Let's see, let's see... Not much to write about, so I'm adding lots of Peter goodness (from our Sunday trip downtown), to get you through the boring words on this page.

I think this is the last of our quiet weeks for awhile. September is filling up with book club and a baking class downtown that I signed up for with friends; our church is having a big 150th anniversary party; then there's appointments and Scott's brewing and friends' parties; and then Oktoberfest... So hang on, this should be one of the last boring updates for awhile ;)

The week was pretty low key, as already mentioned. I was super-busy at work, and (thank the lord) had a book club meeting. Lots of treats and sangria and gossiping does a lot to recharge my batteries!

The weather has been fantastic around here, I should mention. While June was rather toasty and humid, the rest of the summer has been fairly mild and rainy. When it's not raining the weather is perfect for packing up the baby and going for a nice walk.

Um - and I got this awesome little cookbook on heirloom tomatoes in the mail! I didn't order it, so someone lovely person had it sent to me. I can suspect who it is, too... Time to give Coco a call :)

That, my friends, is about it. Like I warned you - pretty boring! Next week should be busy - Scott and I are keeping busy at work, and we're heading to Pittsburg for Labor Day weekend. Pete's first trip to see the Kemmeters, and his second road trip. Let's hope he likes the car at least a little better (although who am I fooling??).

Happy Birthday, Aimbot

Been meaning to call this dork all day, but Peter's been a bit clingy (odd) and I've been trying to clean and such at the same time. So the day's gotten away from me, as usual, and I let it slide between the cracks.

Sorry my doodie - a very happy birthday to you, hope you and the boo-bots have a fantastic day. T minus 56 days until you're here, wahoo! Fun times await!

Movin' on up.

I've noticed that Peter's clothes are getting a little small on him. Not tight exactly - he's a healthy 13.5 lbs these days, but he's also falling in the rankings (so to speak) on the growth chart. Started at a 95th percentile and now is at a paltry 70th percentile. Butterball babies are the BEST! Anyhoo.


So, his clothes. He's starting to grow out of them; it started with the onesies, the classic "it won't snap" phenomenon letting me know it was time for Peter's wardrobe to consist of shirts and shorts. Now the tops have inched up to the waistline of the pants, and his pants are not quite fitting right either... So, yes. Officially time to move our 12-week-old child up to the 3-6 month size. Right on schedule, our boy.


This was music to my ears. I, like any other self-respecting woman, very much enjoy the Art of Shopping. I love love love that we have a baby boy, too, because it makes it more challenging. Cute dresses and skirts and bows and ribbons, they are everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. And girl clothes always seem to outnumber the boy apparel in a store by at LEAST 2:1. For darling man-child clothes, you really have to go on a hunt. Much more fun, my friends.


I bought a few things here and there already in 3-6 month, stuff accumulated at rummage sales and from relatives and friends, and from the sales racks of all my favorite stores. But surely it wouldn't be all he needs. The little guy will probably need more jeans, for sure. He'll be wearing this size when it gets cooler. A coat? Sweaters and sweatshirts? Yup, he'll need those. And I've been checking out all the darling "fashion" spreads in the baby rags, so I know what trendy stuff is out there. Armed to the gills with ideas, I decided to go through the "Peter Clothing" stash and pull out all the 3-6 month I actually have, so I can do a final inventory before shopping.


Uh. Erm.


I think, maybe, perhaps, I had a few more pieces than I expected...

Even Mr. Pete-o is overwhelmed by it all.

Except for these shoes. Nothing is more delicious than black dress loafers, apparently.

So in the end: no fun shopping for me for current boyish fashions. Maybe a few white long-sleeved onesies to wear under the short-sleeved stuff, but that will be all. Plus the new BabyLegs I bought him today. And maybe these shoes. But! That, my friends, is truly it. I will stop for the sake of my husband, who is a bit flabbergasted that our child has a larger wardrobe me or him. And it will only fit for about 3 months to boot...

Will have to comfort myself by shopping in the next size up. The little guy has way fewer things in that size. I swear.

Weekend Update 08.23.09

Not much to speak of this week - we worked. We made dinner and played a lot with the baby and kept up the house and yard. We zonked out the moment our heads hit our pillows. We went for a walk on a really nice Friday night.

And then this weekend, we checked out the Busker Festival. Rather than write a whole bunch of blah blah blah blabbering about it, I thought I'd just post some pictures from our day downtown with the buskers. Enjoy!




Peter spent the day in the Bjorn, his current favorite mode of transportation.




Weird hula-hoop ladies.

Bag pipers (they were fantastic). There were a whole slew of them, it was awesome.

No trip downtown is complete without a trip to Scott's favorite brewpub. We stopped for a late lunch/early dinner sort of thing.

Notice the bag piper who also found his way to Free State.

Peter took a nap while we ate.

Back out with the buskers.

Zydeco, yeah! Also really good.

Mooncalf the Magician

I... am not sure what this instrument is. But I thought it was cool.

Some dude juggling/hacky-sacking (? is that a verb?) a clear ball.

Mechanical Man. These guys always kinda weird me out.

...And then we went for ice cream. Peter may or may not have had a quick taste of his mother's blue moon ice cream. There isn't any photographic evidence, anyway.

Peter's first trip to campus

Tonight was a GORGEOUS summer evening - low 70s, sunny, just perfect. We've been so lucky this summer. One of our favorite things to do when the weather is nice is to take a nice long stroll along Mt. Oread, so we decided to take Peter up for his first campus walk.

*~*~*


Rather than pack up the Peg Perego, we broke out the Quinny for the first time. Big Boy Stroller alert! Peter really enjoyed strollering from the front rather than having to look at our ugly mugs the entire time.

He wore his lucky Jayhawk shoes for this special occasion.


Peter and Jay in front of the Union. As you can see from the pictures, Peter could hardly contain his excitement.








We parked about mid-campus, and walked to the Union. By the time we were almost looped back to the car, Peter was ready to go into his Bjorn instead. So we packed the stroller into the back of the car, and off we went again with Scott wearing Peter.


Checked out the Chi O fountain (one day, Peter will take a dip).

We could hear the band practicing the fight song, so stopped to watch them for a little while.



Before you knew it, it was time to head home for some baby bedtime. The Campanile was our last stop for the day. I'm the only one who has graduated and thus the only one allowed inside, so I took some pictures of the boys while in there :)

Roasted Summer Tomatoes with Pasta

I just had to add this recipe to the blog. It is so perfect for the summer, when your garden produces way more tomatoes than you think you could ever use. It tastes so fresh, and is so healthy (at least our reincarnation of the recipe is healthy). Enough leftovers, too, for lunches the next day. Doesn't get much better :)


Roasted Summer Tomatoes with Pasta
(adapted from Emeril's recipe)

Ingredients:
2.5 to 3 lbs. assorted garden tomatoes (we used: yellow pears, brandywine, and Aunt Ruby's green Germans)
1/4 c. olive oil
3-4 Tbsp. garlic
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp. minced fresh oregano
1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Additional chopped fresh herbs for garnish

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 F. Slice and dice tomatoes.



Peel and sliver the garlic.



Collect other ingredients.






In a large, glass baking dish, toss the tomatoes with the oil, garlic, vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Roast until the tomatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the basil, parsley, and oregano. Stir well.



Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente, about 7 minutes.
Drain and return to pot. Toss with the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the tomatoes and pan juices and cook over low heat until juices have thickened, 5-10 minutes.



Remove from the heat and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Top with Parmesan cheese. Garnish with additional herbs, as desired, and serve immediately.