Photo Friday: Happy Birthday!

Aimee had a birthday on Monday! We celebrated last Sunday 

with a yummy al fresco lunch, key lime pie and presents.

We hope you had a great day! We love you!

Peekaboo!

Breakfast Food

I love Pinterest, but it can be so overwhelming sometimes. Especially when it comes to food. There are so many recipes, how do you choose which ones are actually good? While I know I've pinned my fair share of duds, here are a couple of breakfast options that are Cronin tested and approved. Enjoy!

Baked Oatmeal Casserole
Ingredients  

• 2 cups oats
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup walnut pieces
• 1 cup berries (I used strawberries)
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (I'll use less next time. It was a little too chocolate-y for Keith and me.)
• 2 cups milk
• 1 large egg
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 ripe banana, peeled, 1/2-inch slices

 Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F and generously spray the inside of a baking dish with cooking spray. 
• In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, walnuts, berries and chocolate. 
• In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, butter and vanilla extract.
• Add the oat mixture to prepared baking dish. 
• Add the banana slices to the top then pour the milk mixture over everything. 
• 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is nicely golden brown and the milk mixture has set. 
• For an extra tasty top, sprinkle a tablespoon or so of extra brown sugar.

Pear Coconut Muffins (from Eat, Drink, Smile)

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar 
• 1 ¼ vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 ½ cups sweetened, flaked coconut
• 2 cups chopped pears
• ¾ cup chopped pecans 
• ¼ cup brown sugar

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
• Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. 
• In a mixing bowl, cream together sugar and oil. 
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
• Sift together flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder; add to creamed mixture. 
• Add vanilla. By hand, fold in coconut, pears and pecans (batter will be thick). 
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. 
• Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly on top of muffin batter. 
• Bake 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

I made the pear coconut muffins for Parker's first teacher, Ms. Bergen, who is moving to Ohio as a little way to say thanks for being so great. 

And since no post is complete without a picture, here's one of Parker with Ms. Bergen on her last day.

And here he is with some of his buddies. He's the little guy on the left. ;)

Note: These pics were taken on "wear your pjs to school" day and Parker had on the cutest pair. Apparently, they didn't last very long before he had to put on his backup onesie. Whoops!

5 Month Photo Shoot Outtakes

It takes a lot of attempts to get a few good pictures, especially since this boy has become such a wiggly roly poly. Here are some outtakes from our little 5 month photo shoot.

Always kicking those legs

Why pose when you can roll over?

Over it

So cute in his pants; so tired of taking pictures

5 Months!

Baby boy, you are 5 months old! Lately:
*You are so alert and awake all of the time. Literally. You take the shortest naps ever and have gotten into the habit of sleeping at night for only about 3 hour stretches. We try to assure you that you're not missing out on anything at 2 am. Hopefully, you'll start to believe us soon.
*You are finally consistently rolling over from back to tummy and tummy to back although it seems that back to tummy comes easier for you. You just get really mad when rolling from tummy to back.
*You still LOVE to kick. Those little legs are constantly in motion.
*You've started crossing your ankles, which is so precious.
*You love being outdoors or looking out of the window.
*You've started cruising around in your stroller sans car seat and you seem to really enjoy it. You also really like riding in the car... as long as it is moving.
*You're always trying to watch TV, so we just keep it turned off most of the time.
*You've added oatmeal and avocado to your diet. You love the idea of eating, but you're not sure about the menu options quite yet.
*Play time now includes the Johnny Jump Up. You twist more than you jump.
*You are so much fun! We have a hard time getting ready and making it out the door on time in the mornings because we're having such a good time playing and laughing with you. 

Here you are at 5 months:

Photo Friday

We have a hungry boy who has loved adding oatmeal to his diet!

 Yum!

 Give me that spoon.

Wait! I'm not finished with this bite.

 

What a (cute) mess!

4 Years!

From this...

To this...

 To this...

I cannot imagine the past 4 years (or really 7!) without my best friend by my side and I can't wait for what's in store for us and our little family in the future!

Happy 4th Anniversary, Keith! I love you!