Apple Picking Fun

Fall is here! This season is truly my favorite and I wish it could last forever. It's so crazy to think that this time last year I was extremely pregnant and anxiously awaiting the arrival of my sweet boy. This year Aiden is with us and I am loving being able to introduce him to all of our favorite fall things.

First on the list of things to do with Aiden...visit an apple orchard! We went to one of my favorite places, Iron's Fruit Farm where we took a hayride out to the apple orchard to pick our own apples. Aiden wasn't too sure about the hayride, but loved being fed bits of apple fresh from the tree. He kept signing "more!"

My sister in law and brother in law came with us and were able to capture a few pictures of our little family's first trip to the apple orchard and I love how they turned all turned out.

This last picture had to be included because I like to be real and let's be honest, it's hilarious. This was our cue that it was time to stop the photo session and go home for a nap. Haha.

What things are on your fall bucket list??

A day in the life (with a 10 month old)

I did one of these posts back when Aiden was just 6 months old and thought it'd be fun to compare my days with Aiden and how they change as he gets older. So here it is another day in my life, but this time with an almost 10 month old!

4:30 AM Aiden is up and hungry. I bring him in bed with me, feed him then we snuggle/sleep for a little bit longer before we drag ourselves out of bed

6:45 AM I turn on PBS Kids and let Aiden watch his favorite shows (Thomas and Daniel Tiger) while I fix breakfast, eat breakfast and then clean up the kitchen. All while trying to keep Aiden from pulling the cats tails, eating the cats food, pulling any and every cord out of the wall and pulling over baskets. Haha. Then we play and read a few books.

9:00-ish AM Aiden takes his morning nap. Since Aiden isn't sleeping great these days I try to nap with him during his first nap of the day. If I don't take a nap with him then I'll read or check my emails on my phone while he sleeps in my arms. I just finished reading Where'd You Go Bernadette and loved it!

10:00 AM Time to get out of bed. I feed him then it's time to actually get ready for the day.

10:15 AM Bath time. Since Aiden no longer likes to be laying down in his baby bath tub I've been letting him sit in his Boppy seat in the tub. I bathe him then I shower. We usually jam to a Baby Pandora station I created and we have a good ole time splishing and splashing.

10:30 AM Time to get Aiden dressed/aka let him roll around and pull everything out of the diaper caddy as many times as possible in the time it takes to change and dress a baby.

10:45 AM Mid-morning snack. His current favorite breakfast is Oatmeal with a mix of pureed blueberries and cherries. Yum. He also likes scrambled eggs. It's so fun that he is eating real food and that we can share bites.

11:00 AM Aiden "helps" me pick out our meals for the week and make a grocery list.

11:30-1 PM Lunch and errands. We hit up the grocery store and visit Yaya at work on our way home.

1:30-4:30 PM Afternoon nap and then I feed Aiden again. Then I attempt to meal prep and pick up around the house if Aiden allows it.

5:00 PM Aiden's favorite time of the day! Daddy is home!

5:30 PM Family dinner (can you guess which drink belongs to which family member?)

6:15 PM We clean up the kitchen and then Drew entertains Aiden while I meal prep some baby food for the following day. I made a Lentil and Brown rice soup for Aiden. You can find the recipe here.

6:45 PM If we have time before Aiden's goes to bed we take a family stroll around the neighborhood or head up the street to our favorite park then it's time to change Aiden into his PJs, read him a few books, feed him and put him to bed.

8:00 PM Aiden's Bedtime

After Aiden goes to bed I check emails/blog, fold laundry, hang out with Drew and then read or watch a show in bed. Everyday is different, but this is a snapshot of a day at home with my little man. I cherish these days with him.

Ode to summer

Summer came and went. It literally flew by and there are so many things I haven't documented yet! So this my friends, is an ode to all things summer...

Lunch dates with Aiden at the Park were a weekly occurrence. 

I got to attend a lovely bridal shower for my dear college roommate, Amanda.

There were lots of family hikes and picnics.

We enjoyed a few fun nights out with friends and went to Lumenocity for the first time.

Aiden discovered popsicles and demanded I make them once a week.

We celebrated my little brother's birthday at one of our favorite local pubs.

We had a few playdates with friends.

And then there was swinging. Lots and lots of swinging.

We will miss you summer, but we are oh so excited for all things FALL!

{Baby Approved Meals:} Lentil and Brown Rice Soup

One night I was making Lentil Chili for dinner and I started thinking about ways that I could make Lentils for my little guy who was 9 months old at the time. I'm terrible at putting flavors together, but I'm great at following a recipe so I started flipping through a baby cookbook I had bought and found a recipe for Lentil and Brown Rice soup. It was perfect since I already had all the ingredients on hand and Aiden seemed to enjoy it. I secretly loved that we were all eating Lentils together too and thought aw look at our little family of 3 all eating their lentils together around the dinner table. Haha. So here's the recipe and a list of ingredients for you to make this for you or your baby or both!

Ingredients: (Makes about 1 1/2 cups of soup-perfect amount for baby)
2 3/4 cups (22 fluid oz) Low Sodium Vegetable broth (or water)
1/3 cup brown rice
1/2 cup lentils (rinsed)

Instructions:
1.) Bring the vegetable broth to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat
2.) Add the rice and lentils and reduce heat to low
3.) Cover the saucepan and allow to simmer gently until most of the water is absorbed (the rice is tender and lentils are soft) This should take about 30-35 minutes.
4.) Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly
5.) Transfer the lentil-rice mixture to a food processor and puree until desired consistency

Original recipe can be found in this cookbook!

Aiden {10 Months}

My little man is officially 10 months old today. We are in Double digits!!! This last month was huge because Aiden finally started crawling forward and is now all over the place. He loves chasing the cats around and is drawn to any and every cord in the house. Yikes! He also started pulling up on things on his own. This kid loves to be standing and no longer enjoys laying down in one place making changing his diaper and this month's photo shoot quite interesting.

One of my favorite things Aiden started doing this month is dancing. Whenever he hears his favorite songs he looks at us and starts bopping up and down and waving his arms. It is the cutest thing ever. We have dance parties often in the Renner house these days and we break it down every time the Thomas the train theme song comes on.

This month Aiden surprised us with what we are calling his first words! One of his favorite books is Brown Bear, Brown Bear and we read it to him all.the.time! Well all of the sudden Aiden decided he wanted to say Brown Bear back to us. I was shocked and was able to get it on video...you can see it over on my Instagram account. I've probably watched it 100 times already! We are blown away by his smarts and how much he wants to talk to us!

A few stats about Aiden at ten months:

Weight: 18.1 pounds

Height: 27 inches (My little man is only in the 6th percentile for height, but at least he's proportional...says the pediatrician. Haha.

Size Clothes: 9 months

Sleeping: We had a few glorious nights in a row where Aiden decided to sleep from 8-5. Wow. Drew and I didn't know what to do with ourselves and were feeling pretty great, but then those precious nights were over. He isn't sleeping terribly, but wakes up a few times a night and can't soothe himself back to sleep, which I'm learning is totally my fault. #momfail Oh well. I'm currently reading Elizabeth Pantley's The No-Cry Sleep Solution and am trying a few of her tips. One that has been working for us so far is having Aiden sleep with a "lovey." He now cuddles with his fox (pictured above) when he sleeps. It is so adorable to see your baby cuddling with a stuffed animal. Aw.

Eating: This month Aiden tried scrambled eggs for the first time. He loves them and now eats them with his oatmeal for breakfast. I'm still making most of his food, but he is also eating Puffs now and loves the pouches from Ella's Kitchen. I have made a few baby approved meals that I'll be sharing soon. (Lentil and Brown Rice Soup and Rice Pudding)

Random stuff only parents want to know:

Nicknames: Baby Hunny, Beebo, Buster, Love Bug, Pumpkin.

Likes: Blowing bubbles in his water cup, barking at Trigger, snuggling with his fox stuffed animal, SAYING "Brown Bear!" Chasing cars around the house, Bananas, Puffs

Dislikes: Sitting still, Being dropped off in the nursery at church.

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