Birthday Berry Crisp

In honor of my husband's 25th birthday, I created this special berry crisp. He is not a huge fan of cake and I am not that great of a cake baker, so it works out well for me! This dish also got me one step closer to using up the remaining oatmeal in my apartment as we are preparing for a grain free experiment during the month of July.

Birthday Berry Crisp

1 c. organic rolled oats

1/4 c. melted coconut oil

1/3 c. organic sucanat

1/4 c. coconut milk

1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 c. organic berries (I used strawberries, but raspberries, blueberries etc. would work too!)

1 tbs. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Mix the first six ingredients together in a small bowl, cover and allow to soak for 12-24 hours. After the soaking period, mix berries and lemon juice together in small baking dish (I used an 8 x 8 in.). Pour/spread the soaked crumb topping over the berries. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy as is or with homemade ice cream!

Julian: 12 months

Our baby is officially one year old! I join with the chorus of every mom when I say that I can't believe how fast it went. I find myself often just staring at him in awe, so amazed and grateful that the Lord has given him to us to raise.

We had his party the week before his actual birthday so could spend the real day as a family. We had a lazy morning full of coconut flour pancakes (special so the birthday boy could have them!) and bacon. We went to the park and had a picnic for lunch. Our good friend Kelsey took some adorable photos for us to commemorate his first year. We finished the fun day by going to One World for dinner where Julian had hummus for the very first time (he loved it!).

He has popped one more tooth since turning one, rounding the tooth count to five now. He is working on two other ones, but they have yet to surface. He is enjoying all sorts of food now...scrambled eggs, ahi tuna, raisins and cheese, to name a few. He is still nursing wonderfully and sleeping not so wonderfully, but he will get that part eventually :) We are loving the beautiful weather we have been having and are taking full advantage of it by folding the laundry outside, eating lunch under the shade of the trees next to our apartment and going on lots of walks at the nature center by our apartment.

Weight: 18 lbs. 13 oz.

Length: 29 in.

Head circumference: 47 cm.

Julian turned UNO!

Although Julian's real birthday is May 5th, we celebrated with family this weekend. The theme for his party was UNO, the card game of yesteryear, and I had so much fun incorporating it in all the details.

The Invitations (Design: Randie Kocher ; Photo: Kelsey Sliger)

My good friend Kelsey took some adorable photos of Julian playing with UNO cards and my husband's cousin Randie came up with the awesome design. I fear I set a precedent with these invites and will have a hard time topping them in the years to come!

The Decorations (Dollar Tree and Party City)

I borrowed the color scheme from the UNO cards, so everything was black, red, yellow, blue and green. We had yellow and red plates, blue and green cups, yellow and green forks, red and blue napkins and black tablecloths. Each table had a bunch of balloons in the same colors. We scattered UNO cards throughout the house as further decoration. I also used mini UNO cards that we found at Party City as the cupcake toppers. My favorite part was the banner that my husband put together using the photos that Kelsey took of Julian playing with UNO cards and some vintage UNO cards from his mom.

The Memories (Book Design: Grace Lawler ; Materials: Scrapadoodle)

I borrowed this idea from my friend Kelsey, as well (...do you see a theme here? Kelsey has great ideas!) She made a small scrapbook that she gave me at the baby shower she hosted for friends and family to write notes to Julian in before he was born. I LOVED that idea, so I had my crafty sister make a similar one for Julian's first birthday since he won't be able to remember anything about it on his own.

The Food (Hyvee and homemade)

I served chips with homemade salsa, broccoli and cauliflower with homemade ranch dip, fruit and organic whole wheat chocolate cupcakes with sucanat buttercream frosting. My mom and I attempted to arrange the fruit to look like a UNO wild card.

The Outfit (Amazon and Jo-Ann Fabric)

I got the idea for Julian's party outfit from my good friend Kelsey. She introduced me to freezer stenciling at the baby shower she hosted for me a little over a year ago. Since I am really not crafty at all, she came over and helped me make the stencil on Thursday afternoon. Thanks, Kelsey!

 

 The Cake (Homemade)

 I made Julian a small cake version of the same cupcakes I made for the party. I used pineapple to make it look like a yellow UNO card. I don't claim to be a fantastic (or even mediocre!) cake decorator, but it was as healthy as sweets can be, which was the goal. He was not too interested in his cake, but we got some good photos of him playing with it!

 
The Family

We are so grateful the Lord saw fit to bless us with a healthy baby boy almost one year ago. We look forward to seeing how the Lord uses Julian to further His kingdom in the years to come!

Happy Birthday, Faith!

We celebrated my 23rd birthday on Saturday with my parents. My mom made homemade pizza and my sister made a delicious cake. They gave me a handmade necklace that matches the jewelry I wore on our wedding day. It was a great day!

Kerry, Julian and I with the cake Grace made for me

We celebrated as a family on Sunday, my actual birthday, by taking a family walk and playing a game in the afternoon. Kerry took me to Flat Top for dinner and we got dessert at Sweet CeCe's. It was a great way to spend my 23rd birthday!

Julian and I on our family walk