Ten Months Old!

Noah is ten months old today!

He is so incredibly active. He keeps me running and ensures that I have tons more respect for moms than I ever did before.

He learned to crawl pretty well while we were in Houston, army crawl style. Just recently, he started getting his tummy up off the ground, as well. And let me tell you, that kid is FAST.

He is also completely uninterested in all his toys. The things he likes to play with are:
- anything with buttons (the remote control, the stereo, the computer, a cell phone)
- doors that swing (such as the gate and the door to the living room)
- poles (such as the exposed pipe in the kitchen and the floor lamp)
- the couches (for cruising back and forth)

He has also started going to the end of the couch and peeping over it to look at us. He understands that it's a joke, a little like peek-a-boo. It's so funny!



As for food, he eats anything I give him, but he definitely has his preferences. He loves (we're talking LOVES) toast. He stuffs it in his mouth until we worry he'll choke. He also loves those Gerber puffs, probably because they're the only thing I give him with sugar in them. They have superseded Cheerios at this point. I think his least favorite food is asparagus. In general, he likes orange veggies and fruit and tolerates or dislikes green veggies. And he loves all manner of carbs (he is a boy after his mother's heart!). We have started him on meat, and he really liked a little baby meatloaf I made him. And here's a milestone for you: he had his very first Chick-Fil-A chicken nugget the other day!

Speaking of orange veggies, a funny thing happened when I took him in to get his flu shot the other day. Upon seeing him, the doctor said, "You must be a little boy who loves his carrots and sweet potatoes and squash." I looked at her quizzically and said, "He is! How did you know?" "Because his nose is orange." Ha! We had walked a ways in the cold, and instead of turning red, Noah's nose turned orange! Too funny!

I cannot believe my baby is going to be a year old only two months from now. Time flies!

A Favorite Snack

Whenever we have a hankering for something sweet but don't have any real dessert at our house, Nathan and I make Nutella Banana Toast. Mmm.

Whatever you do, don't underestimate the power of Nutella.

I could go on about Nutella, but I will leave that to Emily, because she and Matthew go through more Nutella than can possibly be healthy.

Anyway, you'd be surprised at how good some fancy Nutella is on humble toasted wheat bread. And when you add some sliced banana, well I can only say "mmm" again.

Is this a favorite in anyone else's house?

Lauren's Ravioli Soup

I made a lovely soup last night that I thought I'd share with you. It all started because I had some frozen cheese ravioli, and I wanted to do something other than dump some tomato sauce on it and call it a night. So since I'm all into soups right now, I made a chicken soup with carrots, mushrooms, and white wine to compliment the ravioli. It came out very well! I always like the mushroom-thyme-white wine combination. Nathan enjoyed the soup a lot, which is notable for a meal with no actual meat in it. :) (Of course, you could also throw in some cooked chicken at the end, if you're so inclined.)


Lauren's Ravioli Soup

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 small or medium carrots, sliced
6 oz. mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 c. chopped spinach or kale
1/4 c. white wine
32 oz. chicken stock (one box)
8 oz. frozen cheese ravioli (tortellini would work, too)
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a stock pot over medium high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, and mushrooms and saute until somewhat tender, at least 5 minutes. Add the bay leaf, thyme, spinach/kale, and white wine, and simmer until the white wine has reduced by about half. Add the chicken stock and bring just to a boil. Add the frozen ravioli, reduce the heat, and simmer approximately 10 minutes until the ravioli and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Love One Another

I just have one more thing to say about politics.

I understand that today is the day after the election, and that half of us are disappointed and the other half are elated. It's just an emotional day.

BUT, brothers and sisters in Christ, just because someone is of a different political persuasion than you does not mean they are stupid, purely emotional, or lacking in morals.

I have friends and family on both sides, and, on top of that, I come from the conservative south and live in the liberal northeast. What that has taught me is that just as people on both sides can spout brainless rhetoric, people on both sides can have well-thought-out reasons for believing what that believe. And most of the Christians I know, both Republicans and Democrats, have come to their political conclusions based on Christian conviction.

So I humbly exhort us all to be kind and love one another for the sake of protecting our unity in Christ more than our solidarity with a particular political party.


Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:8

But God has combined the members of the body . . . so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.
1 Corinthians 12:24-25

Politics

I have a lot of thoughts about Election Day. But I'm going to spare you, because I imagine that, like me, you're a little sick of all the political talk. I also don't want this blog to be a place where anyone is uncomfortable, and since politics can be so polarizing, I'm going to stay hands-off for the most part.

But I did want to write something and acknowledge the huge event that happened yesterday. I'm praying that God continues to work in our country and in the hearts of those who run it.

Also, props to all of you who voted! Our voting experience was awesome--we went down to the local elementary school at about 11:00 so we could miss the early morning voters and the lunchtime voters. I took Noah's lunch, in case we were in line for a long time. But as it turned out, there was no line at all! We just walked straight up to a booth and cast our votes. Actually, the only other people there were old people. We don't know if we live near all old people or if it was just the old people time of day. In any case, it went really well!

How did your voting experience go? Leave a comment and let us know. Did you wait in line for hours? Did you experience picketers? Did you have an interesting conversation with someone?

What I Want for Christmas

What I want for Christmas is a couple of days to sleep until I wake up. Oh my. What heaven that would be.

November Arbonne Specials

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? Remember that Arbonne comes out with many special products just for this time of year, and I can help you get the best possible deal on them. Be sure to let me know if I can help! Here are this month's specials:
Holiday Candles for $12 With every $75 order increment, enjoy the option to purchase one of the following candles: Ginger Citrus, Awaken, Reactivate, or Unwind, a $30 value, for $12 each.
Save 20% on Berry Burst Weight Loss Chews This month only, get the Figure 8^® On the Go! Weight Loss Chews — Berry Burst, a $19.50 value, for $15.60.

Have a great November!

best,
Lauren
--
Lauren Benesh
Independent Consultant
Arbonne International
www.arbonne.com
laurenbenesh@gmail.com