rhubarb crumble

This weekend, when I stopped at our favorite little local market, I saw a huge 10-lb bag of rhubarb for sale for $10.  So, of course I had to pick one up!  Even though we just harvested our own rhubarb and already have some in the freezer!  

Then came the fun task of chopping all that rhubarb, with a colicky baby Moby'd onto me!

The first fruits of all that (very worth it!) labor?  This yummy rhubarb crumble:

And I do mean first fruits!  I couldn't even wait until I was done chopping all the rhubarb.  As soon as I had enough, I took a break and threw this together!  If you keep my crumble mix on hand, you can get this into the oven in less than 5 minutes...  :o)

rhubarb crumble

4 cups chopped rhubarb

1/4 cup sugar (to taste)

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

2 1/2 cups of my homemade crumble topping mix (see below)

1 stick of butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350degrees F.  In a 9x9 baking dish, mix together the rhubarb, sugar and cornstarch and set aside.  In another bowl mix together the crisp mix and butter.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the rhubarb mixture.  Bake for 45 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.  Serve with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream!!

crumble topping mix 

3 3/4 cups flour

5 cups packed brown sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

5 teaspoons cinnamon

5 teaspoons nutmeg

5 cups rolled oats

Mix together in a large bowl and store in a tupperware container.  Make sure you stir it up well before measuring out any for a batch of crumble.  

I always keep this on hand so that I can whip up a fruit crumble whenever we get a craving have fruit or berries that we need to use up!

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Oh, and really... what good is a blog-post if it doesn't include a picture of an incredibly cute baby?!  :o)

I love this little man!

sweet dreams!

I cannot begin to describe how completely blessed and grateful I feel today!  My colicky baby has turned a corner in his life, and we are both so much happier for it!

Don't get me wrong... he is still a very colicky baby.  Everyday from about 2:30 to 8 in the evenings is miserable for both of us, and often times for everyone else who happens to be around...

And so Bjorn spends most of that time in his Moby, which is the only thing that keeps him calm!

But our nights have gotten oh-so-much better!

For the 3rd night in a row now, Bjorn has slept in his own crib, in his own room!  How did we go from sleepless nights of maybe 2 hour chunks of sleep at a time to an amazing 7 hours?  Well, it started with a conversation with Bjorn's Godmother, Susie, about what worked with her daughter (who is coincidentally VERY similar to Bjorn!).  So, we swaddled him SUPER tight in this miracle blanket, put this CD on repeat - so it would play all night in his room, and put him in his own very dark room!  

I was NOT optimistic the first night, but he blew us away by sleeping an amazing 5 hour chunk!  The 2nd night, I was even less optimistic (trying not to get my hopes up)... but he slept another almost 5-hour chunk!  Yesterday we had a fun, very busy day, and he had a very colicky evening.  Needless to say, I was completely prepared for a back-track on the great sleeping.  And then he woke me up at 4:15am, after having slept an amazing 7 hours!

Can you tell I am over-joyed?!  I feel like a new person!  This morning I was able to get up, make and enjoy my morning coffee, and actually get some real food into the slow-cooker for dinner tonight!  Beef Stroganoff...  my ultimate comfort food!  :o)  

Which reminds me of the rest of our story of turn-arounds...  Our friend Sam gave us her baby swing to use with Bjorn.  He has not been impressed.  But the last few mornings (coinciding with his good sleep at nights?!) he has been enjoying, and then falling asleep in, the swing - which gives me a good 30 minutes to get stuff done!  Aaaaaahhhh...  life is GOOD!

my friend moby

Wow.  That's all I can say.  Except it's not.  I actually have LOTS to say, about this miracle sanity-saving product...

I am so, so, so grateful to have been introduced to this amazing Moby Wrap.  Having an officially (yes, it's official people!) colicky baby has led us to try many, many things to keep our sweet sad little boy as content and comfortable as possible.  Doesn't he look so cozy?

He already has a sling (which worked wonders for the first several weeks, until he outgrew the cradle position in which he slept SO well!), a BabyBjorn (that his daddy can't wait to use, but we haven't had much opportunity as our Bjorn just recently grew into it!) that will be especially great for awake-time when he's got better head control, and various swings, rockers, seats, pillows, etc.  And maybe it's just the timing of my friend Moby's appearance that makes him so wonderful, but whatever it is...  it makes me this happy!

Thanks again Kelcie!  We love you!

a new toy and a lifesaver

On a quick trip to Walmart last weekend, Bjorn's grandpa bought him a Bumbo seat.  He is still a little young for it - not holding his head up all the time yet - but he loves it for 5 or 10 minutes at a time.  He's sure enjoying this new perspective on life!

This last week has been a very challenging introduction for me into the world of motherhood.  Having a sick baby has been absolutely exhausting, both physically and emotionally.  We have tried every trick we could think of to comfort him and most only worked for a few minutes.  Then we were introduced to this Moby Wrap by my friend Kelcie.  I went out and picked one up, and am so glad I did!

And by the way... YES my bathroom mirror is THAT dirty!  :o)  oh well...  no more secrets from you! 

Anyways, this Moby has been a life-saver in a huge way.  My oh-so-fussy baby falls asleep immediately in his wrap, and I get both hands free to get stuff done!  Like make these yummy Dungeness Crab-Stuffed Twice Baked Potatoes for dinner...

Here's hoping the miracle wrap keeps working for us!

rhubarb coffee cake

After a long week with a sick, very fussy baby, I was thrilled to have my parents come to visit us this weekend and give me back my sanity a small break.  I loved their company, and being able to take a few long showers with no interruptions.  I was especially thrilled to get a chance to embrace one of my true passions...

During one of our seemingly endless nursing sessions recently, I was browsing around on the internet and found this yummy-sounding recipe.  I was excited to finally be able to try it out and was not disappointed!  SO good...

family meetings

Last weekend Bjorn got to meet some more of his huge family.  He is so blessed to have so many people love him and there are so many more he hasn't even met yet!  We can't wait for them all to get to know him!

Of all the people Bjorn met last weekend, one of the most special introductions was to his great-grandma, Margaret Bergsagel.  He sure studied her while she talked to him and loved on him...

We love you Grandma B!  Thanks for being such a blessing to all of us, and passing on the love and value of family!

a very special day

Bjorn was baptized last week, on May 17th.  This day has always been special, and seems to keep getting more and more important to us with each year.

 Also known as Syttende Mai, May 17th has always been a fun day.  A day spent with family, enjoying a great parade, friends and food!  Then, three years ago, Andrew and I met (or should I say 'talked'?  we met online!) on May 17th.  Bjorn's godparents, our cousins Brian & Susie Erdahl, also had their first phone-conversation on that same day, 3 years ago, and their first date the next day.  And to top it off, May 17th is Susie's birthday!  So, when we were looking at our calendar for a date to have Bjorn baptized, and saw that May 17th fell on a Sunday this year, we couldn't resist adding one more layer of special-ness to this day!

This day, welcoming our sweet baby Bjorn into the family of Christ, will always hold the most special place in our hearts...  easily out-shining all other aspects of the holiday.  We are so blessed to have been given this gift, this precious little life, to cherish and raise up in the knowledge and love if his Savior!  It's an amazing, exciting, and somewhat overwhelming responsibility... and with the support of our family and friends, we are ready to take it on!

Thank you so much to all of you who were able to share this special day with us, and to everyone who has already shown us how much they love our little man! 

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baby's first bath... european-style!

I did a lot of research before investing in a baby-bath tub.  As I did with every other baby-related purchase we've made.  Primarily, value was key.  Even more important, though, was the durability, longevity and multi-functionality of each item.  As we plan on having more kids in the not-too-far future (and yes, I said "kids"...  as many as God leads us to desire and blesses us with!), we want our investments to last as long as possible.  

Which leads me back to my original statement...  I did a LOT of research before buying a baby-bath!  I googled.  I scoured baby-magazines and websites.  I asked around.  In fact it took me over a month after Bjorn was born to decide which one I wanted!  The end result?  This european-style tub:  

The benefits for me?  Only a small amount of water is needed.  The tub is lightweight and has easy to grip handles.  It is also very portable, and can be used anywhere...  on our various camping trips this summer, for example. Or on the bathroom floor, or in the kitchen sink:

The benefits for him?  My little man, who hates to be cold, loved it!  He was immersed up to his shoulders, and perfectly cocooned in the deep bucket-like tub that he will be able to use until he is 10 months old.  

I will admit, this was not really Bjorn's first bath, but after his miserable baths in the sink, and many sponge baths, this was the first bath he enjoyed!  So I've decided it gets the honor of his first real bath! 

beautiful brotherly bonding

aren't they sweet? 

Here's a glimpse of Navy's first day meeting his brother at the hospital:

Navy:  "What are you doing?"

me (Annalise):  "I'm about to feed your brother."

Navy:  "What does he eat?"

me:  "He drinks milk from me."

Navy:  "Oh."  "So THAT'S what those are for!"

(can you tell he keeps our life very entertaining?) 

Happy Birthday Bjørn!

You're one month old today!

I can't believe you've been with us a month already!  It's been so much fun getting to know you and watching you grow...  you are such a beautiful, sweet boy, and we are so proud to be your family!  You've changed our lives, and we are so happy that you are here.

What does your life look like so far?  Well, your daddy loves to sing to you, and talk to you and show you things on the computer.  Navy loves to look at you and is already planning all the fun things he is going to teach you as you get older, and is dreaming of all the fun you two are going to have together playing and being friends!  Your mommy?  Well, I love to kiss you.  You have the sweetest cheeks.  And I love to look at you!  I can stare at you all day, and you never cease to amaze me.  You are such an expressive boy, always making cute faces and making us all smile!  Today, it seems, you discovered your tongue:

We can't wait to see who you become as you grow and show us your personality.  We love you so much, sweet boy!  Happy Birthday!!!

I love...

this man...

who gave me these flowers!

 Thanks for loving me, husband!

And for giving me the most amazing gift ever...

a son!

I love this face...

...isn't it so sweet?!

more Bjørn pics...

...finally!

First I want to explain this one... 

no, I was not just ignoring my screaming baby boy 

so I could get a picture!  

This was taken at the doctor's office on the day of his circumcision.  

Do you think he knew what was coming?!  

Really, he just hates to be cold, 

and we had to undress him in order to get his weight! 

This is one of my favorite pictures!  

Doesn't he have such beautiful long fingers? 

And the announcement of our little man!  

This was up at Andrew's work for over a week... 

 so fun to see his name in 'lights' and all the town knows he's here!  

(of course most have already butchered the pronouncement 

of his name...  this is definitely NOT a scandinavian town!)

I have posted lots more pictures here, so check them out! 

 

Amy and Ryan, I seem to have stolen your 

"days of Paisley" theme...  I hope you don't mind?