

Happy Birthday Wubba!

Yay for cake!

New bike from Mimi and Gray

Wubba just loves these two...and so do we :)

Most of our pictures turn out like this

We love you so much Josh!

Josh Stats:

Age: 2
Height: 34 inches
Weight: 27 pounds
Favorite Food: Spaghetti and Meatballs (his answer)
Favorite Show: Little Einsteins, Curious George and Elmo
Favorite Activities: Playing at the park, drawing with chalk, bubbles, stickers, playing basketball, riding his new bike, wrestling with daddy, playing cars and trains, and coloring
Favorite Songs: Bushel and a Peck (we sing it every night at bedtime), Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald, Jesus Loves Me, I See the Moon
Favorite Books: Red Truck, Alphabet Book (he knows all his letters really well!)
Working On: Saying the correct colors, counting, sorting by color and shape, obedience, trying new foods, learning opposites (hot/cold, big/small)

Trader Joe's Favorites

I don't know about you guys but I love Trader Joe's. Our closest one is not the most convenient place to get to (which is unfortunate) but when I do manage to go, I absolutely love it. Except for the parking lot...which is a different story. Anyway, I thought you guys might like to see what I buy from there on a regular (about once a month) basis. I always love seeing what people like from Trader Joe's because I never feel like I get to peruse the aisles and see what all they have. Usually I'm on a mission to get my stuff and get out! I mainly shop at Publix (free balloon, coloring page AND cookie for my little guy makes it super fun) but I do think that Trader Joe's has some really great deals on certain things, so I try to stock up when I can. There's a few staples I didn't get because we didn't need them this time, but here's what I came away with this morning!

Quite an assortment! 

I always grab a couple bags of this broccoli and frozen peas because they are two vegetables that I know Josh will eat!

This with some baked chicken, cucumber and dressing is dinner tonight!

The top bag is roasted peppers and onions, which I love for fajitas and tortilla soup. Brussel sprouts because roasted with bacon...yum!

For meat options I always get the spicy jalepeno chicken sausage (top left), uncured natural beef hot dogs (no nitrates or fillers), lean ground beef, and Italian frozen meatballs. I also pick up the gluten-free all natural chicken nuggets for Josh. Also not pictured is a bag of frozen chicken tenderloins which I use ALL THE TIME.

This is pretty straightforward but: Cage free eggs, almond milk, organic yogurt for Josh, and cheese sticks

This was a new purchase today. Josh has been on a yogurt kick lately and I wanted to try these for on the go snacking. I like that it includes additional probiotic!

Bread, oats (for oatmeal and granola), and GF mac & cheese (or "doodles" as Josh calls them!)

I don't buy these every time, just when I run out. I love, love, love the coconut oil spray and the salsa. The spaghetti sauce isn't anything special but it's cheap and we were out of ketchup.

I decided to try a new kind of hummus (Josh likes hummus too on cucumbers) and picked up some cashews (great price!), and applesauce - some of Wubba's favorite snacks

You'll notice I didn't get much fresh fruit or fresh vegetables, and that's mainly because we get an organic produce delivery every other week and currently have plenty. So, this is mainly just pantry and freezer staples, with a few new things to try. I'm proud of myself for not getting any chocolate because let's be real...their dark chocolate bars are where it's at. 

What are you're favorite things from TJ's? I'd love to hear and try some new things!!

Roasted Kale Chips

I'll admit that it's taken me a while to jump on the "kale is awesome" bandwagon. I've had it in soups and in salads and enjoyed it but it's not the leafy green I tend to choose all the time (spinach is a different story...I love me some spinach!)

For the past 6 months or so we have been getting a local organic produce delivery every other week (shout out to Space Girl Organics!) and we have been loving it!! It's so nice to get fresh fruit and vegetables (and eggs!) delivered right to your door and it's always a beautiful selection (and they let you choose what you get so you never end up with things you don't like!) If you're looking for a produce delivery in Central Florida, definitely check them out.

Ok back to the recipe...

This past week we received a bunch of curly kale in our delivery and I roasted some with fingerling potatoes (also in our delivery) and carrots for dinner but didn't know what to do with the rest. I finally decided to try these "kale chips" I'd seen almost everyone raving about. They were awesome! While they definitely do NOT taste like a potato chip, they did satisfy my craving for something salty and crunchy in the moment and if you season them well they don't taste at all like salad. Give 'em a try!


What you need

- 1 bunch Kale (I think this is curly Kale which worked great!)
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil (or olive oil)
- Salt
- Garlic Powder
- Cayenne Pepper

*You can really use whatever spices you want. I just wanted garlic and a little spice but you could use whatever you have on hand. *




Directions

- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

- Wash your kale and dry thoroughly (make sure it's REALLY dry or else the oil won't stick to it)

- Take leaves off from the ribs, tear into bite size pieces and spread out on a baking sheet

- Pour the oil over the leaves

- Sprinkle liberally with salt

- Add your garlic powder (I used quite a bit because I loooove garlic)

- And if you can handle a little kick throw some cayenne on 'em too

- Toss everything together to coat the kale evenly

- Put the baking sheet in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the leaves are browned and crisp

Waiting for the "chippies" to cook!

- Let them cool completely before eating. This will also help them crisp up more

- So yummy and super easy!

 Happy (healthy) Snacking!

Easter and (almost) 21 months!

This month has been full and fun. Easter weekend seemed to come so early this year and Jon and I were both busy with rehearsals for our worship service on Easter Sunday. Luckily, Wubba LOVES spending time with his Mimi, Gamps and aunties and I am so grateful they are willing to keep him for us anytime we serve at our church. Eventually of course we plan on bringing Josh with us and serving as a family, but right now, in the midst of toddler-ness he wouldn't be very helpful :)

Easter Sunday was spent with family after our 3 services at church (and a 4:00am wake up call for Jon and I!) and it was so fun and relaxing. My grandma hosted Easter this year and we had an egg hunt for the kids. Josh really enjoyed hunting for eggs, although once he realized there was candy inside them, he just wanted to open them and chow down! Here's some pictures from our fun day!

"Hey mom if you won't open it for me I'll just eat through the plastic!"

He loves his new "wawa" cup

Jon asked for a Fender Strat in his Easter basket this year...you got it babe :)

Josh and his Aunties before church

Getting ready to hunt eggs with Mama

He clapped every time he put one in the basket

Playing ball with Dada

Cousin Mas and Gamps

I love my crazy family!

Sweet music from the cousins!

Our little Easter bunny

Josh is almost 21 months and boy is he acting like it (ha!) He's definitely getting that 2 year old attitude we've heard so much about! Hitting, biting, saying "NO!"...it's all happening right now. For the most part though he is the sweetest boy and definitely wins me over every time with those big brown eyes and his sweet hugs. He has a very soft heart too and always shows that he's sorry when we correct him. He will climb up anything you put in front of him, even if it isn't meant to be climbed on, he LOVES being outside and going on walks or to the park, and he recently learned all of his letters and points them out wherever we go. Everyone is asking us when we are going to have another one and I always tell them that we are just enjoying Josh right now and it's so true! This age is hard, but so much fun! Here's some pictures from the past few weeks :)

Swimming at Mimi's

First time down a water slide!

First Mickey bar experience

"Ickey" goes with us EVERYWHERE

A (hot) day at Sea World!

Stylin'

Making cookies with Mama

I love this pic of my boys

Family walk

In the next few weeks we will be finishing the school year (YAY!), spending our free weekends at Sea World or the beach, and planning our upcoming trip to NYC!! I hope everyone has a great week!