Baby Jack {Four Months}

I'm not sure where the month of June went. SO MUCH happened in the last four weeks that to me it literally went from May to July. And somehow, my little peanut turned four months! Crazy how life happens :)

Our sweet baby boy is so so so adorable. His little leg lumps are just about too much to handle.These days he's simply getting bigger and bigger, cooing a little bit more each day (loves to talk!), smiles up a storm, and trying his darnedest to turn over. Jack isn't quite there yet but it'll happen any day now! He's even started to giggle a little bit. That may take the cake for cutest thing EVER!

Likes: kicking and squirming about, stretching every morning for 5+ minutes (the absolute cutest thing!), snuggling, watching his big brother, listening to people singing and being danced around, talking (cooing & squealing), tracking our voices and movements and lights, watching everything

Jack is totally Mr. Consistent. Though he got his 2nd and 3rd slight colds this month, he never really wavered in the amount he was eating or sleeping. Much to my chagrin of course. I think little Mr. is quite capable of sleeping through the night but he likes to take 2-3 of his feedings during that time. If we can get him to drink MORE per bottle during the day, I know he could sleep through the night no problem. Our little bugger just doesn't want to do that so the night feedings continue. Sigh (I mean Yawn...)...

4-Month Appointment (7/7/2015)

Weight: 14 lbs 13 oz

Height: 25.75 in

3-Month Mommy Guesses

Weight: 13 lbs 9 oz

Height: 24.25 in

2-Month Appointment (5/8/2015)
Weight: 12 lb
Height: 23.75 in

Mommy-wants-a-weight-check-kinda-visit (5/1/2015)
Weight: 11 lb 9 oz

Add'l Doctor Visit (4/16/2015)
Weight: 11 lb 

2-Week Appointment (3/26/2015)
Weight: 9 lb 8 oz
Height: 21.5 in

Newborn (3/6/2015)                  
Weight: 8 lb 14 oz           
Height: 21.5 in

Honey, I'm Good

I'm a little obsessed with these songs....

Canning Tomatoes

One of my goals last year was to learn how to can tomatoes. It's no secret that I have a love affair with them (specifically Romas) and for years I depended on my mom for my addiction because she cans a bajillion at a time. Every time I went to visit, I'd steal one or two (or more) jars and take them home with me. Well, that simply needed to stop. I'm a grown up that should be able to do this on my own, don't you think?

My mom was gracious enough to plant lots of tomato plants last spring so that's what I was originally going to go with. But then, I had quite a few dollars left in my CSA share so I bought two loads of tomatoes for $40. Sweet. That left me with QUITE a bit of canned tomatoes. (24 pints, 9 Pint and a halves and 16 Quarts). For most people, that'd be enough to last them for a LONG while, but you know me :) When I was pregnant with Jack, I had quite the tomato craving and went through every single one of the pints and most of the pint and a halves! No joke, I had the same tomato meal every day for quite awhile. I am happy to report, however, that I still have 9 quarts left!

I do plan to can some more this summer and here is the recipe I'll use:

Boiling-Water Canning (taken straight from BH&G's You Can Can)

Step One - Prepare the food
While you're the food to be canned, heat water in the canner. Fill the canner about halfway with water and position the rack. Set jars in the canner to sterilize.

A. Score the tomatoes - Make an X in the blossom end of each tomato with a small sharp knife.
B. Blanch - Heat a large kettle of water to boiling. Drop in the tomatoes to simmer for 1-2 minutes.
C. Cool and Peel - Immediately plunge the tomatoes into icy water to loosen the skins. The skins will slip off easily. Cut out the stem ends with a small,sharp knife.

Step Two - Fill the jars

A. Fill - Pack the jar as tightly as you can with the food without crushing it. Top with any hot liquid as specified in the recipe.
B. Remove air bubbles - Insert a special canning tool or a thin, flexible spatula down along the sides of the jar to remove any air bubbles. Measure headspace, adding or removing liquid as needed.
C. Wipe - Wipe rim and threads of jar with a clean, damp cloth to remove any residue that might interfere with the seal.
D. Put on lid - Set lid  on jar and screw on band no more that fingertip-tight, just tight enough that you could turn the band another 1/4 or 1/2 inch tighter. This is important for a proper seal.

Step Three - Process the jars
Submerging the jars in boiling water heats and sterilizes the food inside and is the first step in creating a sealed jar.

A. Place jars in canner  - As you fill each jar, set it back in the canner filled with simmering water.
B. Process jars - When all the jars filled, they should be covered with 1-2 inches of water. Add more boiling water if needed to achieve this. Start processing time from the moment water starts to boil. Keep at a low, rolling boil.
C. Remove jars - When the processing time is up, turn off heat and remove jars.

Step Four - Cool
Remove jars from canner and set on a wire rack or towel on the counter (cold, bare countertops can crack jars). Do not tighten bands. Allow to cool for 12-24 hours. After that time test the seal by firmly pressing your finger n the center of the lid. It should not give. If it makes a popping sound, it is not properly sealed. Store in the fridge and eat the food soon. Otherwise, store jars in a cool, dry place for up to one year.

What's For Dinner {34} - Hobo Dinners!

Over the past year, my sister Bridget has given us not one, but two of our newest most favorite meals ever. Yes, that's a pretty big deal so THANK YOU, Bridget! (I'll post the second favorite in the near future - it's another great option for grilling!)

The first was a meal brought back from years ago. I'm pretty sure I had this a number of different times growing up but didn't have it for years before Bridget and Drew reintroduced it last summer. There's nothing better than family, a meal over the campfire and smore's in the summer!

Easy Hobo Tin Foil Dinner Recipe:
(Makes 4 dinners)

1 pound ground beef (we used 80/20 - ground chuck)
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups carrots, thinly sliced or cubed
1 onion, diced (we love yellow onions)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Worcestershire sauce
Sauce of choice (I didn't use one but Gary liked BBQ sauce)
Shredded cheddar cheese

Use a large square piece of aluminum foil for each tin foil dinner. Spray foil with nonstick cooking spray. Separate ground beef into 4 equal patties and place in the center of each piece of foil. Divide potatoes, carrots and onion evenly between all 4 dinners and place on top of meat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce on top of each dinner and fold foil up tightly around the entire meal. Cook on a grill on medium-high heat or an open fire for 25-30 minutes, or until vegetables and meat are cooked through. We don't actually own a grill so we bake ours in the oven for at least 60 minutes at 350 degrees. Open foil carefully and top with sauce and shredded cheese.

We had to drain some of the fat too....doesn't sound appealing but we like the meal well enough it doesn't bother us to do that!

Shut Up & Dance with Me

Gspice and I have a new favorite song! Whenever this plays on the radio, the volume goes up and we start belting out the lyrics. We've played it for the boys too - Owen wiggles and giggles and Jack smiles up a storm!