Mr. Curious...

Jake is into everything. I guess this can be stressful, but it's so much fun too. I love watching him figuring things out. This of course means telling him "no" a lot, which the jury is still out on whether he really gets what that means. Okay, okay - the verdict is in. He does. And unfortunately, he just thinks it's hilarious when you say "no." I realize I probably have a strong-willed one on my hands, but they have their strengths too, right? We're just starting to pray now that the Lord uses Jake's strong-will to make him an influential leader for the name of Christ. I know I have my hands full, but I wouldn't change him for anything. I love this kid so much!

 If we are eating yogurt, he takes about 2 seconds to crawl over to us. And in our face as you can see.

 Too cute not to share with. I mean, look at that face?

Love this shot.

Okay, so Daddy stuck him in the box. But he was so content in there. He sat in there looking at his book for at least 10 minutes.

He also works so hard at reaching the remote. Thought I had put it back far enough...I was wrong (evidence below.)

Sketchy kid. Luckily I caught him in time before he actually rented it.

 

He loves to push his toys up under the couch and then reach for them. This is what he does like 75% of the time. I guess it's a game to him.

 But I love it because I get lots of cute booty-shots like this one. Cutest. Booty. Ever. :)

House Divided...

Yep, every once in a while, our house is divided over our dearly beloved SEC teams. Not always with this much at stake though. Monday night, Arkansas and South Carolina played in the College World Series. Arkansas may have broken their 22-game post-season winning streak, just sayin'. But I won't get too arrogant, because chances are high we will be a house divided again on Thursday night if USC beats Kent State. Okay, chances are really high.

I make it sound intense. It's really not. Both Josh and I are very competitive people (not always something I'm proud of), but we realize this about ourselves so we stay pretty neutral and "nice" during games we play each other. But a little competition is fun sometimes too. Of course, I want my Hogs to win, but if we lose, I will then cheer for the Gamecocks. SEC all the way. (But let's be real about it - tonight I'm cheering for Kent State. It's okay, Josh said he would do the same thing if the situation were reversed.) So yes, house divided...but no, no marital strife. :)

Poor Jake though - he just gets caught in the middle. For the record, I kept him "neutral" on Monday, but we sported the Hogs gear Tuesday after the win. Then to support Daddy, we wore our Carolina gear today. Good kid.

Yes, that's another bruise on his forehead. Same place, different fall. Looks good in Razorback red, doesn't he? WPS!!!

 And yes, those are 2 bottom teeth you see. Okay, so I guess he looks good in the garnet too. Too close not to, right?

Father's Day...

We did a pretty lousy job celebrating Father's Day. Josh had to be at work for all three services Sunday morning so he didn't get home until 1:00, then we had company coming in later that afternoon. (What's funny is that this was the exact same schedule on Mother's Day too, just different company.) So we squeezed in a quick family lunch to celebrate and at least gave him his gift - which I think he liked! 

I've arranged for the two of us to have a little 24-hour getaway at the Chateau on the Lake in Branson next week. We'll be in Mtn. Home visiting my parents, so my mom was more than willing to keep Jake. Thanks Nana! :) We'll get to actually sleep in a little (well, that's the goal...we'll see), enjoy a nice dinner, and Josh will get to go paddle-boarding with one of his best friends, Bodie, while we're there too. For someone whose love language is quality time, it's perfect. Selfish gift? Well maybe. But we only got to go on a quick dinner date for our anniversary so this is kind of a combo celebration. We're both really looking forward to it.

But no gift could even remotely express how incredibly grateful I am that Jake gets to call this guy his Dad...

Jake seriously lights up every time Josh walks in the room. He loves his Daddy.
I'm beyond blessed!

Jake's First Swim...

Last Saturday, we finally got to take Jake for his first official swim. We weren't sure how it would go because he's kind of unpredictable in the bath tub. One time he'll splash and play and the next he's apprehensive - probably has more to do with how tired he is. Either way, he seemed to really enjoy the pool. And gosh, this kid looks so stinkin' cute in his swimsuit. Thanks cousin Luke for the hand-me-downs. We love them! We are taking him again tomorrow. We're really looking forward to our week in Mountain Home and getting him on the lake for the first time too. We hope he loves the water as much as his momma and daddy!

The hair keeps getting lighter and lighter. I love it.

In his little floatie. Pretty content.

Me and my little man.

Pinterest Recipes...

When I first started Pinterest, I told myself I would actually commit to doing something with what I was pinning, so it wasn't a complete waste of my time. And I think I've done pretty well with that commitment. Pinterest has been such a great inspiration, from DIY ideas and great fonts (yes, I have a secret love affair with fonts) but especially in the kitchen. I have probably tried at least 15 new recipes from Pinterest, and I thought it'd be fun to share a few of my favorites. So, no, none of these are my recipes...they're just ones that Josh and I really enjoyed. I've linked each of them back to the original source if you're interested.


Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake

One word. AMAZING! And the great thing is, I'm pretty sure you could substitute blackberries or raspberries and it would still be incredible. The lemon zest is definitely a key ingredient! We just got 3 gallons of fresh picked blueberries from a gift Josh won at work, so you better believe we'll be making this one again soon.



Penna a la Betsy

Okay, so I actually first heard about this recipe from some friends. They said it was incredible so I pinned it with the intentions of making it eventually. Well I did, and they were right. That Pioneer Woman is crazy gifted. (My mom just made us her Tres Leches Cake as well...definitely another one to write home about.) Anyways, Josh isn't a huge pasta eater, and he loved this one.

Salmon in a Bag

The name doesn't do it justice people, I promise. So simple, but so good. I love recipes that turn out this delicious and have so few ingredients. Great for the stomach and the budget! Try it, it won't disappoint.


Ham and Cheese Sliders

This recipe is a pretty common one. I'd had these at a couple different showers and events and loved them, so I went searching for the recipe. I've already made them a couple times for us.  Great for appetizers at a party or for a meal. (I use King's Hawaiian Sweet Rolls - those make any recipe taste good, in my opinion.)


Key Lime Cupcakes

Actually my mom made these while visiting, but we reaped the benefit. And actually the store didn't have any key limes at the time so she used regular limes. Still incredible, but I bet the key limes would take them to the next level. Only problem with these - they taste "light" so 1 just doesn't quite cut it. Beware.


Strawberry Icebox Cake

I wrote about this one in a previous post, but had to include it in my favorites because it may still top the charts. SO GOOD! I'm always looking for an excuse to make this one.

Can't keep up...

with the blog, that is. I feel like I'm always at least a week behind in my posts. Like this one, for instance. Memorial Weekend was a bittersweet one for us.

Sweet because we got to spend Friday celebrating the marriage of our friends Zach and Jessica. They're a couple in our community group and also the couple I mentioned in a previous post that we were meeting with for premarital counseling. So this was an extra fun one for us to attend. Well, I guess attend is not the right word. Josh performed the ceremony, so he didn't just "attend." This was his 2nd wedding to do (first being my brother's) and he did an amazing job. Almost all the other couples from our group were also at the wedding so it was a really great time of fellowship with them too. We are super thankful for these folks we get to do life with.

 The only pic I have of the ceremony. Not a great one, but I was really far back and clearly don't know how to properly use our fancy camera. It was focused on the fern. I'm learning little by little. Anyways, you still get to see Josh doing what he does. So proud. :) 

 The girls from community group. Jessica looked beautiful! (Only wish the Dixon's and the Nelson's were there too.) 

 And the guys.

Now for the "bitter" part. My brother and his wife officially moved away on Sunday (and by away, I mean clear across to the other side of the state.) We got to spend some sweet time with them on Saturday night before the official move, but that almost made it a little harder because it just reminded me how much fun we have with them. It may have been short-lived, but it sure was nice living so close to family for a while. I know it sounds like I'm throwing a pity-party for myself, but there's also a big part of me that's really excited for them too. This is a fun next step for them, not to mention a great first job for Ryan. So, sad yes, but also really proud.

And then the rest of the weekend was spent just enjoying time as our sweet family of 3 and soaking up time with our little buddy. And of course, I leave you with pictures that I just couldn't resist sharing...

Have I mentioned that he's a little wild man? Always on the move! This was after he finished eating. Didn't realize you can't really crawl in that position. But I mean, really, that face?

Before bath time. Just can't get enough of him!