Halfcourt Bounce Shot!

Well, it was a beautiful evening, so we took advantage of it by heading to the park! We went on a nice walk, had fun with Blake on the swings, and then Blake and Alex spent some quality time shooting some hoops. Alex pulled off an AWESOME trick, and I was just lucky enough to get it on video. Enjoy!

I can stand!

Blake is getting so big! I think I say that a lot... His new thing is standing up against things. Here he is standing like a big boy!

The weather has been kind of rainy here lately, so we haven't gotten to spend much time outside. Here are some pictures of Blake hanging out throughout our week:

Cooking, again!

We have really been busy cooking different dinners! Here's what we have had this week:

Homemade Panera Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Almond Chicken Dijon

Easy Pleasing Meatloaf

Recipes as follows: Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup, Almond Chicken Dijon, and Easy Pleasing Meatloaf. Enjoy!

Catch up!

Well, Blake has graduated to his convertible car seat! No more Chicco carrier! We ended up going with a Britax Roundabout 55. We decided against the Britax Boulevard 70. It was just so much more money and not really that different. Plus, let's be honest, Blake will definitely be too tall to be in this car seat before he reaches 55 pounds, so why get one that last until 70 pounds?! Here is Blake taking a nice nap in his new big boy seat:

The weather is finally cooling down, allowing me to enjoy my favorite season: fall! I absolutely love fall and everything that comes with it: football, holidays, warm-scented candles, leaves... I could go on and on. We went to the apple orchard this weekend to enjoy the weather. They had some awesome things for Blake to play on! Here are some pictures of our trip:

We also have been taking a lot of trips to the park to walk and swing. Here is Blake bundled up and enjoying a nice fall walk:

On a separate note, the Colts were on and, of course, again were not aired here in Patriot-land (yuck!). Here is our sweet Skype set-up with my parents, which allowed us to watch the game anyways!

And, I can't forget to mention that Blake is currently working on his sixth tooth! Here is funny picture where you can see almost all of his teeth!

Hopefully, it won't take me as long next time to post! Too much happens around here for this long of a gap! I leave you with a couple of pictures where Blake is looking super cute!

Helping with the laundry.

Shopping with Mommy!

Back in the kitchen...

Here are some more things we are trying out for dinners!

Steak and Potatoes

Bacon, Cheese, and Potato Chowder

French's Crunchy Onion Chicken with Garlic and Onion Red Potatoes

No recipe needed for the steak and potatoes, but the Bacon, Cheese, and Potato Chowder recipe is here, and the French's Crunchy Onion Chicken recipe is here. All recipes are quick and easy!

Empty Freezer

The day has come: the breast milk stash has been emptied. We have been mixing formula and breast milk for a few weeks, and today was the day we thawed our final frozen bag. This picture describes my feelings on the matter:

Boo!

Blake will also be moving up to a convertible car seat hopefully this weekend! I think we are going with the Britax Boulevard 70 in Cavalier. This seems to be the safest and the seat we can use the longest. Plus, it matches my car! I think Blake is also getting his sixth tooth! I can't see it yet, but I am pretty certain it will pop out in just a couple days!

Funny story: the dogs went to the vet today. Everybody's healthy except Duncan is officially fat! He was told to loose 5-6 pounds... ugh! So, now the dogs will be fed twice a day instead of the food being down all day... should be interesting..

On a somewhat unrelated note, we will hopefully be house-free by the end of October (assuming nothing falls through). We are saying our prayers that everything goes smoothly, and we can just have one residence and one set of bills! It will be so nice to have our final step in the moving process complete!

Cooking Fun!

Alex and I have been trying out new recipes and foods quite a bit. Pinterest has allowed me to find all types of recipes, along with my Parents magazine, recipe books, and family. Our recent trials have been Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo and Black Tie Mousse Cake (alfredo recipe found here and cake recipe found here):

And fish tacos with cilantro-lime crema (recipe found here):

This weeks menu includes a bacon, cheese, and potato chowder, crispy chili chicken, french onion chicken, and steak! Who knows what else will be thrown in! Yum!!

No Colts Here...

Well, sadly, the Colts were not shown here in good old Massachusetts. I listened to the game online for a bit but got bored with that. Hopefully, we will get to see the next game! Even though we couldn't watch the game, we still dressed in our jerseys. AND even though Peyton didn't play, we were still sporting the number 18. Blake and I went to the park and got a few comments about supporting the wrong team, of course. You can't live in Patriot-land, support the Colts, and NOT get a comment. Here is Blake being cute in his jersey followed by some swinging pictures from the park:

He is always crawling under the dining room table...

Had to show off the Ralph Lauren horse on this sweatshirt!

A Visit from Grandma Liz

Grandma Liz came to visit us! We spent our time visiting a Yankee Candle flagship store, the beach, and Boston Harbor. The Yankee Candle flagship store was amazing! So much more than just candles! Of course I got a Kitchen Spice candle, a Harvest candle, and a Beach Vacation candle. Love them all! Here are some pictures of our trip and a few creative pictures from the beach (thanks to Pinterest for the ideas!).

Eric Carle stuff everywhere!

So cute!

King of the castle, king of the castle!

DAS BOOT!

I won thumb war...

Brr! Snowing inside!

Thanks, Pinterest!

Alex, Blake, Laura

7 months old?! Already?!

I cannot believe Blake is already 7 months old (tomorrow!). He is at a really fun age right now. Playing, smiling, laughing, moving around... Also, he is trying all kinds of new foods! He likes pretty much all baby foods so far, which is good for us. He definitely prefers fruits over anything else. Meats... well, he tolerates them, but I can tell he likes them less. He has started trying puffs and yogurt melts, too. He's not too great with the teething biscuits yet because he bites big chunks off and tries to swallow them... not good. He also loves spaghetti sauce and popsicles! Here is Blake being a big boy in his high chair at Olive Garden:

We made it though hurricane/tropical storm Irene just fine. Rain and wind, but nothing too bad. We only lost power for a couple of hours, which is great, since some of Massachusetts is still without power today! Here are a couple pictures of our time without power:

Hey, why won't this turn on?