Soundtrack to cook to: Norah Jones' Come Away With Me - makes me think back to my college days. I remember going on a cruise with my family that summer. At night, floating in the ocean near the Bahamas, I would listen to Norah Jones' haunting and soulful music while standing at the head of the ship and looking up at the stars. *Sigh* To be young again...
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| William is 2 months old! Where has the time gone? Here's his stats: Height: 24 1/4 inches Weight: 14 lbs 12 oz Head Circumference: 44.1 cm Eye color: Bluish gray Abilities: He can coo, say "ah-goooooo", smile, laugh, track things with his eyes, aim and swat at things held above him. He loves looking at his brother and lights up when he hears Alexander's voice. *Fun fact: He's exactly the same size at 2 months, as Alexander was at 4 months! We've got a little bruiser on our hands. |
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| Brown 1 lb of chicken sausage and remove the pieces from the pan. *I opted for chicken sausage as a healthier, less calorie dense option. |
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| In the same pan, saute 1 diced onion, 4 cloves of minced garlic, and 1 head chopped broccoli (I added the broccoli to include a few more vegetables into the soup). |
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| Joseph picked up where I left off so that Alexander and I could go to a play date at the neighbor's house. Thanks for watching William and cooking dinner, babe! |
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| Add 1 lb of diced new potatoes, 3 cups of chopped kale, 3 cups of chicken broth, 2 1/2 cups of water, and the sausage back to the pot. Let the soup simmer with the cover on for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Then add 1 cup of milk (or heavy cream if you'd like), salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning. |
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| We like to top the soup with a little parmesan cheese. The result is a delicious, hearty, and healthy soup that you can definitely feel comfortable getting a second bowl. |
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| Alexander LOVED the soup, too! |
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| Me and Alexander at the entrance for the "Discover the Dinosaur" exhibit. |
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| "Stegosaurus, mommy, stegosaaaaaruuuusss!!" He was very excited to see all of the dinosaurs. |
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| Alexander loved going up to some of the exhibits and pushing the buttons to make the dinosaurs' heads move and make noises. |
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| Alexander and Joseph posing with a T-Rex. |
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| Lol, Alexander looked somewhat startled by the teeth. |
Alexander with the dinosaurs
More dinosaurs!!
Things are so hectic in the morning with Joseph getting ready and then getting Alexander ready for school, that I unfortunately haven't been able to take William to meet my co-workers yet. I'd really like to, but I'm just so tired by the time Joseph and Alexander leave the house. After they leave, I only have time to walk Oscar, shower, eat breakfast, feed William, eat lunch, put William down for a nap, put away the dishes, and then it's time to pick up Alexander. Thus, it was such a treat when my friend and co-worker Suzie decided to bring her adorable son Coda over to our place for a playdate. (Notice that I said "Naked PlayDate" in the title of this blog post.)
Let me just say that it's amazing how much mothers know their own children. Both Alexander and Coda were quite shy at first when they saw each other. However, about 20 minutes into the play date, they began to become more comfortable. Coda asked to use the bathroom, and did so successfully. Then, about 10 minutes later, he asked Suzie to use the bathroom once more. She asked him if he wanted some privacy, to which he said, "Yes, please." Coda went into the bathroom, and then Suzie walked up to me and said, "Nikki, look. I bet you that Coda is getting naked right now." I looked at her with amazement, but she explained that when Coda feels comfortable at someone's home, he takes off his clothes. I shrugged my shoulders, waited for the little man to walk out of the bathroom, and sure enough...
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| Naked play date time!!! Coda was absolutely adorable, walking around our living room and playing in his Diego underwear. What a funny and adorable kid. Alexander stopped, took a look at Coda, and continued on with his playing. Too funny! |
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| My friend Suzie, reading a book to Coda and Alexander. |
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| Thanks so much for coming over, Coda and Suzie!! We had an absolute blast with you two and can't wait to have another one soon! |
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| Oscar, William, Alexander, and Joseph, chilling on the couch at home. Before William was born, I found these adorable dachshund shirts at Janie and Jack and just couldn't resist getting them for the boys. William is already growing out of his onesie, so I had to take a picture of the two of them wearing their shirts together. |
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| Our beautiful boys :) |
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| Me, William, Alexander, and Oscar, hanging out at home. |
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| Finely chop the following ingredients: 1 yellow onion 7 carrots 4 celery ribs 3 garlic cloves |
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| In a Dutch oven, saute the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Once the vegetables have become translucent (~8 minutes), pour in 2 cups of rinsed lentils, 2 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp chipotle pepper and toast the lentils for about 2 minutes. Then, pour in 6 cups of water (in this case, I did 6 cups of chicken stock for a little more flavor). Bring the broth, or water, to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes with the cover on. |
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Carefully stir in 1 cup of finely diced sweet potato and 1 bunch of kale
that has been finely shredded. Cook the stew for another 15 minutes
or until the lentils are cooked through.
*We like our food a little on the salty side, so I put in 2 chicken
bouillon cubes as well.
The result was a delicious and hearty winter stew. We drizzled a
little bit of balsamic vinegar over the top of the soup and that added
a nice tart and tangy taste to the sweet and smokey (because of the chipotle
pepper) soup. Another home run!
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| Here's one more shot of William...I couldn't resist. He's 2 months, and this kiddo is already wearing clothes for 3-6 month olds! |
Love and kisses,
Nikki
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