This past Saturday, Clay and Mark's parents were in town
and offered to watch the grandboys so that we could go on a date.
As always, a nice treat!
Well, instead of going on separate dates, we opted to go together - especially since we're usually watching each other's kids when we go out. :) The twins put their heads together and came up with an idea for our outing:
Now if you've ever been to Austin, I'm sure you know how trendy food trucks are right now - and apparently Fort Worth is trying to ride the wave too. Though I've never been to Austin to sample their wide variety of mobile meals, I would imagine that the set up (in some locations) is similar: paved areas for the trucks to park with tables in between.
The trucks are obviously not always at the park - in fact, I first saw a food truck parked on Magnolia Street. And the Fort Worth park is only large enough to have six trucks at once (maybe eight, it was dark so I couldn't tell how far the pavement went). But the great thing is that you can check their website to see which trucks will be there on which night!
Mark and Tara opted to order the braised beef quesadillas from The Butcher's Son,
which they liked a lot!
Black gold (fried Oreos) also piqued their interest, so they ordered some of those too.
Unfortunately, they were a little disappointing.
Clay and I decided to do something different and ordered from the Wiener Man truck.
Clay got the Crunchy Weiner (which involved fried hot dogs and bacon and cheese)
and I ordered the Skinny - which was a portobello mushroom with pico de gallo
and avocado and some kind of really good sauce.
The buns were really tasty, but I probably wouldn't order that again -
especially if there are so many other places to try!
Clay and I ended our meal with cupcakes from Red Jett Sweets:
Vanilla Echo and Gingerbread Man. Very tasty!
We look forward to another trip to the "trailer park", as Clay called it,
and trying more meals on wheels! ;)
It is amazing to think that this time one year ago, little man was just a growing speck inside of me.
Now that he's been part of our family for the past six months,
we can't imagine our lives without this very busy little bundle of joy!
At his well visit on Tuesday, Max weighed in at 17 pounds 9.5 ounces and measured at 27.75 inches long.
Max nurses four times a day and eats solids (pureed veggies) at lunchtime. So far he has tried sweet potatoes, avocado, butternut squash, and carrots and has eaten them pretty well! We've also tried out a sippy cup, but he mostly likes to chew on the spout unless I hold it up for him to drink.
He still takes three naps a day, and sleeps from his bedtime around 7:00pm until 6:45-7:00am. Right now he's in a stage where he likes to practice his skills (rolling over, talking, etc) if he wakes up during a nap, but I give him a few minutes and he'll usually go right back to sleep!
Max has his two lower central incisors (translation: bottom middle) and, I feel, is most certainly working on his third and/ or fourth. That kid chews on EVERYTHING!
Little man is becoming quite the socialite and LOVES to meet new people (though I hear that stranger anxiety is just on the horizon!). He will smile and coo at just about anyone - which makes the old ladies in the grocery store very happy. :) It is also a joy to see his face light up when Daddy gets home from work!
Max can sit up very well without assistance and only the occasional topple. His primary means of transportation (when he's not being carried) are rolling both ways and scooting himself backwards. He is certainly making progress towards crawling but is not there yet, thank goodness!
Max has discovered his voice in the past month or so and LOVES to hear himself (or so we think). Laughs, coos, and many other noises often come out of his mouth when he's playing (or "taking a nap") - and sometimes I think he's trying to sing along with me or the Christmas music that's on. :)
Sudden loud noises, most diaper changes, and initially being put in the carseat are a few things Max does NOT like - and he lets us know! It's funny how he is starting to show his preferences for things.
Little man is growing so! He now wears 6 month and 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers (when in disposables). We have graduated out of the infant carseat to one that doesn't have a carrier, we've lowered the crib and are trying to childproof as much as we can (though we're sure we'll miss something!).
It is somuchfun to watch our little man growing and discovering the world around him. Each day he is becoming more a little boy and less a baby, and while it makes me sad that we won't have as much snuggle time (not with this wiggle wort!), I'm excited for the next phases of his development.
We are so blessed to be parents to such a beautiful, healthy baby boy!
It has been awhile since I've posted one of these, so I have a LOT of wows to share!
Our Christmas cards went out in the mail last week, so now I can share it without any spoilers (although I think the entirety of my readership is on our Christmas card list :)).
I am so so pleased with how they turned out! Melody with MinkCards did a fabulous job - as did the nice people at Staples who printed and cut it for me...three times. ;)
We finally hung the letters above Max's crib!
One morning I came to get Max up and noticed that the letter X was in the crib with him - yikes! Since he's been scooching around everywhere and reaching for everything, we decided it was time to hang the letters AND lower the crib. Nothing like cutting it close. :)
Little man is just amazing us with new skills every day, one of which (we think) is getting him that much closer to crawling.
Crazy little guy, doing pushups. Of course, he would do it the hard way! ;)
I tried my hand at making bath fizzes to use as gifts from some instructions I found on Pinterest (where else?!). Unfortunately, this was the result...
EPIC FAIL. Not sure why they ended up all crumbly (and yellow?)...
Now for Plan B. Any suggestions?
Friday afternoon, my sister and I went up to The Women's Center
to wrap Christmas presents for client families. It was so much fun!
I used to coordinate the program when I was there, so it was a nice change
to be on the other side with no stress. :)
I dressed Max in this cute little outfit the other day, which was his cousin Jaxon's. He looked so cute I could hardly stand it! But apparently he didn't want his cuteness preserved for all eternity.
Oh, that face. :)
Saturday night I went to a cookie exchange hosted by my friend Stephanie. As always, her home was so festive and she made a yummy meal (La Madeleine's Tomato Basil Soup) - and even had a hot chocolate bar! It was so much fun to chat with my girls - and, of course, EAT COOKIES!
Here is my plate after we had tasted all the cookies:
(Clockwise from top left: Muddy Buddies; Chocolate Crinkles with Caramel; Cranberry-Pistachio; Homemade Thin Mints;
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip; Coconut Wreaths; S'mores Cookies, and Caramel Apple Cider)
I had hoped to pull through with a win (last year my Molasses Crinkle Cookies came in second), but Courtney beat me to it again with her stellar Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with caramel in the middle! I'm already brainstorming ideas for next year. ;)
Clay and I went out today to do a little Christmas shopping for Max - with Max. Yeah, we know we'll never be able to do that again, so we're taking advantage of it now. :) We decided to try out our shopping cart cover and see how little man would sit up.
He enjoyed chewing on the straps, for sure. :)
So now I'm technically finished with all my Christmas shopping - but I've yet to finish making part of Max's present. And, oh yeah, I should probably wrap them too. :) I'd better get crackin' - December 25th is not very far away!
So I FINALLY got around to transferring all the great pics I've been snapping on my iPhone
and thought I'd share a few of the gems...
Hugs from my little man :)
Thanks, Mini, for this cute shirt!
One day when I was at Target, I saw footie pajamas - FOR ADULTS. What is this craziness?!!?
Max and his daddy!
Max loves to scoot around backwards...but the problem with that is he can't see where he's going! He often ends up stuck under furniture or in a corner like this. Eventually he'll learn. ;)
I just love everything about this pic: the drool, the rosy cheeks, the dimpled fingers. Presh!
I saw this hairstyle on Pinterest and thought I'd try it out. I've actually worn it several times since then, but have learned that it works better when my hair is wavy and I haven't washed it in a few days.
Max has started to be more expressive with his face. I love it when he raises his eyebrows. :)
Most of the pictures on my phone look like this. Max sees the bright cover and tries to grab for it (while opening his mouth, I suppose to try chewing on it?). Too funny!
Play time with Aunt Rachel :)
Clay and I went to Cat City Grill for dinner last week (thanks, Groupon!),
and I had the Pork Milanese with brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. So yummy!
Afterwards, we went to see White Christmas at Bass Hall. It was so fun!
Our friends, Dustin and Chelsea, found this mug for us scooter-lovers at Starbucks. Too cute!
A happy little man after bath time. It is seriously his favorite time of day!
Hope you've enjoyed these snapshots of daily life in the Rich household. :)
My husband really surprises me with the foods he likes to eat. For instance, he really loves black licorice, asparagus, and sushi. He is a much pickier eater than I am, so I find it strange that he enjoys these less popular foods - although maybe they are just less popular with me! (For the record, I do like asparagus and sushi. Black licorice...not so much.)
Molasses is another one of those things that I am not so crazy about. Growing up, my dad and sister would slather it on their biscuits at breakfast - and I would nearly gag from the smell! So when Clay told me that his mom's molasses cookies were some of his favorites, my jaw nearly dropped to the floor.
And then I tried one. And it was SO good!
These molasses crinkle cookies are officially known as TCU Frogettes on the recipe card; my mother-in-law got the recipe from her friend who is a Horned Frog. (We won't hold that against her. ;)) Clay calls them "Christmas in your mouth" - because that's really what they taste like!
I think they are a softer version of gingersnaps, nice and chewy with lots and lots of yummy spices. You can't even taste the molasses!
Molasses Crinkle Cookies
Makes
about 3 dozen
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more
for rolling
1 egg, slightly beaten
¼ cup molasses
Stir together the first seven
ingredients and set aside. Cream together the butter and sugar, then gradually
add egg, molasses, and vanilla. Add in flour mixture. Shape dough into balls
and roll in granulated sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and slightly
flatten. Bake 8 – 10 minutes at 350 degrees or until crackly and golden. Let
set for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Go ahead – whip up a batch of these Molasses Crinkle Cookies and enjoy
some Christmas in your mouth. :)
You won't find any details of champagne wishes or caviar dreams on this blog, just the daily life of one ordinary family - whose last name just so happens to be Rich.
