Must try Mac-n-Cheese

I found the BEST mac-n-cheese recipe this week! IT IS SOOOO GOOD! I'll warn you that this is probably best as a treat since it is not low-fat/low-cal.

16oz cooked elbow macaroni (I used Barilla brand)
8oz Velveeta, cubed (don't scoff...this is necessary for creaminess)
3 rounds Babybel cheese, chopped (the kind in the red wrapper; if you can't find Babybel, you can use 1/3 block cream cheese)
8oz shredded cheddar jack
heaping 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese (do not use the stuff in the green shaker, splurge on the read deal!)
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 cup full fat sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 sleeve Ritz crackers made into crumbs
2 T melted butter
4 slices bacon cooked and chopped (optional; I did not try it with bacon)

To make the sauce, add cubed Velveeta to pan on low. Add cream immediately. Keep stirring so cheese sauce does not burn. Once it's mostly melted, whisk in the Babybel, 1/2 of the cheddar jack, and parmesan. Once everything is melted, whisk in sour cream, salt, and pepper. Stir in the cooked macaroni. Pour into a rectangular cake pan, or other baking dish that can hold it all. Sprinkle the rest of the cheddar jack on top. Mix the Ritz crumbs and butter together (I used a mini food processor to mix together) and sprinkle on top of macaroni mixture. Finally, sprinkle bacon over the top. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. ENJOY!!

A girl after my own heart...

Every night when I put Hannah to bed I ask her what she is going to dream about. Normally she'll say one of her grandparents or aunts names, but last night she said "I'm going to dream about the winter clothes in my closet!" That's my girl!

A few six month pics...

William wasn't quite sure what to think about sitting in the grass. Honestly though, I don't blame him...

William sprouted his first tooth today. I figure I have a couple weeks left to capture the toothless grin, so I'll be taking LOTS of pictures. There is something about teeth that just makes a baby look so much older. And I'm in denial about the fact that my baby is growing up.

And I think this shirt speaks for itself :)

Six month stats

William had his 6 month well-baby appointment this morning. He is starting to taper off a bit in length/weight, but I'm not surprised as he is starting to become mobile and more active. He is still a BIG boy though. And of course, I think he is just perfect!

length - 27.5 inches (85th percentile)
weight - 20.5 pounds (90th percentile)
head circumference - 43.5cm (50th percentile)

One day before his 6 month birthday, he officially started sitting up. He is able to roll, but generally chooses not to. He prefers to lay on his back or bounce in his jumperoo. He has been eating solids for about a week and has taken to it really well. He loves avocado and oatmeal cereal. He has tried pears and apples, but was not overly excited about them. Sweet potatoes are another favorite. Tonight he is going to try carrots. I have been making all of his baby food in hopes that I won't end up with another picky eater.

Another huge accomplishment for William...he no longer needs to be swaddled at night. I'm glad he was able to wean himself from the swaddle, but it's just another sign that he is growing up. While I'm glad that it was an easy transition for him, I'm a little sad about it, too. There was something so sweet about him needing that comfort. And I guess I'm not ready to not have a little baby in the house anymore...

Six month pictures to come soon!

Five month picture share

Now that William is almost 6 months old, I thought it would be appropriate to share his 5 month pictures, lol! Blogging has been at the bottom of my priority list (sorry Daddy!).

As of 9/15, William weighed 20 pounds!

I finally decided to start William on some solids a couple days ago. He took to it like he'd been eating solids for months! He knew EXACTLY what to do and how to open his mouth for the spoon. What a huge difference from Hannah, who didn't "get it" for several months! His first food was avocado. He ate half of one tonight! I have no doubt in my mind that this boy will eat me out of house and home soon enough :)

"I have a surprise for you Mommy!"

Oh boy! Lucky me! Hannah came home from preschool today with a surprise for me in her pocket...a dried crumbled leaf, 3 rocks, and a black pom-pom. An interesting assortment of items...but somehow I'm still having difficulty throwing it away.

It's Preschool Time

Hannah is so excited that preschool has started! I hope that her enthusiasm to learn sticks with her for many more years. Part of the lessons for the week included learning the Pledge of Allegiance (which she can say about half of on her own) and learning about "germy-germs," as she calls it. This year she'll be able to bring in something for show-and-tell on Fridays. I'm interested to see how that goes, as Hannah tends to be a shrinking violet in front of others (gee, I can't imagine where she got that from). I'm excited to see what she learns this year!

Here is her first day of school picture from this year and the picture below is from the first day of 2-year old preschool in 2009. She looks SO grown up!

Watermelon anyone?!?!

For my facebook friends, this is old news...

One of my friends shared a video of a baby in a watermelon and it was the cutest thing. So I thought to myself, let's put William in a watermelon. What I failed to consider was how BIG the watermelon needed to be to fit my extra-large baby in. On our way down to visit my sister and brother-in-law, we stopped at a roadside produce stand and bought the biggest watermelon we could find. Mark scooped all the watermelon out and cleaned it up inside and we attempted to stand William up inside it. It was Mark's idea to do the fancy cuts at the top of the watermelon...it really isn't sharp, so don't go call CPS on me :)

That didn't go so well, so we attempted the "Watermelon Diaper." That was also a big fail, but his face is absolutely priceless!

Poor little guy! Don't tell him what I have planned for Halloween ;)