Jacob is Baptized

Jacob was baptized this morning at church, what a joyful event!

family picture after the church service

Jacob in the baptismal gown that Mike's grandma had made for him when he was baptized

After church at Grandma & Grandpa Barker's house

6 week comparisons

One of our favorite snapshots of Josh, when he was a baby, was a picture from when he was 6 weeks old. We tried to capture the same look with Kyle and Jacob to see how they compared in looks and size... With both Kyle and Jacob we had just about everyone tell us how much they looked like Josh, so we love comparing pictures! They all obviously have their own unique look, but definitely pass as brothers! The room that I took Josh & Kyle's picture has been painted bright colors and we must have gotten rid of the outfit that they were wearing so Jacob's picture is a bit different- but you get the idea!

 

Mini Frattatas

I had a few friends over today for a playdate and I made frittatas for the first time... They turned out great! I mixed a few recipes that I found to get what I wanted and this is what I came up with: Mini Frittatas 1 ½ cup shredded potatoes 2T vegetable oil 4 egg yolks 8 egg whites ½ cup chopped onion 2 garlic cloves 1 ½ cup frozen chopped spinach (thawed slightly) ½ cup parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 375 and spray muffin pan with non-stick spray. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet and pan-fry the shredded potatoes until golden and crispy. Disperse the hash browns evenly in the muffin cups. Using the same skillet, sauté the onion, garlic, and spinach until soft, also disperse into the muffin cups. Beat the eggs until foamy and double in size and pour evenly into the cups filling them about 80%. Sprinkle the cheese on the top and cook in the oven for 30min or until they look puffed and golden. Let cool in the pan for 2-3 min and then use a rubber spatula to loosen from the pan. Makes 12 frittatas.

Corn Starch Finger Paint & Dad's Birthday

This past week, we celebrated Mike's birthday with finger-painted cards and birthday cake. I guess we have been in a crafty mode lately and decided to try a homemade recipe for fingerpaint... it was easy- just 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1 cup water, a minute in the microwave, and some food coloring! The boys had fun making a mess and of course, Kyle had to taste it... I think he thought the birthday cake tasted better! Dad got a new BBQ grill for his birthday & enjoyed his cake and cards- Happy Birthday, honey!

Josh helped with the candle blow out.

Lovely colors and neat texture!

Let the mixing begin!

Yuck!

Brotherly Love

Joshua has always been our affectionate kid and will stop at every passing to give the new baby a kiss. Kyle is learning quickly about how to love on his little brother, but still needs to learn what gentle means! I got some action shots of them loving on Jacob:

First, Kyle watches Joshua kiss him...

Then, he thinks about it...

He goes in for the open mouth kiss...

And then he gives him an affectionate pat to his face!

Ketchup

Kyle discovered ketchup today! We had a picnic in the backyard and since we were having chicken tenders, Josh wanted some ketchup to dip it in. Because Kyle wasn't strapped to a highchair, he jumped right for it! He enjoyed ketchup first with chicken, then with his cheese stick... He liked it with his carrot and even his peach, when he was done with his food, he just used his fingers! Who knew that a little ketchup would go a long way!

Kool Aid Playdough

Today we have been busy making homemade playdough, lots of it! My mom is trying to find a good recipe to make for the preschool kids she takes care of at work and Joshua is helping her find the winning choice & having fun along the way! We ended up making 5 batches, all different colors and smells and our choice for the winning recipe was:

Kool Aid Playdough:

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
2 packages sugar free Kool Aid
1 teaspoon cream of tarter (Alum works too!)
2 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons oil

Mix dry ingredients, then add the wet ones. Knead until smooth, careful it is hot!

Kyle's pick was the red one!

Josh was very helpful...

The play dough tester in action!

Chunky Monkey!

Jacob is growing fast & at just over 3.5 weeks, he is definately our chunkiest baby! We don't go to the dr. until the end of next week, but he certainly has put on some baby fat in his face and belly! He is a great eater and sleeper, so it is no wonder that he is gaining those healthy cheeks! What a joy he is!

Rain Boots

Rain boots have been a hit around our house lately (thanks Amy for the great birthday present!) and today we got to use them properly during a refreshing afternoon summer drizzle. Kyle mastered the art of walking in them for the first time and was pretty proud to show off! Josh has been wearing them all around town and convinced us to take him on a walk with them on (and no stroller for him to sit in)... After one of his 'catch up to us sprints', he told us that he doesn't think that his rain boots are good running shoes and during the last stretch of the walk, we ended up giving him a piggy back ride home. I hope he learned his lesson! He has also been seen out and about in these boots and we get the funniest looks, it is a priceless memory to see the confidence he has in the silly outfits he picks out!

He pulled the hose out to pretend he was a firefighter:

Lacing up my running shoes :)!

Today I got to lace up my running shoes and go for a nice easy run, something I haven't done for quite awhile between pregnancies... With my parents in town, I was able to leave all three boys at home and enjoy a breather all by myself! I didn't run very far, fast or for very long intervals, but it certainly acted as a great stress reliever and felt great to have my hands free for a short while. I got some new running shoes for Mother's day, but couldn't wear them while I was pregnant because my feet had expanded and they gave me blisters... but no blisters this time! It turned out that tonight was 'National Day Out', so there was a community function going on at the park and I ran into a few friends. I didn't know what to do with myself, because I didn't have to make sure my kiddos were safe or didn't have to break up any sibling fights! My friends did have their kids with them & it did make me sad to think that Josh and Kyle would have had fun playing with them- but they can do that another day!