eLEvEn mOnThs

Yes, folks, just four short weeks until the big first birthday bash. Can you believe I'm eleven months old already?!?!

I'm a busy little bee these days...weighing in at 19lbs, 29 1/2 inches long, I'm crawling (fast!) and standing and walking with two fingers wherever I can go.

Mom and dad think I'm going to be a climber...I've already mastered the first two stairs and am working on the ottoman, couch and dining room table bench!

I have three teeth and am eating everything (except green things kind of freak me out!) Mom bought my first gallon of whole milk at the store this week, so looking forward to trying something new in my bottles and sippies. 

I'm starting daycare next month so have been practicing taking just one nap a day....some days it works, others are an ultimate fail.

I'm going through a mommy phase. I'm cool with anyone and everyone when she's not around, but when she comes into sight, I NEED to be close to her. I'm starting to be more of a snuggler, give open-mouth kisses, and definitely can say "mommmmm" and "dadadada." I (occasionally) will wave "hi" and "bye" and like to imitate "uh oh!!!"

I was a trooper for our 15 hour drive to the Outer Banks and back, loved the sand and ocean, and learned a lot from my second cousins Colin, Owen, Grace, Penny and Evie!

4th of July on the boat!

Me and grandpa at the beach house

Playing with Evie

The hair finally fits into a bow (and the tongue is still out!)

Strawberries!

Beach house pool party

Bucket + head = fun

Not my idea...

Addy's baptism!

Like my mohawk??

....and a sneak peak of the gorgeous photos taken by my brother at the beach! More to come...

 

This one's for you....

So Spencer said yesterday, "You haven't blogged in a while." FINALLY...he has admitted that he likes to keep up with it (plus I think it makes him feel special when I go on and on about how handy he is!) So this one's for him because I haven't updated everyone on our recent projects. Plus, I think maybe he needs a little ego boost with the big 3-0 coming up in a couple of days!

We've been meaning to refinish this cool antique high chair that was a gift from my dad since CE was born....so, we (yes, I helped!) sanded, stained and sealed it to match our new dining table. Couldn't be happier with how it turned out. Claire agrees.

Before

After

This next project has been driving us crazy since the day we moved in....we despised our back door. It was a hideous, "privacy," faux plexi-glass, textured monstrosity, and we've finally replaced it with a basic fifteen panel, classic patio door. In a few short days, Spencer's new fancy pancy birthday grill will be the view from in front of it!

We've officially grown tomato trees...they're extending almost two feet above the cages and we popped the first few super-sweet cherry tomatoes last week.  We also have basil, romaine lettuce, jalapenos, bell peppers and the beginnings of zucchini, yellow squash and cucumber. The gardens are out of control, but you have to learn somehow, right? Next year, folks, next year.

SJ built a rolling gate for the deck entrance...no more worries of escaping rugrats! The things we get excited about these days.

I can't get enough of this (soon to be more and in a couple different sizes for the deck!) cedar planter that SJ created. It was super cheap and easy, made from cedar fence boards. Smells good too!

We have a busy July and August with birthday celebrations, baptisms, a beach vacation and hopefully some much-needed R&R, so we may be on a project hiatus for a few months. Who knows what kind of handyworks September may bring?!!

tEN moNtHS

Whheeeew it's been busy June for the Kruse clan....sort of hard to believe that....

I'm ten months old!!

Weighing in at 19 pounds, 29 1/4 inches long, I'm a busy girl!

I'm crawling EVERYWHERE and can fully pull up to standing on pretty much anything.

I still only have two teeth but the drooling and runny nose lately has mom and dad thinking that more toofers are on their way in!

I'm a jabber jaw and have started "singing", clapping, and SCREAMING with excitement (especially in public!)

I can walk holding two fingers and have just started taking pivot steps from ottoman to couch, couch to chair, chair to momma, and along the front door (another new favorite place).

I'm done with baby food (except sometimes when we're on the go)....the real deal is much more exciting and I will eat pretty much anything you put in front of me. Yogurt is still my ultimate fave food!

 I'm taking three bottles a day, taking 2 naps and sleeping 12 hours at night. Mom stopped breastfeeding me about a week ago (if you want the not-so-blogworthy details about why, ask her!) Dr. Freeman said we can start whole milk at 11 months, so I'm looking forward to that!

My crib is at the lowest level now and  I'm finding it much more fun to sit and stand up, kick the wall, bite the rails, and throw my stuff out of it, rather than sleep in it. hehe!

I get lots of attention because my tongue is always out, my nose is always squished, my hair sticks straight up, and I make lots of noise (plus, I'm pretty adorable!)

I had my first bites of snow cone, french fries and elephant ear at the St. Simon Festival a few weeks ago....what a disgustingly unhealthy yummy treat. I also took my first carousel ride!

I've been doing lots of swimming, boating, BunnyHop classes at the library, playdating, and riding along for walks and runs these days. Summer.is.the.best.

Sneaky, sneaky!

Addy, Emme, and me!

Me and my buddy Anna, "sharing" some lunch!

Lake Sylvan with Grammie

Raft riding

Tupperware party...

Next month, we'll have Outer Banks vacation memories and photos to share....and only two short months until the big O-N-E!!

Miss photogenic

I've been trying to brush up on my photography skills so here's a few from the last couple of weeks that I'm semi- proud of...not too hard when the subject is this adorable!

More photos coming later in the week with our 10 month update...

Dad's Day!

So thankful for my husband today!! He's loving, caring and works incredibly hard for his family so that Claire and I have more time at home.  I could never have imagined a more amazing daddy for our precious Clairebear!  Happy Dad's Day SJ...
Love,
Ab and Claire

Claire- 3 months

Something about a little girl and how she looks at her daddy that's just plain special.

{What We're Eating}

Thai Peanut Chicken
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into pieces
1 bell pepper (red, yellow or orange), sliced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 cup chopped broccoli (raw or frozen)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove chopped garlic)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups whole grain spaghetti, cooked
salt and pepper

Sauce
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tsp sesame oil (or olive oil if you don't have sesame)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp- 1 Tbsp Sirachi hot sauce depending on desired spice (optional)
1/2 cup chicken broth or water

In food processor, mix all sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside {you could also use a hand mixer, wire wisk or blender if you don't have a processor}. In skillet, heat olive oil and add peppers, onions, garlic  and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes then add chicken and cook until slightly brown. Add broccoli and cilantro and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Add cooked pasta and sauce to chicken and vegetables and cook on low for a couple of minutes, just so sauce is warmed. Sprinkle with cilantro and chopped peanuts when serving. Makes 3-4 servings. Enjoy!

**I made this tonight for the first time, and Spencer and I fell in love....really pretty healthy and easy, plus you can make it as mild or spicy as you want and/or swap out different vegetables. This WILL become one of our staple recipes!**

Big girl!

This is how we found little miss in her crib this morning....she's very proud of herself for figuring this out {if you couldn't tell by pic #3}. Looks like it's time to move our crib mattress down!

Holy tomato!

Holy cow my tomato plants are officially out of control! I may or may not have planted too many in my smallish planter beds and now they are taking over. Eeeeeek....hopefully some staking and trimming this weekend will tame them a bit. But on a good note, everything is coming up beautifully and it's safe to say I can see the beginnnings of actual vegetables. May I actually succeed in my first attempt at gardening? As long as my tomato plants don't strangle everything else, I think I just might!