Story Time

Someone gave us the Jesus Storybook Bible when Charlotte was born and she loves hearing the stories and really pays attention, looking at the pictures while I read.

Giggle Fest

Peter finds new ways every day to get Charlotte to laugh.

Half Time Show

One of the many ways my husband scares the snot out of me. Charlotte seems to enjoy it quite a lot though.

Just Chillin'

Egg on our face

Charlotte has been a bit slow with gaining weight so our pediatrician recommended mashing up egg yolk to a paste and feeding it to her (no allergy in the yolk, just the white) to up the daily caloric intake. Well, Charlotte isn't too keen on egg yolk we've come to find out, and this picture is evidence of that. She sneezed a mouthful of yolk all over me as I was feeding it to her (the specks on my top are bits of yolk).

Rolling Over

Charlotte is now rolling over both ways. Guess the baby-proofing will begin.

Sometimes there's a reason...

Many people have asked me why we don't use bumpers. Well, we read somewhere that little ones might be able to suffocate on them....well, I guess this is the alternative. I put Charlotte down for her nap and she was fussing, so after soothing her for a while, I left the room to let her "sing it out" as my sister in law puts it. She was crying for over ten minutes and I thought I'd go in and check on her. This is what I found. I guess sometimes there's a reason....

Four Months Old

She's growing up so fast!


The other afternoon I put Charlotte down for her nap on her belly. I heard her talking to herself about forty-five minutes later and went in to find her scooted to the other side of the crib, on her back, and what looks like an attempted escape.


Gotta love those cheeks - so kissable!!



This is an account of our first attempt at feeding Charlotte cereal. Apparently she's not quite ready, but it did make for a fun video.

TWMHTHS #5: Shredded Beef Sandwiches!

The Correll family provided us with a kind stash of shredded beef sandwiches during our first month of parenthood. It was such a hit that Victoria snaked the recipe from Sarah... well, not quite stolen, but you get the drift. Turns out Sarah got it from Rebecca Novakovich. What "comes around goes around" I guess (tell that to Sarah's husband, Lenny, who has made it to the Nationals title game in Ultimate Frisbee... frisbees go 'round... never mind .... it was a connection in my mind).

This here shredded beef sandwich is pretty unassuming. But looks are deceiving here. You will want more. And you'll be a tad thirsty from the crock pot saltiness full of the flavor of the fat juices it has been drenched in all day long as it cooked and tickled the nose. It is an easy Triple ready to be an inside the park HR with a little more effort. Add your favorite chip, preferably Nacho Cheese Doritos in this case, and a tasty beverage of your choosing (I think I had a Hornsby's Hard Cider Amber Draft) and you'll have that run scored in no time with even less effort.

It makes for easy and good leftovers too. Take it to work and reheat the meat in the plastic bag briefly before the bag melts and place it on a fresh bun and you'll be sitting there in front of your coworkers with a lunchtime smile and they really won't know why. It's because your taste buds have transported you to some fun moment in time with the guys or some sort of manly setting. Your little staycation at work! A great way to break up the day and that's just as a leftover not the first serving of the potential run score. The Correll's have 4 boys and Lenny assures me that it's a constant staple at their house. Many praises to the fine ladies who just know the simplicity of a good shredded beef sandwich on a man's heart.

P.S. if you'd like the recipe shoot my wife a request for it at peteandvic-at-gmail.com and be sure to ask for it kindly and post a reply to this blog after you've tasted the goodness I'm talking about.

Tool of the Month Club #3

My former roommate Jim (over at Postcards) taught me about the Tool of the Month Club. If you find a tool like this screw driver covered in tar I scored at the corner of Midway and Alpha (the other one was retrieved elsewhere) then you are obligated to pick it up and add it to your collection of tools. Warning: if you don't your out of the Club. This usually involves an adventure if such an item is spotted in the middle of a busy intersection. This warning is also useful to quote when your wife is discouraging/prohibiting such retrievals. Good luck! And remember, "Don't Get Eliminated!"

Wakey Wakey

Charlotte takes after her Dad in being in such a good mood in the morning. They both have a way of getting me in a good mood first thing in the morning.