Smiles and Piggy Tails

I have been feeling so sick lately with the beginning of this pregnancy. I clothed, fed, and kept my kids safe but I couldn't manage much else. I also missed documenting how fast Collins is growing up. Now that I am feeling better, and in my second trimester, I got my camera out and starting taking some pictures of my cute kids. 

Collins' new smile

Finally learned how to put piggy tails in Collins' hair. She is so cute and her cheeks are so yummy to kiss. I could take pictures of her everyday. 

 And Crew asked that I take his Sunday best (well kind of--he did get a bloody nose and bleed on his shirt) picture too. Love him. 

July 4th and 24th

4th of July

We started renting a blow-up water slide on the 3rd of July to celebrate with the family. The cousins love it--except for Crew. His first time down he wasn't so sure. 

The second time was better.

 I think Adam and Crew are making the same face in this picture. 

 After the Freedom Festival Parade in Provo on the 4th we came home, took naps (wahoo!) and then cooked up a BBQ and lit some sparklers. 

24th of July Pioneer Parade

Our neighborhood puts together a fun morning on Pioneer Day.  

My firecracker!

Collins 7 months

 on July 3rd Collins reached 7 months old. 

At her 6 month appointments her stats were:

Weight: 17.35 lbs = 72%

Height: 26.5" = 74%

Head Cir: 16.5" = 40%

--She is my chunky baby that I love to hold and kiss her cheeks all.day.long. 

--About 6 1/2 months she started teething and has her first tooth. 

--She likes to click her tongue on her lips and likes it even more when I make a loud smacking sound with my lips

--She moves her tongue across her teeth all day long and sucks/chews on her binky or fingers all the time

--She can sit up on her own

--She can scoot around while sitting up by bouncing up and down--and it allows her to be a little mobile

--She would rather sit up than roll or lay down. When she falls from a sitting position to laying on the ground she gets frustrated.

--She is happy to play with just about any toy and usually is playing with Crew's cars or some piece of my jewelry

--She has tried most baby food vegetables and just barley tried pears for the first time. 

--In almost every bottle she gets a good 2-3 tbls of prune juice (still a little constipated)

--Is finally catching on the eating from a spoon

--At almost exactly 7 months her clogged tear duct became clear, HALLELUJAH! 

--Still takes three naps pretty regularly

--Loves playing peek-a-boo

Marinade

I bought some tri-tip steaks at Costco the other day. They were calling Adam's name and we are in full force of summer grilling. I have tried a couple different rubs and marinades and I have created the BEST marinade for any steak--but it was especially good on the tri-tip. 

Steak Marinade

3-4 tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning

1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon season salt
3 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:
Tenderize meat with a meat tenderizer, (if you have one). Shake the Montreal Steak Seasoning onto the front and back of the steaks so that the meat is covered to your liking. Mix the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and stir with a whisk. Then place the steaks in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade in the bag. Seal it and let the meat marinade for about 4 hours or overnight. About 1 or 2 hours before grilling take the steaks out of the fridge and let them warm to room temperature (this helps in the caramelizing of the juices and cooking of the meat). Cook the steaks on a pre-heated grill to your liking.
Yield: about 4 steaks or half the flat of tri-tip at costco.

I love this marinade so much I ended up eating to steaks because I kept wanting to taste the flavor of the meat even though I was so full.

Sorry I don't have a picture, we ate it before I thought about it.