WE'VE MOVED...

The Mighty Koze

Cutest kid. Ever.

He is looking so much like a little boy...and so much less like a baby every single minute. I love it and hate it. But mostly love it.

Taking walks and a few mom thoughts

Yesterday we went for a long walk in our new neighborhood. No stroller, no carrier; just us and our own two feet. We really only made it two blocks but we saw a lot in that short distance. FIrst we stopped by the chickens in our backyard to say hi to them. Koze calls them icky. Then there was a squirrel, a cat, lots of robins and two dogs. Koze calls all of them "kiki"; which is a word I suspect he picked up from hanging out with Lindsey and Ben's kitties. It was a beautiful day so I decided to try and capture the experience with a few shots. The last one I LOVE of Koze in the background and so decided to post it...even though I look like I'm stoned.




I wasn't sure what it would be like to be the parent of a toddler. I sort of envisioned it being WAY more work to keep up with this little ball of energy. And in some ways it requires a lot more effort. For instance Koze has developed strong preferences when it comes to food. He seems to be only interested in trying new things. He will love something one day but won't touch it again for sometimes several days. So I am online everyday looking for recipes that are new and healthy, but also within my ability to make and not too time consuming. The same thing goes for activities; he gets bored easy. But once I get those things figured out he is such an independent little person and just takes over from there. I can step back and be my own person for a little while. If feels great. We've got a sleep schedule down now which has also been huge: Wake up around 6, Morning nap at 9am, afternoon nap at 2 or 3, bedtime sometime between 7 and 8 unless he skips his afternoon nap then its between 6 and 7. I know having a schedule like this doesn't work for all families but it was what we needed. I have loved every stage so far and am thoroughly enjoy this stage too.

new favorite food blog

Veggie Wedgie

lovely day for a walk

He wouldn't leave home without the guitar.

tuh-gar, tuh gar, tuh-gar

this is what you've been saying over and over again for EVER but I didn't realize what you were saying until yesterday when you started saying it the second you say your...GUITAR! Man, do you love that thing. I read today that kids start forming attachments to things like a stuffed animal or a blanket around your age. I think that maybe you have fallen in LOVE with your tuh-gar. :)

pizza that Koze LOVED

Here's the recipe for the dough. I did one that was plain cheese (a mix of mozzarella and cheddar) which was more for Koze and one that was mozzarella cheese with grape tomatoes, basil, and kalamata olives...simple but so yummy. The crust was amazing! Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce or 1.5 tsp) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar
Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Soaking pool

We had an amazing time in the soaking pool tonight. We practiced swimming and you especially enjoyed watching the older kids swim and do cannon balls. You were so smiley the entire time. We are going to have to go back very soon!

Kisses

Last week you started giving me kisses...its like a game for you. You open your mouth and stick out your tongue and always aim for my nose. They are super slobbery and wonderful. You make me laugh so hard. I love it. I love you.

your words so far...

(1) Tickle tickle, (2) No, (3) ball, (4) Ana..nana, (5) mamamama...to be continued.

standing, standing, standing...WALKING!

Okay, so I wouldn't say you're walking quite yet but you are so close. today, three times, you took a step and then in a very controlled manner sat yourself down. Like, "WHOA, that was intense!" You are also obsessed with the guitars in our house...there are three; one that's an electronic toy, a small acoustic and a regular size acoustic base. The electric one will do if the others are not accessible but you really prefer the real thing. We don't generally let you play with the big one so I think that makes it all the more exciting...and it just sounds cooler. Here are a few pics of you showing off your standing AND guitar holding skills. I took them with my iPhone and they turned out a little bit blurry...Sorry about that.

Fall Photos

Today = The happiest day of my life + 1 amazing year.

KOZE! As of 2:19 this morning it will have been one year since I met you face to face for the first time. Even trying to write this I get tears in my eyes. I often think of your first day here and how unexpected it was. That day and those following have truly been the best of my entire life. Watching you grow from the 5lb 12oz babe into the almost 20lb toddler that you've become in this first year has been incredible and inspiring. You are always curious and adventurous, I haven't seen an ounce of fear in you since the day I met you. Even when you were hooked up to monitors and an IV you rarely complained. You are beyond sweet and full of life.

This has been a fun year. We've had some really rough moments but even during the hard stuff I have always felt so grateful that have you here with me and to be so blessed to be able to be your mama.

You are changing and growing SO fast...everyday its something new. Like today for the first time I asked you where the ball was and you went right over to it and picked it up. Ball is also one of your new words. Something else cute that you did today, we were listening to O Holy Night in the car and about half way through you lifted both of your hands in the air, looked up at the ceiling and let out a couple of deep sighs as if you were having a very spiritual moment. So great.

I love you baby doos. So. much.

mom

Jyu ichi BAN! (the eleventh month)

Koze,

We are just one month shy of having been in each others lives for an entire year. It has FLOWN by. Here are some of the fun and adorable things you've been doing lately: You are learning what it means to share as you can see in the video of you and Lily. You've started waving goodbye and blowing kisses, which I LOVE! The other morning when I woke up I was greeted by your handsome smile and then a great big kiss - I almost died it was so sweet. You also got your first two teeth - they are in an unusual place...on top and to the sides (kind of like little vampire fangs). Dr Neuman says that its pretty rare for those teeth to come in first. It will be perfect for halloween though.

You also had your dedication this month on Oct 10th at Door of Hope, the church we attend. And you had your first trip to the ER because of some pretty bad tummy aches you were having. You did SO great and were so brave and it turned out to just be an intense stomach virus which ended up lasting a little over three weeks. It was so sad to see you not feeling well.

Random pics from this month...





Lily and Koze "sharing"