Atticus is Six Weeks!!

Hip-Hip-Hooray, Atticus is 6 weeks old today!!

We celebrated the day by having a lunch date with Laura and Grace. Laura is my sweet friend from Junior Auxiliary that had the same due date as me (she was actually induced the day before our due date). We met up with them at The Brewery and enjoyed a lovely lunch so we could catch up and so the kiddos could meet.

Grace and Atticus thoroughly enjoyed the conversation!

Weekend Wrap Up...

Friday night we ventured down to Little Rock...wasn't sure how Atticus would do being in his car seat for that long, but he was great! We went to our favorite 'quick dinner' spot (Pei Wei China Bistro - if you don't have one near you I'm very sorry...it's owned by P.F.Changs so you can imagine the quality and atmosphere). We also went to Babies R Us while in Little Rock, needed to pick up Atticus' Baby Einstein Play Mat. He's enjoying the new colors and sounds already...check out this video of him (I love his sneeze at the end!!).

Here are a few more still shots of him playing...

FSU played Clemson Saturday night - Our record against them isn't so hot and after this weekends game we clearly are keeping with that trend...oh well, we still love you FSU. One of my best friends is a HUGE Clemson fan - we always talk a little trash to one another when our teams play...it's all in good fun! Here is a picture of Kerri with her little girl Molly at a recent Clemson game - even though I'm not a Clemson fan, this sure is a cute picture of the two of them.

Atticus can't fit into his "official" FSUwear yet that Nana bought him, so he's just sporting his FSU onesie for now...

Atticus went to church for the first time today. Aaron played the drums so we wanted to be there for sure. He stayed awake for most of praise and worship, but then quickly feel asleep when the sermon began (no offense Pastor Ken, I'm sure he was just exhausted from all the high energy drum playing).

He must have thought the service was quite "moving" because when we got home Atticus has pooped through his clothes! This was a first for us and definitely a two-man job when it came to clean up. If you get grossed out easily you may not want to look at the next picture, but it was a "first" so I had to snap a photo of it :)

Carmel Apple Cider

I love coffee, I love tea, and I love hot chocolate, but this time of year there is no substitute for good apple cider! This is actually Aaron's hot beverage of choice any time of year and he drinks his weight in caramel apple cider from Starbucks October through December. I decided to search for a recipe that we could make at home in hopes of duplicating that unmistakable Starbucks taste...and I found it!

Hot Caramel Apple Cider (by Our Best Bites)

1/2 gallon apple cider (64 oz or 8 C)

1/2 C orange juice, fresh squeezed or good quality bottled like Simply Orange

1 orange

8 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks (if yours are more than a year old- buy new ones!!)

1/4 t ground allspice

1/3 C jarred caramel sauce

Forgive me a minute while I go "Alton Brown" on you...The main difference between cider and juice is that cider doesn't go through all of the filtering processes that apple juice does, so it still has a lot of pulp and apple sediment in there. Check out this picture:

See how clear the juice is? A good apple cider should look kind of murky and when you shake it you should be able to see lots of pulp and stuff swirling around. It seems like there aren't too many regulations when it comes to labeling because I still see some brands of apple cider in the stores that are indistinguishable from apple juice.The biggest difference, however, is the taste. Apple juice is super sweet, yet watered down and not very flavorful. Apple cider is so flavorful it almost has a little zing to it. It really tastes like fresh apples all mushed up...because that's what it is! Don't even attempt this recipe with apple juice. You should be able to find apple cider just about anywhere these days. Look for one like this that is clearly labeled as cider, is made from 100% juice, and has no added anything!

Enough on that. Let's make this stuff...Begin by pouring 8 C of apple cider into a large stock pot on the stove pot. Set heat to medium-high. Add orange juice, cinnamon sticks, and allspice.

Thoroughly wash your orange and then gently stab the whole cloves into it. If you find it hard to do that without destroying the cloves, use a toothpick to poke little hole first and then insert the cloves. This is brilliant (if I don't say so myself) because it eliminates the need for a little bag to hold your cloves, and stabbing them in the orange releases oils and lots of yummy flavor! (If you are doubling the recipe, you can still just use one orange, just double the number of cloves you poke into it).

Gently drop the whole orange into the pot. Bring cider to a boil and then reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer on low for 60 minutes and longer if you wish. If you're keeping the pot on the stove for an extended period, keep an eye on the orange. If at any time it splits open, remove it from the pot. If the white pith is exposed it will add a bitter taste to your cider. If you're going to have the pot warming for hours on end, take out the orange. After you've simmered for an hour, add caramel sauce and stir to combine and dissolve. Add more caramel to taste if needed.When ready to serve, ladle into mugs, top with whipped cream, and give it a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of cinnamon!

And there you have it. I can't think of anything more perfect for a cool fall day. And it's a heck of a lot better, and cheaper than a coffee shop!

Busy Bees...

Atticus slept terrific last night - which means mommy and daddy also had a good night's sleep :)

With everyone feeling rested and renewed, we had a busy day full of all kinds of exciting things.

First thing this morning I had a conference call that I had to be on for Pampered Chef - Atticus got bored with the call so he decided to snooze instead...isn't he the cutest?

After the conference call, we got bundled up and headed out to some of our favorite spots...

We strolled through Target - Atticus felt right at home considering he had been there numerous times while in the womb :)

We made a pit stop at Starbucks - Decaf Soy Vanilla Iced Coffee for me!!

We even stopped by Hendrix to see Daddy at work - he took a few minutes to teach us about some pretty important philosophers...

The weather turned out to be so nice that we snapped a few impromptu pictures while on campus.

We wrapped up our busy day with bath time...

One Month Check Up

Today we went to the pediatrician for Atticus' one month check up (he will actually be 5 weeks tomorrow, but they didn't have an appointment last week - I figure he'll be one month for the entire month so I didn't think this had to be posted on his exact one month birthday).

He was such a trooper considering he got his Hep B shot today...I think it might have been worse for me than it was for him. He cried (more like screamed) when the nurse pricked his thigh but as soon as Aaron picked him up he was ok - what a champ!

ONE MONTH STATS:

• He weighs 8 pounds 10 ounces which is the 17th percentile
• He is 20.5 inches which is the 11th percentile
• His head measured 14.5 inches

The doctor also said that we are cleared to leave the house!! Yeah!! He wanted us to stay in a few extra weeks since it's flu season and he was so little. We've got lots planned for this week - I know he is going to love visiting Target and Starbucks just as much as I do :)

Weekend Wrap Up...

What a beautiful weekend!! Friday night Aaron and Atticus hung out (just the guys) and I got to slip away for a few hours and went directly to Target...oh how I've missed you Target!! I needed to pick up a few essentials (diapers and Diet Dr. Pepper) but while I was there I did come across some summer sale items that I couldn't pass by - It's hard to find little man clothes other than sleepers since he's still so small and still wearing newborn size. But I did pick up a few little things while I was out that I think he will just look adorable in when he's a little bigger.

Saturday morning we all headed to the gym for some exercise! Aaron played basketball with some of his colleagues as he typically does on Saturday mornings, but this time Atticus and I joined him. The Hendrix gym has an indoor track above the basketball courts so we got to go for a long walk, away from the cold weather, and we enjoyed every minute of it. At least I'm taking the fact that Atticus slept the whole hour and a half we were there as enjoyment - he certainly didn't mind it for sure!

He has the sweetest little laugh...

Do you think the flash caught him off guard in this one...???

Not the best picture, but I just love his cheeks in this one!

Atticus enjoyed his first Halloween as a little pumpkin! He was so tuckered out after a long night of trick-or-treating, that he couldn't keep his eyes open long enough to see that we ate all his candy! FYI - We didn't really leave the house and go trick-or-treating, but we did pass out candy to the neighborhood kids.

Atticus and Aaron passing out candy to all the kiddos

Atticus and Aaron after we told Atticus he couldn't eat any of the leftovers :)

And to wrap up the weekend, our Sunday night tradition of soup and saga with the ladies of Wisteria Lane. Don't let Aaron tell you different...he loves this show too!!!

Tonight's Soup - It doesn't have a name, but this delicious cross between chicken noodle soup(sans the noodles) and broccoli and cheese hit the spot on this cold fall day...My mom made it while she was here a few weeks ago and we froze it for a night just like tonight! Thanks mom, it was yummy!

Tonight's Saga: Bree begins to fall for Karl and drifts further from her husband, and Katherine continues her sad attempts at seducing Mike, as her conflict with Susan grows. After Juanita says something she shouldn't during a school play, Gabrielle erroneously gets her expelled from school, and Lynette learns her husband Tom is cheating during mid-term.

Pfeffernusse Cookies

Last week I posted about one of my favorite "fall" cookies and I thought I'd be nice and save you the leg work of tracking down the recipe yourself...so here you go!

Pfeffernusse Cookies

(adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies)

Ingredients:
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground allspice
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 c unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c molasses
1 large egg
1/2 t vanilla
1 1/4 c confectioners' sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line sheets with silpat or parchment.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, spices and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat molasses, brown sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Slowly mix in the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
3. Roll about a tablespoon of dough into balls and arrange on prepared baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 14 minutes or until the tops of the dough are firm to the touch and have cracked slightly. Place cookies on wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.
4. Working in batches, add a few cookies into a high-sided bowl (or paper bag) filled with confectioners' sugar. Roll about or shake until cookies are well coated. Place back on wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container.

Remembering Tacoma

It was one year ago today that we said goodbye to our sweet Tacoma. He was our beloved dog for ten wonderful years! He brought so much joy to our lives and we still miss him even today. I remember the day we went and picked out Tacoma and brought him home - He was such a great companion to us both and we wish that Atticus could have met him, they would have been good buddies. We love you Tacoma!!

Celebrate the Magic!!

I'm so pumped because I have just earned my incentive trip through The Pampered Chef. Each year there is a different luxury destination that we have the opportunity to earn for FREE based on our sales. This year it is an all expense paid trip for four to Disney World!! Having grown up in Florida and made several trips to Disney, I initially wasn't excited when this particular trip was announced...but now that I have Atticus to share Disney with it's going to be "magical"!! The trip is for four adults so we are going to take my parents with us - Dad is so much fun at theme parks!! We'll be staying in the Coronado Springs Resort (this is a picture of the pool at the hotel - yeah, can't wait!)

We will have park hopper passes for all of the Disney parks, a huge gala on the last night, early park hours just for Pampered Chef families plus food and fun is also included!

It's going to be so exciting to introduce Atticus to Mickey and the gang!!

Atticus is ONE MONTH!

We're so excited to celebrate that Atticus is one month old today! His one month check up isn't until next week so I'll have more details and statistics to post once we visit the pediatrician...but until then, here are a few things that have been keeping Atticus busy over the past month:

• He lifts his head and turns it from one side to the other - he does this alot when he's up on my shoulder and wants to look the other direction...so strong!
• He can follow my eyes
• He gives big smiles, especially while he is nursing...
• He loves to grip our fingers tight!
• He loves to sleep - he's averaging about 3-4 hours at a time, unless it's 2am and then he's wide awake:)
• He loves to take baths - just be sure to have a warm towel ready for him when he's done
• He enjoys massages - they leave him feeling really relaxed!
• He loves to listen to stories being read to him
• His favorite band right now is Bob Marley (and Baby Mozart)
• He reaches out to his reflection in the mirror

Blowing kisses to Mommy!

Snoozing - already building forts on the couch with Daddy...lots of pillows!

Just chillin'...Too cool for clothes!