Double Digits!

Buster is 10 months old... into the double digits! And this picture pretty much describes him right now....

In. To.  EVERYTHING!!!

Noah is pretty curious (I wonder who he gets that from?!) about pretty much every detail in the world that surrounds him.  That bug over in the corner?  Must check it out!!  The Q-Tip at the bottom of the trashcan? Never seen one of those before... better dig it out!  He especially likes things that he knows he can't have.... Daddy's books, the cat/dog's food, the stereo equipment, etc.   I guess typical human nature even applies to 10 month olds!

This child has such a large, sweet, charming personality.  He loves being around people, and gets pretty bored if he has to only see me all day.  He just likes people, period.  I think he is going to be one of those people that never meets a stranger... maybe he can give his momma some pointers :-)

Noah is such a boy.  He is rough.  He is tough.  He loves to rumble and tumble and get dirty.  And I love it!  I am pretty sure that as he gets older we are going to have many talks about "being gentle" with other kids... as he thinks its hilarious when he gets tackled to the ground by another kid!

Noah is a total champ at crawling... both on his hands and knees, along with his hands and feet ("bear" crawling).  He can stand completely on his own for quite a while and walk behind something pushing it across the room.... he thinks this is the coolest thing ever!  He is getting braver and braver every day, and has even attempted a few independent steps here and there.

We have a good eater on our hands... His current favorite thing to eat is cheese (ok, if there was ever any doubt, this IS my child!!!).  Cheese bread, cheese cubes, cottage cheese.... he loves it all.  He also loves his morning Kefir, and there isn't any bad mood that a few cheerios can't fix.

Only two more months till this guy is the big O-N-E... Holy Moly!  I have a party to plan!

xoxo,
~The Grant Gang

Forget the Sprinkler Park!

Austin came over yesterday while Joyce enjoyed a peaceful trip to Wal-Mart (well, as peaceful as it can be with a 3 week old strapped to her).  We tried to walk to the park in their cool double stroller, but when we got to the busy road, the sidewalk was all torn up, so we turned around and went back home.  Everyone was hot and sweaty, so I stripped to boys down and turned on the sprinkler.  Seeing how much fun they had, I have NO idea why I even bother taking Noah to the sprinkler park?! They thought it was hilarious. 

Summer just isn't summer until you have run through the sprinklers...  So now that we have that out of the way, Fall can come any day now. 

xoxo,

~The Grant Gang

My Kitchen is a Science Lab!

Over the past few years, I have gotten more and more interested in where ours foods come from, what is in our foods, and what the definition of "healthy" really is.  I still love me some chicken nuggets and Kraft Mac 'n Cheese, dont get me wrong... it just amazes me how much CRAP is in the food we eat.  I've joined a few email groups about healthy eating/living, and one of the things I kept hearing about over and over and over again was Kefir.  I found some at the grocery store one day and thought it would be a great thing for Noah to have in the mornings in leu of yogurt... you see, its drinkable.  Drinkable = sippy cup.  Sippy cup = independence.  Independence = Happy Noah.  So, I tried it out.  And Noah LOVED it.

This is where the picture I thought I had of Noah loving his Kefir goes... I guess I need to get on that?

I remembered our Sunday School teacher's wife, Lisa, mentioning that she used to make her own Kefir years ago.  So, I asked her about it... which led to her giving me some "grains"... which led to this:

Kefir grains about to be dropped into a glass of milk

Yep, that's the start of Kefir.  On my kitchen counter.  All it takes are some kefir grains (which arent grains at all... they look more like cottage cheese curds), milk, and a glass container.  It took about a week for the grains to "get used to" the milk I use, which means it took about a week for it to get to the point where I really liked it.  But now I think it's, well, sorta amazing.  It is creamy, slighlty sour, and has a bit of a zing... almost like it is carbonated.  I sweeten it with a little bit of Stevia and drink a cup every morning.  I have also made kefir cheese, kefir pancakes, and a chocolate kefir smoothie.  All of them: DELISH. 

The health benefits are pretty rockin', too.  It is significantly easier to digest than milk, and even easier to digest than yogurt because of it's smaller grain size.  It's full of benefitial bacteria and probiotics that are great for your digestive system.  It is loaded with B vitamins.  It is a great source of magnesium, phosphorous, and calcium.  It's been linked to helping those with ADHD, sleep disorders, and depression because of its tranquilizing effecct on the nervous system.  Many report that it is cured them of intestinal problems and stomach issues, along with curing reoccuring ulcers.  The list goes on...

Draining the kefir into a bowl after it is finished.  The grains are used to make a new batch.

So yeah, as weird as it sounds, I'm hooked.  Feel free to come over to my science lab kitchen and try a glass!

xoxo,
~The Grant Gang