obsession: well fed.

To say that our family has some interesting dietary restrictions would be an understatement. Mister is currently dairy and egg free (except for delicious butter). Nater and I eat very little grain. Claire would like our diet to consist exclusively of hotdogs, pizza and "other tasty stuff." None of us do very much sugar. The two grown ups in the house need a fair amount of coffee each day to maintain civility. You get the idea.

I recently purchased this wonderful cookbook that is even stricter than I am (with myself) and full of recipes that have me wondering if I will give up legumes (peanut butter, I can't quit you). In the two weeks since this book has been on my shelf, I have made 14 recipes. I have never in my life plowed through a cookbook the way I have devoured this one. For this cheese-loving lady, Well Fed has been inspirational. The recipes are easy peasy, rather than feeling restrictive. And (spoiler alert:) they taste good.

Some less picky members of the family even think the book tastes good, but I think that is going too far.
If you're not in the market for another cookbook, the author's website includes loads of great recipes. But if you're like me and need to hold the book in your hands, you won't be sorry. I promise.

hip hip hooray! a hungry hungry hippos party for our 1 year old babe.

If you plan to have a hungry hungry hippos birthday party for your baby, it helps to be friends with a collection of games and toys from the 80's. Thanks to the Millers, her cake was complete. We used tic tacs in place of the marbles to write her name. Yellow cake with chocolate ganache frosting and minty fresh marbles. Yum.Ingrid's first cake...fan.
Happy Birthday, sweet girl.

sweet ingrid.

Dear Sweetgirl,
It is quiet in our house. In a few hours, your grandparents and aunties and uncles will be here to celebrate YOU. But for now, the house is empty except for you and me. You are napping (no doubt going crazy sucking those 2 chubby fingers) and I have been cleaning and prepping food and doing all of those things that I do when there is a party, like texting your dad last minute things to pick up at the store while he entertains your big brother and sister and blogging.

Here are some things you should know about yourself at age 1: you will eat anything, you do not appreciate having your diaper changed (and honestly, you should, just saying), you are a fantastic sleeper, you crawl everywhere, you say dadadada, mamamamama and bubbiebubbie, you have bunch of teeth (10 maybe? I don't really like to stick my fingers in babies' mouths and I think babies should appreciate that about me) and you love to be outside.

I'm sure that list is similar to lists that many moms could make but the difference for me is that you are mine. Your sister's first year went so slow. Your first year has flown by. I still remember that first morning, when the doctor placed you on my chest, naked, hairy and to quote your sister "looking like a boy." I couldn't believe that birth. Couldn't believe what we were able to do. You and me. A baby is no less magical because she is third. A third baby has her own magic because everyone around her knows how fast it's going to go.

I have a picture of another baby girl in that same hat on those same swings.

And now she pumps her own legs. Someday soon, you will too.

I love you, Hunca Munca, Fat Fatty, Coo-Coo Caroline, Ru*

Love,
Mama

nicknames courtesy of the big brother and sister

on becoming a spectacle.

People with legitimately LARGE families (as in Duggar style-large) might not be that impressed by my 3 kids, but I still feel like it's a major victory when I manage to run errands with all three of them and no one has a melt-down.

I'm not sure if it's because I'm finding my way out of the baby fog, but lately everywhere we go, we are something of a spectacle. I find myself smiling as yet another person tells me that I "sure have my hands full."

Claire singing from the Sound of Music at full voice, Everett needing "togopeerightnowreallybad," and this one, almost a year old and starting to find her voice and her will in the mix.

things i never said before i had kids.

First: when did this happen? I have an almost 1 year old. Slow down, life.
And onto the list:
1. Your sister is not a horse.
2. You may not climb the refrigerator.
3. You can't be naked right now.
4. You need to tell her "I forgive you, not I for-poop you."

a boy & his dad.

If you know me at all, you know that before I met Nate I had a (very small) list of criteria for my husband.

#1 on the list? Handiness.

No joke. I look at this person, who loves us so well and who can build ANYTHING and I am grateful.

Since we are now 35, Nate has decided that he's going to become a morning person, in preparation for becoming an old man. I laugh, but I love it. I love that he makes our coffee, we both have our quiet times and start our days before the chaos finds us.