Mom's MUST TRY

Hey Mommies and Daddies!
I clearly don't really blog, but have to post this... have actually been meaning to for like 4 months. So, I'm posting a recipe that a) my child LOVES and b) he had 3 servings of last night and is now sleeping through hour 12 and c) we actually like it too! So, consider this post an early Xmas gift to you and your picky eater.
SPICY ITALIAN ORZO (aka Special Agent Orzo in our house)
1 lb ground beef... I use organic, hormone free, but whatever
1 onion, chopped (into tiny pieces so they can't pick it out!)
3 cloves minced garlic
2 cans diced tomatoes with italian seasonings
1 can beef broth (I don't do this, I just skip draining it... is that bad?)
1 6-oz can tomato paste
3/4 uncooked italian Orzo (in the pasta section)
1 tsp italian seasoning
2 or so cups of chopped baby spinach (I use fresh, but you could try frozen)

Cook beef, onion, & garlic over medium heat until no longer pink; drain (see, that's what I don't do?).
Stir in tomatoes, broth, paste, orzo, and seasoning. Simmer, stir occasionally for 15-20 min.
Add spinach. Cook and stir until spinach is wilted.
*The key is to make sure you've cooked it long enough so the orzo isn't crunchy. I cook it in a huge skillet, but you could use a Dutch Oven, whatever.

As we await our Little Miss to make her highly anticipated appearance, I've been concerned about my little guy's meal routine, so I made this last night. The 3 of us ate half and I froze half. Hope your family enjoys as well! xoxo

Mom's MUST TRY

Back From Disney!

So really, as I sat here this afternoon folding shorts, baby swim trunks, and t-shirts in 20 degree weather, I have to admit that... I want to move to Florida. I'm pressing Jacob on Orlando. Seriously. I told him that if he ever gets a job offer south of the Mason Dixon, he's allowed to accept on the spot. No questions asked. But I digress...
Our trip to Orlando was great! Here's a quick run-down...
Day 1: got to our hotel. checked out the gorgeous pool. napped. went to a phenomenal dinner where every female wait staff fussed over Shepard. It was awesome. Because J's conference was at a beautiful, but "off-site" hotel, we stayed there.... I think next time, we'll definitely stay on Disney property and was impressed by the Yacht Club and Beach Club- from a distance. FYI, my impressions are 100% based on drive by appearance + location.
Day 2: Ladies. Two words. Outlet malls. Seriously, Ferragamo, Burberry, Coach, Fendi (does Fendi have an outlet?!), Janie & Jack, Victoria's Secret, etc. etc. Great shopping. Obviously, because I'm a mom, I bought 90% kids stuff and the purse I purchased presently has Gerber puffs at the bottom. Sweet. But, if you can take even a 1/2 day to check them out, they are about 2 min. from Disney. Good stuff.
At night, we went to Bongo's on Pleasure Island. Loved Pleasure Island!! The only Disney property that allows alcohol- I think- and Mr. Disney and I needed to have a little chat about that policy around dinnertime Friday.

Day 3: Magic Kingdom. So much fun! Unfortunately, your little ones will likely already be tired from all the travel, as was the case with us. We decided to bring his "comfy" stroller vs. his umbrella. Despite the bulkiness, it was a great choice! The rental strollers looked rough, especially for those under 2-3. He was able to take a much-needed nap comfortably in ours. Every ride has stroller parking, and I noticed most people had brought a stroller. I was really happy to learn that your child can ride most any ride that you deem appropriate... we rode the carousel, The Haunted House (he was fine, but I second guessed myself about 60 sec. into it), It's A Small World. Hands down, Small World was his favorite.
(The highlight, in my opinion, was at the end when the ride got stuck. 'It's A Small World After All' on repeat, sporadically interrupted with "It's A Small World has experienced a temporary delay. The ride will move momentarily." for about 5 minutes. I considered asking for a refund.) I was disappointed that we didn't make it back to Dumbo, but there's always next time.
We enjoyed dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern, a colonial family-style dinner place (basically Thanksgiving dinner). It was great fun to watch Shep interact with the characters. I've heard The Crystal Palace is good for little ones, since Winnie-the-Pooh & friends are there, but it was closed for renovations. I'd suggest making reservations, but if you eat early like we do, they are not necessary.

The parade of lights and fireworks were spectacular, but our little babe was exhausted and didn't see it at all. :(

Day 4: Sea World. SO GREAT! I would actually say that it was on par w/ Disney. Shepard loves animals and really enjoyed the dolphin and whale shows. While my sister, bro-in-law, and I all rode Manta (and I almost had a heart attack), my mom took Shep to an aquarium, which she said he just loved. Well worth it! I would definitely suggest making time. The adult roller coasters were a blast, but not much in the way of kiddie rides!
Day 5 was an early morning and flight back. Shepard was sooo tired. My little guy has been progressing toward less passi and fewer naps--- vacay = passi whenever, and 3 naps today! Needless to say, the schedule is off. I'm really glad we had yesterday afternoon and today to unwind!

Happy Halloween!

Hope each of you reading this enjoyed a fun Halloween. We found this little monkey in our house, and so we decided to carry him around the neighborhood and show him off since he was really cute. ;)
We then enjoyed a bonfire in a friend's neighborhood, but came home to put the little monkey to bed (already past his bedtime). Unfortunately, he woke up today with a temp. Not fun! We've spent the day nursing the bug, and he is sleeping peacefully with only a 99.7 dg temp. (I promise he'll be in the doc's office tomorrow if it is not below 99!) BTW, DST is not fun with a baby... even though it's an added hour, it THROWS your day off. Can't imagine how people take babies overseas. Wow! We were up at 5 am. blaaah. Jacob and I are in for the night!

Worst Blogger Ever.

That's my new title!
Life is good here at the Rowe house. Shepard is still rocking on all four's, thinking about taking off, but not quite there yet. He enjoys putting anything that does not move in his mouth. The whole house is getting over The Crud (nice medical terminology) and on the mend just in time for Halloween! (Pictures to be posted Sunday.)
We enjoyed a fun weekend visit from Mimi & Bapaw last weekend, complete with a visit to Peachtree Farms pumpkin patch and petting zoo. Shepard loved it, as did all of us! The grown-ups even got a Friday night out to take in a wine tasting and have a yummy dinner.
He is in a home day care on the days I work and loves it. What a social little bug I have. He loves the 4 other kiddies there and they love him. The best part of daycare, though, is his sheer excitement when I walk in to take him home. Yesterday he grabbed my face and planted a nice, open-mouth "kiss" (aka slobber) right on Mommy's lips. Too sweet for words!!!
The Rowe Home is finally decorated for Thanksgiving... something about Halloween through Easter... I must decorate for each holiday. My big accomplishment is that each room of the house (minus the bonus room, which is still just a little bit of a hodge podge) is decorated exactly how I like it! Yay! Window treatments arrive in a few weeks and I am HAPPY. And it only took me 2 years.
Jacob recruited his company to bring the big cadaver lab to Columbia (a pretty big deal... even got some local news coverage!) so he has been working until 9ish every night this week, with surgeons performing demos on Jacob's implants for all the ortho MDs every evening. (Is this the part where anyone reading this has fallen asleep?) Anyway, he continues to win new business. This is NOT good news to those recruiting us to move back to The Hoosier State, but hey- it pays for diapers. We are looking forward to spending time as a family this weekend! We love and miss our faraway family and friends.

Summertime Adventures

Thanks for checking in! We are all doing well. Shepard is growing like a weed, weighing in last week at 16 lbs, 10 oz. He is beginning to eat solid foods and LOVES it. So far he's added squash, green beans, peas, peaches, sweet potatoes. and applesauce to his menu. Big boy! Now that he's discovered food, evvverything goes straight to his mouth! He is beginning to sit up unsupported for about 5 seconds, then slowly topples over. (I think he'll get the hang soon.)
Taylor is another recent discovery of Shepard's... he'll occasionally fuss until we take him in the same room as Taylor. Boy- did it take us a while to figure out that one! He is fascinated by her and it's such fun to see his face light up when he sees his buddy.

We enjoyed Aunties Carrie & Katie coming out for a quick visit.. and will post pix soon. Jacob and I are looking forward to heading to wine country next week for a friend's wedding! This momma is a bit anxious about leaving her sweet bb for 4 full days, but knows he's in great hands with his Grams. All in all, the Rowe Family is well and treasuring every day with our little guy. :)

We are alive and well.... just not blogging

WOW! This may jeopardize my title as Official Worst Blogger, but I thought I'd update our family blog. (In case anyone out there still actually checks it.) Jacob is busy at work, I've (Lindsey) gone back to work part-time and am working roughly 27 or 28 hrs a week, which is a great balance for me, and Shepard is enjoying his summer at home with his nanny, Megan. Our "little" boy is growing fast. Last week he was closing in on 16 lbs and is 26" long. This puts him at 90th% for height! Dad is excited about that.
This momma has been working and working on rolling over with Shep. He did it once a few weeks ago. I ran out of the room (leaving him on his tum) for a quick second and he was on his back when I came back. He's a humble guy, not wanting to show off for mom. WELL-- last weekend at Mimi & Papa's, I was upstairs getting ready when I heard cheers coming from downstairs. He did it again-twice- and I missed it! So, anyway, I "hear" my son is rolling over.
We enjoyed a rainy fourth of July inside with our friends--- old & new! All our friends from Indy have had babies since the last time we saw each other, so it was a fun weekend and the kiddos got to play. Nevermind that it was rainy and we moms were inside all day with 7 kids. We managed to maintain our sanity and had a lot of fun.
Thanks for checking in! I really will try to be better....