Wordless Wednesday

Quick walk

 I took the girls for a walk today since I wanted to check out the neighborhood pool and park.  The park was perfect!  Not too far away and they had baby swings which is always a plus.  The pool is at the same location and looked AWESOME!!  There are two pools but even though the gate was open I didn't want to get in trouble by going in.  I'm hoping the second pool is a toddler pool though cause that would be really neat.  Now I'm looking forward to next summer so I can take the girls swimming and to play at the park.  They can't do any more than this right now:

Baking

Here at the Allen house we try to invite the kids into the kitchen to help with meals.  Justin has the older kids help out with dinner quite often.  It helps the meals get to the table faster and is a great learning experience for the kids.  

Personally I've always enjoyed baking with and for kids.  I can remember baking Chocolate Chip cookies with Logan, my first Nanny child, nearly 12 years ago!  

By the time my first child, Adam, came along I was a pro at Chocolate Chip cookies.  When I ask Adam what he wants he usually chooses Oatmeal Raisin cookies.  My standby recipe is the same one you find on the lid of the circular Quaker Oats container.  Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.  I am using an old version though I guess since mine calls for 2 sticks of butter and 1 cup of brown sugar.    These are probably the hardest thing for me to bake.  It took me many years to learn that I need to take them out of the oven when they are still gooey or they will be crunchy instead of soft and chewy.  I'm not a fan of raisins so once in a while I will substitute chocolate chips instead.

Justin's favorite recipe is Lemon Bars.  We use this recipe from our favorite Betty Crocker's New Cookbook.  Adam actually made these a couple weekends ago since he needed to make a dessert for Cub Scouts.  I don't know what the kid did wrong but they were only about a 1/2 inch or less tall and were not at all tasty.

Noelle prefers Chocolate Chip cookies.  I don't have a favorite recipe.  I just use the one on the back of the bag and since I buy generic that has been the Target one lately.  I usually bake most of the batch regular and then add in some coconut to the last bit of dough.  Yummy!

My favorite dessert is Apple Crisp, which also happens to be in the Betty Crocker's New Cookbook (circa 1996, LOL!)  I omit the nutmeg.  I HATE nutmeg, in anything.  Blech!

(Maybe I should contact Betty Crocker for an endorsement deal?!)

What baked goods do you and your family enjoy making/eating?

This post is inspired by Sarah McCoy's The Baker's Daughter. In a small Texan town, Reba discovers Elsie's German Bakery and falls in love with more than the pastries. She's drawn to Elsie's life in Germany during the last year of WWII. Join From Left to Write on August 29 as we discuss The Baker's Daughter. As a member, I received a copy of the book for review purposes.

A First

A couple weekends ago we switched Lily from the Playtex Nurser to the new Avent Natural.  She LOVES it!  It has a really neat nipple and the bottle is pink.  LOL!  Now we don't have to stop to add more to the bottle halfway though a feeding.  4 ounce bottles only take you so far.

Neither of my other children were ever willing to hold their own bottle.

Another first...she was my only child to nurse.  

She's all done with that now though, thus the bottle change.  She was to the point where she wanted the cuddles and closeness of nursing but wasn't putting any effort forth to actually get any milk from it.  Since I work FT I had to decide to be done.  I don't think she really cared since I still hold her close and cuddle during her bottle feeds, it just takes less than 10 minutes instead of the 30-45 she was taking before.

I do miss nursing her.  I even feel a little guilty for stopping since she came down with her first cold within about one week of stopping.  Such is life though and it was going to happen at some point.

Next up:  Her own room!!

In the blink of an eye

As I was driving home from work last night I noticed a man driving a motorcycle.  I thought to myself how he was doing everything right.  Helmet, jacket with reflective tape, long pants, closed toe shoes.  I also noted that he was wearing a backpack which had a large piece of orange fabric pinned to it since the backpack was covering the reflectors on his jacket.  I LOVE when I see motorcyclists doing everything right.  I've even drilled safety into my kids to such an extent that they point out when they see someone on a bike NOT wearing a helmet.  Anyway, we stopped at an intersection and after our light turned green and we passed through it I had to SLAM my breaks on hard.  I couldn't figure out why people were stopped...until the big suburban in front of me pulled to the side a little.  The first thing I saw was a motorcycle under a little white car.  Completely totaled.  The man was thrown about 50ish feet forward from where he was hit.  Having been First Aid and CPR certified for over 10 years I felt a duty to stop and, if nothing else, make sure there was someone present trained to help.  I quickly pulled into a parking lot and grabbed the baby and make my way to the scene.  I asked a couple questions and made sure there were no other dangers.  Fortunately everyone who stopped was smart enough NOT to try moving him even though he was conscious.  It appeared the person driving the white car was already on the line with 911 and I told him our location since he didn't know.  Since the man was able to talk another person was calling his emergency contact.  A few minutes later another woman walked up and said she was a first responder.  At this point I decided it was best to let her take over and to get Lily home.  The police responded within about 3 minutes and I could hear the firetruck and ambulance close behind.

I truly believe that all of the motorcycle drivers safety precautions saved his life.  He did everything right and had the right of way on the road.  The white car was making a left turn out of a shopping center and either didn't see him or thought he could be faster.  It's hard to say if the motorcycle hit the car or if the car hit the motorcycle.  Regardless, I can't imagine what went through the motorcyclist's head as he realized what was happening.

As I walked back up to the van a lady asked what happened.  I teared up as I explained the situation.  A also held Lily tight to me.  Life is so short and we don't always have any control over what happens.

Hold your loved ones a little tighter and tell them you love them every day.  I guarantee you will never look back and wish you hadn't.

My Sunshine

You are my sunshine

My only (littlest) sunshine

You make me happy 

When clouds are grey

You'll never know dear

How much I love you

Please don't take 

My sunshine 

Away

Please don't take

My Sunshine

Away

I love her so much.

Yummy book!

Lily is 6 months

Another month gone already.  I say this every month and I mean it every month...my baby needs to stop growing!!

She had her 6 month appointment with the Pediatrician and she weighed 13 lbs 7.2 oz (7.8%), was 25.79 inches tall, and comes in at the 21.93% for head circumference.  She's still a peanut!

What Lily is doing now:

Rolling all over

Sitting up!

Sleeping on her belly

Eating just a little bit of sweet potatoes - we stopped for 1 1/2 weeks and are just starting up again

NOT eating peas anymore - they made her very gassy!

Nursing, but being supplemented afterwards at every feeding

Loves to play with Adam and Noelle

Daddy's girl - even though she only sees him an hour or so each day during the week

Is enthralled by watching us eat

She LOVES her puppy dog!  He is very patient and lets her tug on his ears and mouth.

Half a Year