October-rest

 Where did October go? I think I slept the second half of the month away, I've been so exhausted. I'm not the only one that has been tired. Above is a rare chance that Mike has to hold Benjamin as he falls asleep. It's very sweet!

 I started to feel teeth trying to come out on baby's lower jaw. They haven't cut through, yet. One day it was bothering him quite a bit, so he had the best time gnawing on an apple chunk. It was a sticky mess, but so fun to watch him go at the apple.

 I love his little froggy outfits!

 He's cute in his monkey outfits too! He was content to swing around (like a monkey).

Benjamin has reached 6 months old and I decided to let him experience a ride in the shopping cart. The first time he reached his arms from one side of the cart to the other to hold on. It was so fun to see him wide-eyed as we sped through the aisles.

Flip

I caught baby flipping in his crib. After I saw him do it, he continued to flip over when I put him on his back. I'm going to have to keep an even closer eye on him now.

September Entertainment

 As school starts for most kids, I feel blessed to have Benjamin at home with me. I can't believe I'm already thinking that he'll go to school one day. So, he entertains me while we're together.

 He has some talented toes and will hold things between his feet for short periods of time.

 He thinks it's cool to arch his back and hang out till the blood rushes to his head.

 My glasses seam to fascinate him as he attempts to pull them off my face as often as he can. Here he has succeeded.

 Here is a fun mess after his dinner one day.

 He loves grabbing the spoon while he eats. He wants to be in control. Is that a sign for trouble?

 When baby sleeps in his crib, he manages to get himself all turned around. It amuses me!

We got baby a new toy that he immensely loves, his jungle bouncer-saucer. He was so excited the first day, but quickly became frustrated as he realized he couldn't pull any of the toys off to chew or suck on them. It is still quite entertaining to him as much as it is for us to watch him.

Finally, here is Benjamin extremely excited to eat with his spoon. I'm sure more entertaining to his parents, but I still have to share.

Lemony Shrimp Scampi

Here is my second shrimp dish that I got out of my Everyday Food magazine. This is a quick meal...I think that boiling the water took the longest. I would say it's a relatively inexpensive meal as well. I loved this dish and will be adding it to my list of meals I rotate through.

Lemony Shrimp Scampi

Salt and pepper
3/4 lb angel-hair pasta
2 T olive oil
3/4 lb large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 T butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c lemon juice (from 2 lemons), plus wedges for serving
2 T chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions, then drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add shrimp and cook until opaque throughout, about 3 minutes, flipping once. Transfer to a plate. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter and garlic to skillet and saute until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook 1 minute; season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Add pasta and shrimp and toss to combine. Serve with lemon wedges.

I bought fresh parsley for this dish. I really like how it adds to the recipe. If you store the parsley correctly, it will last a long time and you can use it in other dishes--like spaghetti sauce and meatloaf.

The Boys

 Mike is always taking pictures of me and Benjamin and rarely gets in them. So I suggested he let me use his camera to take pictures of him and Benjamin in his studio. He said I could take the pictures with my own camera. Haha!!! I distracted him with wanting to use his camera that I got the pictures I wanted of my two boys! Hahaa!!!