The Oldroyd Family

1.  Max is 11 months old today.  One more month & he'll be a year.  Of course there's a part of me that's sad he's getting bigger (it happens too fast!) but I'm looking forward to him turning into a toddler & being one of the "big kids."  I envision visits to the park where I get to sit & bask in the sun while my 3 kids play happily with each other.  Ha! 2.  Speaking of Max, I've been trying to work with him on some mobility and he finally started barrel rolling on the floor this morning.  He rolls all over his crib but will never do it on the floor.  Hopefully once he sees that he can get to things that way, he'll want to move more.  Both Nathan & Alexa used rolling as their main transportation for a while, especially Alexa. 3.  We've been SOOO busy with family here!  The Bakers came last week & we've been to the Houston Livestock Show at the Rodeo, took all 10 cousins to get their pictures taken together, p...

The big kids had GREEN oatmeal for breakfast-- yum!   Then we got dressed up in our GREEN outfits, snapped a quick picture, kissed Grammy & Gpa Great goodbye, and headed to the Houston Livestock Show with the Oldroyd Cousins!   What a great St. Patrick's Day!

I am one lucky girl.  For the second year in a row my Grandma & Grandpa Partridge have driven (yes, driven) down here to visit.  We love spending time with them & the kids can't get enough of them.  Words we've heard often this week are "Do it again, Grandpa Great!" and "Where's Grammy?" or "Where's Grandpa Great?"  I dare you to find a more spry set of GREAT Grandparents! There was lots of book reading... Tickeling, and outside playing... We took a walk to the park, fed the ducks & played...   And we even made it to the zoo today! (Note to self... don't go to the zoo during Spring Break) Its been so fun to have them visit.  They're heading home tomorrow but we can't be too sad because we'll see them in just one more month during our visit to Utah!

Sure helped keep them occupied while I was getting Max's room ready for Grammy & Grandpa Great's visit!

We drink a lot of these around here.  I know there are many recipes for green smoothies out there but this is what we make most often.  You can make these in any blender but the better blender it is, the better it'll puree the spinach.  You, of course, can mess around with the quantities; these are only my best guesses.  I have to make them thin enough for my kids to suck up through a straw. You may want yours thick enough to eat with a spoon.  Also, pretty much any fruit (fresh or frozen) would be a good addition.  We use vanilla almond milk because Nathan doesn't do lactose well.  Most people add vanilla yogurt, I think.  Any way you do it, its a great way to get something green into your kids.  Mine don't care about the color since they've always had them but if you have older kids you're introducing this to, just tell them its kiwi or something. That's what my friend does! Alisha's Green Smoothies (makes about 20 oz) 1 HUGE handful of ...

Max had his first green smoothie today.  He loved it!  He's getting so big! The big kids love their "smoobies" too!  I love that they're getting a ton of fruit & spinach & they think its a treat!   **Recipe coming on this Sunday's edition of "Sweet & Savory Sunday"!!

We all know that Max is a little lazy laid back.  I have a story to share from my evening: It was "witching hour" (a.k.a. 5 something p.m.) and I was about to cook dinner so I turned on Baby Einstein to entertain Max & the big kids.  I put Max in his chair and noticed he was not sitting back but straight up.  Whatev, he's buckled so no biggie.  I go into the kitchen & start washing something in the sink (I have a view of the living room from there).  Suddely I see the top of Max's chair topple over.  OH NO!  I don't immediately hear screaming/crying but I expect it to come any second as I dash around the counter to the living room. The screaming/crying never came. Instead, this is what I saw: Apparently, the fall, subsequent face plant & the fact that his chair was buckled to him & on top of him didn't bother or startle him one little itty bit.  He was perfectly content to just chill on the floor while I snapped pictures ...

My brother-in-law Ryan's parents introduced us to this simple yet delicious meal & its become an Oldroyd family favorite over the years for sure.  With the blended flavors of grilled veggies & meat marinated in a zesty dressing, it hits the spot in such a healthy way.  A great thing about Kebobs is you can make them to order.  More veggies, sure!  More meat?  Great!  Don't like something on the menu?  Leave it off! Meat: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts and/or round steak (figure about 1/2 lb. of meat per person) Veggies/Fruit ideas: red onion, bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini squash, white mushroom caps, pineapple, cherry tomatoes Dressing: Kraft Greek Vinaigrette  Steps: A few hours before assembling your kebobs, cube the meat (keep chicken & steak separate!)  and marinade in a little bit of the dressing.   Soak bamboo skewers in water while cutting veggies to help the sticks from burning on the gril...

I haven't been blogging because this is just the time of year when nothing much is going on!  Just normal, day-to-day stuff.  Here's a family update: Sam is in the thick of tax season so we're not seeing much of him these days.  He's getting home from work later & later, poor guy.  We're just praying the next 6 weeks goes by FAST! I am finally starting to feel in control of my life.  It's a good feeling and one that I hope sticks around.  I've been spending a lot of time "couponing" and enjoying my weekly drugstore freebies.  I've been exercising, watching what I eat & finally getting the last couple of lbs of baby weight off.  I've also started a "cleaning schedule" & I've definitely noticed a difference in my stress level being able to keep a somewhat clean house.  The weather has been great & getting outside for walks has been great for me & the kids. Nathan 's lip is healing well & we'r...