iPhone

I love my iPhone. I know, I'm not alone. I'm not saying anything surprising or new. But, I do love it. One of my favorite features of the iPhone is the camera. I love how quickly and easily I can take a photo and email or text it to someone. I love receiving a photo from someone, as well...just so you know! I've been sending Jose weekly (if not daily) photos of Griff since he was born. I feel like it makes him a part of our day and allows him to see some of the funny and endearing things that Gigs does.

Here are a ton (I was going to say "a few"...ha!):

As I'm finishing this post, I'm listening to Court Yard Hounds. It feels like a good soundtrack for this. Right now, it's "See You in the Spring."

Without Further Ado...

The Army Crawl.

Over the last two days, Griffin has become mobile. While he is definitely just army crawling, he is speedy! We'd better hurry up and baby-proof our house. Yikes.

P.S. You can't tell in the video, but Jose was standing right next to the couch.

Home.

Home is where the family is. I am always excited to return to Indiana to spend time with my parents and siblings. When we're together, it feels like home. We lie on the kitchen floor laughing at each other, make desperate late-night trips for frozen yogurt, and, if there's a wedding involved, we dance like mad. If you want to see some great photos and comments about Colin and Stefanie's wedding, go here and here. It was fun.

Being with my siblings makes me even more excited about the family that Jose and I are growing. (In the sense that we will eventually have more children--and Griff is growing--nothing else.) I am hopeful and joyful about the love that will exist between our children and us. I feel doubly blessed that I have a Biber family and a Guzman family--at home in Indiana and Colorado. Although, we're really just one big happy family...I was reminded this weekend as we celebrated with the Smith part of our family that the beauty of family is that the love just keeps on going and growing.

Find the love wherever you are!

Try It Tuesday!

Oh, Try It Tuesday, it has simply been too long. I have had several recipes that I've tried over the summer that I've wanted to post. But, here's what was for dinner last night.

We have not made it to the grocery since we returned from Colin and Stefanie's lovely wedding, so this is just what we had to throw together in the fridge and pantry. Andrea asked for the recipe last night...

What Was in the Fridge

3 cups grains (I used a quinoa/barley combination)

2 cups lentils

1 ear of corn, cut off the cob (I roasted it in the oven with Griff's potatoes during nap time)

1 green pepper, chopped

2 mild, roasted chilies (We love the ones they sell at the Cherry Creek Farmers' Market)

A handful of spinach

1 cup of frozen broccoli

A splash of olive oil

Salt, pepper and Bragg's to taste

Cheddar cheese

I cooked the grains and the lentils in the same big pot to minimize clean-up. I dumped the grains and lentils back into the big pot with a little olive oil. Then, I threw in the peppers and spices. Once the green pepper was cooked, I added the rest of the veggies. While those warmed all the way through, I shredded some cheddar cheese. Then, everything went into a couple bowls. Okay, not everything...we have a lot of leftovers!

I love recipes like this because you can make them any time. We always have grains and dried beans in our pantry, so I can just change the veggies and spices based on my mood and fridge. The roasted chilies were key to this mixture...try to get some while it's still the season.

The Photos

I now realize that I did a terrible job of taking photographs when I was home. I do not have a single picture from Becca's incredibly beautiful wedding, I am missing most of my family members in my photos and I even completely left out Jose. So, here are some pictures of the kids.

During this trip, Griffin had his first experience swinging in real, outdoor swings. I think it is safe to say that he enjoyed it.

This is Lily's amazing fort. Duke and Sam built it for her with just about every cushion in my parents' house. Lily explained that the fort had a kitchen with a cabinet and a playground and a bedroom, among other things. She had a container of gum that she played with in her kitchen. Abiding by the rules, she did not eat any of it...but, she made sure to touch every piece.

This little creek by the middle school is a magical place for kids to play. I can just imagine spending hours pretending to be on the greatest of adventures, while stomping through the shallow water. Griff was primarily interested in attempting to eat the rocks.


Gigs had a little difficulty getting adjusted to Indiana time. He required some serious snuggling with Skippy to get to a restful place.

I forgot to mention another trick that Griff is working on...waving. Seriously, he had never done it. Then, we're in Indiana. He pulled out all the stops!

8 Months

Griff is 8 months old today! He has picked up some new skills. Griff likes to show off when he's in Indiana. He is now saying several sounds, including...uh, uh for uh oh, buh, and guh. He also watched Finn sliding across my parents' wood floors and has just started to try to army crawl. Photos to follow!

Plans

I had the greatest plans for the month of July. I was going to take time to write every day. I was going to do some relaxing. I was going to enjoy our newly installed wood floors. I was going to spend a week at home with my family in Indiana. I was going to celebrate my birthday with a super-fun countdown.

Things didn't quite go as planned. Our house was in disarray for the entire month as we waited for the wood to acclimatize. I couldn't relax with half of our living room in our kitchen. I spent too much time waiting around for our flooring installers. I worried about Gram. I had to change my travel plans to come home a week early for Gram's funeral.

Things always go the way that they should. Of course, I wanted to be home to remember Gram and it was so comforting to spend extra time with my parents and siblings. Our floors are finally installed and are absolutely beautiful. And, I did have a memorable and enjoyable birthday. I did not, however, finish my countdown. So...

9: Reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and starring as Lucy in our class' radio show

8: Picking up the phone in the computer lab to found out that Sam was born

7: I relearned to say "s"

6: Duke was born and kept being alive

5: Whit!

4: Not having to nap in preschool because my mom taught there

3: Moving to 100 Willow

2: Sleeping in a big, antique bed

1: Living across the street from the governor