I think if I ever had to pick a favorite cookie it would most definitely be oatmeal. Not sure why exactly, though perhaps it's because they always taste a bit meatier than most cookies but at the same time "feel" healthy (I don't know how many oatmeal cookies are actually healthy but I'm fine with just pretending they are). In fact I've already shared an oatmeal cookie recipe with you before here! But this one is vegan and surprisingly better than the old one! But still quite simple and quick! I originally found the recipe here but I changed it a bit since I thought it would taste better with nuts and mini chocolate chips instead of chunks and I'm not a fan of salty and sweet so I omitted that part as well.

• 1/3 c creamy natural peanut butter

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 3/4 c of vegan sugar

• 1/3 c almond milk

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 c all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1 c rolled oats

• 1/3 c chopped nuts of choice (I used walnuts)

• 1/2 c mini dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, oil, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Now, add the dry ingredients slowly into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Add in the oatmeal, chocolate chips and nuts to the dough and stir until just combined. Be sure to not overmix it! Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop cookies, so they are spaced about one inch apart. 

Bake at 425 F for about 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just barely golden brown. The top should not be brown and they will still be a bit pillowy. They might look like they need a few more minutes, but once removed they will set.  

Remove from the oven and allow them to rest a couple minutes on the baking sheet before placing on a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining dough. 

hat - a&f, coat - j.crew, boots - madewell, skirt & sweater - j.crew, tights - target

I suppose you could say this is a very "christmassy" outfit. But it's january so let's call it a "winter" outfit shall we? I think it's only right since odds our that we won't get our first big snow until next month. Also I just need any excuse to keep wearing this sweater I got for christmas. Papa bear is well aware of my affinity for festive/fair isle/reindeer sweaters and this one totally fit the bill! 

...

Also, you may have noticed that things look a bit different around here. I figured with it being a new year and all that I might as well refresh this space a bit! I worked with the lovely Hannah of Pommel Lane on the header and purchased the blog design from 17th Avenue. I'm so happy with how clean and bright everything looks now and I hope you'll love it too! Here's to 2015 being fresh and bright!!

I decided to jump in on the "weekly portrait of my children" project this year. They change so much practically every day but sometimes when you're in it every day it's hard to notice. I like that this project will make me capture these changes in them on a weekly basis. It will be so fun to look over these one day and see what they were up to. 

birdie: we're finally making some progress when it comes to eating meals with her. it turns out she hated her booster seat and does much better in her good old high chair. also music helps! 

teddy: he had a reflux flareup last week and his gi doctor upped his medication. in just a few days he was back to his smiling sweet self and we all couldn't be happier!

I took these photos of him when he was four weeks old

As Teddy's newborn stage draws to a close I wanted to put my thoughts about it down on "paper." I wanted to write it all down because having a newborn again has been so different and not for the reasons you would think. Though I do know better now than to run to the pediatrician at the first sign of a runny nose or his temperature being one degree above normal. And we did decide on a brand of diapers that we think is best and body wash, and diaper rash cream and towels and bottles... But that's not really why it's so different. It's different because I know, deep down in my bones, just how quickly this will all be over.

I know how quickly his newborn coos and squeals will be replaced with his first words. How quickly he will go from spindly to chunky. And how quickly he will go from fitting in the crook of my arm so perfectly to being half my size. And I desperately want to stop all of these milestones from coming in the same breath that I look forward to seeing him reach them. Such is the paradox that we are forever stuck in as parents. But since I know time will not wait until I've had enough newborn goodness I try to linger in it as much as possible. 

Whereas with Birdie I took the good advice about not training her to sleep in my arms I simply don't care with him, I let him sleep in my arms all the time. By this time we had Birdie sleeping in her crib in her own room and yet he ends up in our bed almost every night. And I don't care. I love waking up to his cheeky smile. I nursed Birdie on a schedule and yet I let him eat on demand instead. Sure all these things come with some negative consequences, lack of sleep and autonomy being two of them, but I know that all of these habits of his will be over in an instant and replaced with something else and I know that the moment that happens I will wish I enjoyed it more. 

This past weekend Birdie went down for her afternoon nap, papa bear was doing some work and Teddy had just nursed and was ready for a nap. Instinctually I thought of all the things I could do now that they were both asleep - clean, organize, work, etc... And then I looked down at him in my arms, his tiny little bottom lip quivering and his hands in fists rising up and down on his chest and I stopped. I decided to be utterly unproductive, to leave the kitchen a mess and allow the bills on my desk to sit there a moment longer while I linger where I am with this babe of mine. Naturally we fell asleep together and it was the best nap I've had in a long time. And somehow when I woke up the fact that the house was still dirty didn't bother me one bit.