Photo Friday

Happy

Do you ever have those moments where you stop and think, this is what happy is? I've been having a lot of those lately. I love my little family. In the past week, Ben made dinner five nights in a row. And then sometimes he'd even clean up the kitchen afterward. I started to feel bad after awhile, but things just happened that way, where I was doing something else or there was a recipe that Ben wanted to try. I love that he cooks, and that he's good at it. He's just really thoughtful.

Henry is getting so interactive. He understands a lot and responds when we ask him questions. We've even finally got him doing a couple of signs. He also runs into the room any time he hears music and starts dancing. One of my favorite things he does is when I tell him "I love you," he gives me a kiss in response.

One of his favorite things to do is read. I often walk in to a room to find him sitting on the floor, surrounded by pillows, holding a book. He likes to drag Ben or me down on to the floor with him too.

He pulls those pillows down off the couch by himself before he lays down. I find that quite funny.

They're even accidentally matching. Can you see the resemblance?

He's also started snuggling with this stuffed bear that my Nana bought for him. He carries it around his room before bedtime.

Yum

If there is one passion that Ben and I share, it is all things culinary. It's a dream of ours to become foodies/master chefs. I'm not sure when it started, but for as long as I can remember, we have been trying new recipes at home and exploring new menu items at restaurants. We've tried snake, crocodile, bone marrow, and quite a few other "unusual" foods. But for us, it's not just the excitement of something weird that draws us--we like to examine new flavors. We often try to recreate dishes we've had, and quite frequently when either one of us cooks, it's completely experimental.

For my Mother's Day present, we picked out a variety of herbs at Eastern Market, and I planted them in a pot today. I'm really excited--I already have the beginnings of about a half a dozen meals planned out in my head. But I'm kind of a nerd about it; I read up on each herb's requirements for water/light/soil and I planned everything out before I planted it. My goal is to one day be able to recognize every culinary herb by sight and smell. I told you, I want to be a foodie. Not to make a career out of it, just to fully appreciate food and all the potential flavors your mouth can experience. I get excited just thinking about it. We definitely don't just eat to survive over here.

Three

Happy anniversary to my sweetie pie. I couldn't have imagined a better guy myself. And I think we look even better now than we did three years ago.

See it for yourself

Forgive the shakiness of the camera--I was trying to film Henry while pushing a stroller and holding a leash and walking backwards. But it sure is a cute video.