Camp Crawford

9 months old.

2012-01-28T16:45:00.001-05:00

Oh Ellie. You are getting to be such a big girl!! At night Daddy sometimes says, "I love you so much, and I'll love you even more tomorrow!" Somehow it doesn't seem possible, but every day we do.

In your 9th month of life you accomplished many things. You........

-grew a 5th tooth! A 6th one is peeking out now as well.

-learned how to sit back on your bottom from lying on your tummy. Now when I come to get you after a nap, you are usually sitting up smiling and waiting for me.

-started pulling up to standing. First in your crib, then in the tub one night, then anywhere your little starfish hands could reach!

-became a real crawler.

-started having baths in the tub instead of the kitchen sink.

-started to reach for the pages of your Touch and Feel books on your own (favs: That's not My Bunny, If I were a Giraffe, and Usborne Touchy-feely Penguins)
-favorite toys: blocks - but this time knocking over towers, the plastic popper from our neighbors Bob + Julie, your new stacking cups, toy soldier rattle, and anything that crackles.
-emerging skills include waving bye-bye and giving kisses.

-at the very end of the month, on 1/24/12, you were diagnosed with your first ear infection, and began your first-ever course of antibiotics :(
- and the big one - bigger even than pulling up and crawling - you look at daddy every morning and say, "Da-Da"!!!!!

Pinning Away

2012-01-23T20:20:00.001-05:00

Like most people I know, I have been trying to make some of the things I pin on Pinterest. I saw that Audrey had pinned this gorgeous scarf sometime this fall.

Not wanting her to know I was being sneaky, I didn't pin it on any of my boards, but followed the link to the pattern and got a-knitting. I couldn't start it until I was finished with Ellie's stocking, so on Christmas Day she opened a two-thirds finished scarf still on the needles, but she didn't mind! I finally finished it last week and gave it to her this weekend.

My friends and I made these ornaments with our daughters on Dec 22nd. I have no idea how the Pinterest one looks so good - after we all tried with our under-one-year-old babies we figured it must be fake. Oh well - it's the sentiment that counts!

Ellie is not a baby that wears many headbands. I don't particularly care for the giant, larger-than-the-child's-noggin bows that some moms put on their babies. But these little flowers are too cute!! They make lovely adult headbands as well. Audrey and I like ours more than Ellie likes hers.

This weekend I started on this knitted herringbone cowl. It's VERY long and I got bored after I cast on 165 of the 220 stitches, so mine will not be as long as the one pictured, but it will still work. I also started with some random yarn I had lying around, but I don't have the heart to take apart what I've done thus far, so, if I ever finish it, it will be cheap acrylic aqua yarn, not the deliciously soft ecru alpaca the pattern uses.

Now for the big finish! Audrey loaned me one of her sewing machines so that I might have an easier time making little dresses, etc for Ellie. Can you believe this is her spare machine?!? (Aud has some wicked sewing/quilting skills.)

The one I had been using belonged to my Grams and, judging from the user manual, was purchased circa 1971.

Once I had the bobbin correctly threaded (which took MUCH longer than it should have), the whole dress only took about thirty minutes to make! Then I quickly made some fabric-covered buttons and learned how to make button holes. Here's the finished dress - I hope it doesn't look too 'home sewn'!

The best part about this particular project for me was the vivid memories it brought back of my mom. She sewed all of my Easter dresses until I was ten or so, and even made me a dress for Winter Formal one year in high school. The sound of fabric shears, the humming of the machine - I could see her sitting at her little sewing table making pillows or curtains or a table runner for the dining room - and thought of how happy she would be that I am trying to do the same for Ellie.

What's up next? I might try sewing this travel chair or making these penguins.

all non-personal images via Pinterest

Photo of the Day

2012-01-16T17:27:00.003-05:00

Helping mom with the laundry, rockin' a new pair of jeggings.

8 months

2012-01-11T09:30:00.002-05:00

Ellie turned eight months old on Christmas Day. Despite all the other things going on around the house, I actually remembered to take her monthly picture!

Keeping her in the chair long enough to take a few pictures has become quite a chore, so I'm really glad Pete was able to be in the room with me or these might not have happened. I really think Ellie's going to be one of those girls who wants to go skydiving on her 18th birthday - she loves to try to jump/roll/dive off the edge of any raised thing.

Month 8 was HUGE development-wise! Every day we are amazed at the things this girl is doing, she makes every day things funny and enjoyable. Ellie can get pretty much anywhere she wants by crawling now. After Thanksgiving, when we arrived home from Pennsylvania we let Ellie stay up a little later than usual because she'd been in her car seat for ten-and-a-half hours. I was sitting on the basement floor and got her to scoot towards me, but it was pretty slow. By the end of the week she had made serious progress with her speed and coordination. Her tummy is still on the floor, so it is more of an army crawl, but she can move pretty fast when she wants to - as you can see here:

We could see her upper two front teeth for a few weeks before they broke through her gums - but they did just at the end of the month, on Christmas Eve day: two big, chicklet-sized incisors.

Last month Ellie started making this fantastic, nose-wrinkling, giant grin. We love it when she is happy enough to give it to us - I was happy that she showed it to Carl and Estelle when they were visiting. Ellie's favorite toy this month was her big box of blocks. She loves to dump them out and pound on the empty box, or bang two blocks together.

Ellie's babbling has gone from canonical /bæbæbæ/ or /dædædæ/ to variegated /deɪdægəgə/. She wakes up from naps and starts babbling instead of crying and is still a chatterbox in the morning when she wakes. She is generally a very happy, very content baby and she makes every day brighter!

A Sad but Necessary Thing

2012-01-10T14:15:00.002-05:00

On October 6, 2005 we adopted our black lab Hannah from the Kentucky Lab Rescue. On January 7, 2012, we surrendered her to their care again as she is no longer allowed to live with us. It was one of the hardest things Pete and I have ever done, but it was the adult thing to do, and we are confident in our decision.

Remember the three antibiotics Pete was on around Christmas? How I said they were not for his throat? They were for a dog bite. From Hannah.

Christmas Eve day, about 10 minutes before Audrey and Andrew were to arrive for the evening, some friends of our dropped by to wish us a Merry Christmas. (Hannah has always had very bad behavior at the door. When she would see the UPS truck drive down the street - even if it didn't stop at our house - she would race to the door and bark like crazy. We put a basket on our front door for the mail because she would snatch the mail out of the delivery person's hand as it was placed through our slot. Our work with Barkbusters was not helpful in this regard - Hannah was really good at ignoring commands.) So our friends dropped by and knocked at the door and Hannah went berserk jumping and barking. I was in the kitchen and Pete was in the basement. Thankfully, Ellie was upstairs napping. Pete ran upstairs to herd Hannah into the basement. He tried to grab her collar and suddenly I hear the most horrible scream ever and there's blood on the floor and Pete has grabbed his arm and is headed for the dining room to sit down.

I got the dogs in the basement and let our friends inside. It only took one look at Pete's wrist to know that he needed stitches. So I got out our gauze and medical tape, wrapped him up, and our friends took Pete to the ER while I stayed home with Ellie and waited for Audrey and Andrew to arrive.

Three hours later Pete arrives home with two stitches in his wrist and directions to clean and change the wound twice daily, and take a giant horse-pill sized antibiotic twice daily. He also was instructed not to do any heaving lifting, including Ellie, and not to get it wet - so he couldn't help with Ellie's baths - for 10 days. Luckily, the bite missed an artery and tendons. (Those of you with keen eyes might have noticed his bandaged arm in some of our holiday pictures.) He also tells us that the Health Department is going to visit our house to check Hannah, a standard procedure following all dog bites.

Thus began our Christmas weekend. Monday after Christmas we got a notice from the Health Department saying that Hannah was quarantined for a week. After the week we had to show them proof of her rabies vaccine and we were free to do with her as we pleased. Tuesday after Christmas Pete went back to work and was in Louisville seeing some accounts when he decided that his arm looked red and swollen enough that he should call the doctor. Monday night I had marked him with a red pen so we could see if the redness was moving up his arm. Good thing he went to the doctor - he had cellulitis, got a shot of a different antibiotic (in the bum!), and a prescription for a third antibiotic to be taken for two more weeks. The doctor put a second, different colored pen line on his arm at his appointment so we could track the redness once Pete had started this second course of medications.

Luckily, the new antibiotics seemed to do the trick - the redness and swelling were dramatically reduced. I don't think either of us realized how swollen it was until it returned to its original state.

Now Hannah. We knew before Pete even left for the ER that we would have to get rid of her. We cannot have a dog that bites in our house. It is as simple as that. Ellie is more mobile by the day and the chance of her getting bitten or one of us getting bitten again, in a more severe way, is too great. Once we had the all clear from the Health Department we called the Kentucky Lab Rescue to set up a time to drop off Hannah. The woman told us Saturday at 9:00AM. Pete spent a good amount of time on the phone with her, telling her Hannah's history and assuring her that she would be a good pet for an adult-only household. We asked if we could bring her things with us so that she wouldn't be too scared - her bed, collar, food bowl, etc. - and the woman thought that was a great idea. By the end of the phone call Pete and I were both in tears. Hannah did a bad thing but she is not a bad dog. Unfortunately, biting is a non-negotiable issue for us.

Saturday morning Pete and I were somber as we loaded up in the car. I brought a box tissues with us. Hannah loves a good car ride - especially when she gets to sit in the front seat - so she was as happy as could be. Once she had her fill of her head hanging out the window, she curled up in a tight ball on the seat. Our Hannah Pooch. When we arrived I had a mini-breakdown. All these gorgeous dogs - yellow and black labs, retrievers, mutts - I'm the one who wants to adopt ALL the dogs, not give one back!! Hannah was excited to see all the other dogs and eager to play with them. I think she thought we were at the dog park. Michelle, the woman we spoke to on the phone, arrived shortly after us and was as nice and understanding as she could be. She took Hannah's records, and information we had typed out about her, along with her other things, and put them inside. She then suggested that she take Hannah for a walk up the street to their new 1-acre play area so she wouldn't see us driving away. I think the walk was more for us than Han, but we agreed and they set off on a walk. We got back in the car, cried a little more, and drove home.

It has been very quiet in our house these past three days. Not seeing Hannah's face at the bottom of the stairs when I come down in the morning will take some getting used to, but we made the right decision. We know we did.

My Missoni Babe

2012-01-05T09:26:00.000-05:00

It is finally cold enough for Ellie to wear her Missoni for Target unionsuit. LOVE IT!!!

Christmas 2011 - a week we won't soon forget.

2012-01-04T16:34:00.002-05:00

I had written one giant blog with tons of pictures and too many words when I decided I should edit them down a bit, and separate it into three blogs. So here you go!

So Many Visitors!

Lessons and Carols

Christmas Day

So many visitors!

2012-01-04T16:33:00.001-05:00

Ellie was lucky enough to have her Grandpa Crawford and Estelle visit the 19th through the 22nd.

Pete worked really hard and late the week before they arrived so that he could spend most of the afternoons home with us.

Ellie got to make gingerbread cookies for the first time - an annual tradition for me and Pete!

We opened presents under the tree with them Wednesday afternoon.

Thursday after Carl and Estelle left, I hosted a cookie exchange. However, in all the excitement, I failed to take a single picture. Suffice it to say that we had a great time! There were five mommies and five baby girls all together and we finished off the afternoon by making hand print ornaments we had seen on Pinterest. Then it was time for all the darling babies to whisked off to their homes for their afternoon naps.

Pete got home from Dayton Thursday evening and mentioned that he had a scratchy throat (note the foreshadowing).

Friday Matt and Jen came by while they were in town/on their way to Jen's parents. Again, we opened presents under the tree. By 'we' I, of course, mean Ellie.

Then we all went to an early dinner at Pazzo's, where Ellie tasted her first-ever cheesy bread!

It was love at first bite! (why yes, that is a cutie nutcracker-bapron)

Lessons and Carols

2012-01-04T16:32:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve day was spent baking, cooking, and prepping for Audrey and Andrew to arrive for the night. We noshed on heavy hors d'oeuvre before going to the lessons and carols service at our church.

The service didn't start until 7:30pm, which is already half-an-hour past Ellie's bedtime, but she did pretty well. Pete only had to walk to the back of the sanctuary with her once, but never had to leave. I sang in the choir and was a little sad not to be sitting with my family on Ellie's first Christmas, but had a very small solo in one of our anthems - What is this Lovely Fragrance - and I thought Ellie (and Pete and Audrey and Andrew) would like the surprise of seeing my name in the bulletin.

Singing all the carols and anthems I've sung all my life took on an entirely different meaning this year because it was my first time to know what it is like to look down on my own sleeping babe and feel that life is perfect. I got a little teary-eyed when the women of the choir sang Still, Still, Still. The second verse of "sleep, sleep, sleep, he lies in slumber deep...." gets me every time! If you're not familiar with this lovely German carol, here's a link to the Vienna Boys Choir singing it on You Tube: http://youtu.be/SC1GfEXjaBU

At the end of the service, once the Christ candle had been passed to light all the little hand held candles in the sanctuary we sang Silent Night (pretty standard fare for any lessons and carols service). Thank goodness this was a congregational hymn that we sang while seated (so I was hidden in the choir loft). By the time we got to the third verse with the "loves pure light" part I was crying the big, ugly tears. The combination of being a mother, but no longer having my mother, and having Audrey and Andrew with us, but being far away from my brothers, and Pete not feeling well was just too much for me! I was happy and sad and completely overwhelmed. Then before I knew it it was time to stand up and sing Joy to the World and blow out the candles and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I was so anxious to get out of that choir loft and squeeze my little girl. She really is the only present we needed.

Christmas Day

2012-01-04T16:31:00.000-05:00

Christmas morning came and we opened stockings and a few presents before it was time for Ellie to go down for her morning nap.

Ellie's favorite thing from her stocking was the grapefruit in the toe.

She liked it so much that we gave her ours as well.

While Ellie napped we ate breakfast and opened a few more presents. Audrey and Andrew waited for Ellie to wake up from her nap, but then it was time to say good bye.

As soon as they walked out the door, Pete sort-of crumpled. We all knew he wasn't feeling well but he had been putting on a good face for company.

Pete went upstairs to lay down and slept most of the afternoon - Ellie took two more naps and so did he. It was after 6:00PM by the time Pete and Ellie were awake at the same time. So we opened a present or two and decided that the rest of the presents could be opened the next day.

On the second day of Christmas Pete was perking up a little but still had a fever. Ellie was anxious for him to feel better.

We opened a few more presents and decided the rest could be saved until her birthday in April. It isn't like she knows she didn't open everything under the tree.

So that was our first Christmas with Ellie! Definitely not what we had planned, but we had some fun moments. Pete has now been on three different antibiotics (not for his throat but that's another story entirely) and was fever free by January 2nd. I think he had strep throat. In case you need evidence of how poorly he felt, he didn't run for 12 days in a row! That's the longest he has gone without a run since we've been married!! Even when he 'took a break' from running in 2008 to cycle, he still ran twice a week. If I ran twice a week I would be 'taking up' running.....

Our goose is thawing in the fridge so hopefully I'll make Christmas Dinner before the end of the week. Thank goodness there are 12 Days of Christmas or we never would have fit everything in this year. Perhaps we will have an Epiphany Goose!

The Bapron

2012-01-02T21:11:00.006-05:00

A big thanks to Tammy for sharing the pattern for this bib/apron on Pinterest! It is a great solution for kiddos who take off their velcro-backed bibs or for whom many bibs are too short. Here is Ellie in one I finished today.

she doesn't normally wear a bib while playing on the floor, I was just having her model it for pictures

Here's the link to the free pattern/tutorial. If I made my own bias tape I could have had coordinating patterned trim, but my attempt at making bias tape was short lived. It took way too long and didn't have a consistent width to it.

One of these things is not like the other.....

Fiona! You're not a jungle animal!

You tell her Ellie!

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

We got up first thing this morning and took a family picture. We forgot to take one Christmas morning, so we just wore our jammies again!!

Then we made cinnamon rolls - Ellie wasn't too happy that we would not share with her.

Not to fear, she perked up after breakfast.

Last night after the Cats beat the Cards we had dinner over at Josh and Bari's. That was the extent of our New Year's partying.

Our celebrating might not have been grand but Pete was still running a low grade fever so we thought it would be best to keep things low key. However, our farewell to 2011 shouldn't reflect on our feelings about the year. As Pete put it, the most perfect little girl we've ever seen entered our lives in 2011, so it was pretty unforgettable!!

Julie! Joanne!

2012-01-01T21:44:00.003-05:00

I've got a book for you! I'm only 35 pages in but I know you both will LOVE IT. Perhaps, being better read than I, you have already read it and this will only serve as an internet-at-large recommendation.

Pete heard a review and/or excerpts on NPR one afternoon and got it for me for Christmas - here's the Amazon product description:

When Jennifer Reese lost her job, she was overcome by an impulse common among the recently unemployed: to economize by doing for herself what she had previously paid for. She had never before considered making her own peanut butter and pita bread, let alone curing her own prosciutto or raising turkeys. And though it sounded logical that “doing it yourself” would cost less, she had her doubts. So Reese began a series of kitchen-related experiments, taking into account the competing demands of everyday contemporary American family life as she answers some timely questions: When is homemade better? Cheaper? Are backyard eggs a more ethical choice than store-bought? Will grinding and stuffing your own sausage ruin your week? Is it possible to make an edible maraschino cherry? Some of Reese’s discoveries will surprise you: Although you should make your hot dog buns, guacamole, and yogurt, you should probably buy your hamburger buns, potato chips, and rice pudding. Tired? Buy your mayonnaise. Inspired? Make it.

With its fresh voice and delightful humor, Make the Bread, Buy the Butter gives 120 recipes with eminently practical yet deliciously fun “Make or buy” recommendations. Reese is relentlessly entertaining as she relates her food and animal husbandry adventures, which amuse and perplex as well as nourish and sustain her family. Her tales include living with a backyard full of cheerful chickens, muttering ducks, and adorable baby goats; countertops laden with lacto-fermenting pickles; and closets full of mellowing cheeses. Here’s the full picture of what is involved in a truly homemade life—with the good news that you shouldn’t try to make everything yourself—and how to get the most out of your time in the kitchen.

Kentucky: 69, Louisville: 62

2011-12-31T14:49:00.002-05:00

GO CATS!!!

Happy Anniversary Rachael!!

2011-12-29T12:43:00.007-05:00

Today is Rachael and Sylvain's fifth wedding anniversary - Happy Day to them!!

before we were mommies - what would ellie, scarlett, and clover think?!?

Man was that one fun party. Don't even get me started on crazy French Uncle Eric.

When I was searching photo albums for old Big Dolly pictures I also came across some pictures of me and Rachael from our single, college days. (Also my pre-digital camera days, hence the photo albums.) I was trying to think of an excuse to post them - an anniversary seems like a pretty good one! So here are some shots from before either of us was a missus. Summer 2003? Not sure.... we went to Hazard, KY to sing at a friend's wedding.

Paws and Listen - Jamie, Me, Michelle, Rachael

The bride, Raye, was our student director.

We look so young - Look at our beautiful skin! Le sigh. Here's to memories and old friends!

She got all she wanted for Christmas.....

2011-12-28T09:50:00.001-05:00

...her TWO (top) FRONT TEETH!!!

The Story of Big Dolly

2011-12-26T22:15:00.000-05:00

Pete received his first Baby Dolly (B.D., pronounced 'beed' for short) Christmas of 1981, when he was a little over 16 months old.

As is often the case with a beloved animal/toy/puppet, Pete did not like to be without his BD so his mom had to acquire several so that one might be in the wash, or the car, or temporarily misplaced.

A few years after Pete began his love of toy soldier dollies a big toy store in Chicago (near where Pete grew up) was going out of business. So his mom drove into the city to get BIG Dolly for Pete for Christmas. But Big Dolly wouldn't fit in the trunk. Or the back seat. So Pete's mom had to drive home - down Michigan Ave - with Big Dolly next to her in the front passenger seat! Can you imagine the looks she got?!?!

I first met Big Dolly on November 25, 2004 when Pete and I went to his mom's house in Louisville for Thanksgiving.

Pete's mom brought Big Dolly to our house along with Pete's other childhood possessions in 2006 or 2007. In our first house we put him in the attic and there never really was a good place for him during Christmastime. In our current house Big Dolly lives in the unfinished side of the basement until it is time to decorate for the holidays. Our first two Christmases here he stayed in Pete's office. But this year, for Ellie's sake, I wanted him to be in the living room with the tree and other decorations. It took some major furniture moving to squeeze him in!

2007 - Celia Lane house

2010

2011

We're looking forward to many more Christmases with Big Dolly and Ellie!

2011-12-25T16:47:00.000-05:00

o holy night.

2011-12-24T18:00:00.000-05:00

Need someone to guide your sleigh?

2011-12-21T21:18:00.002-05:00

In the St. Nick of Time!

2011-12-16T21:09:00.000-05:00

I finished Ellie's stocking and hung it by the chimney with care. My brothers and I have matching stockings knit for us by our Aunt Susie. If we ever had other stockings, I have no memory of them - and have never seen any others in pictures. Here's hoping Ellie's stocking is as meaningful to her as mine is to me!!

Ellie found the tree...

2011-12-13T20:56:00.000-05:00

...and stole some ornaments!

She stakes out her next victim...and goes for it!Eh, maybe next time.The tree will live another day. I scooped her up before she pulled the whole thing down on herself. Also, I know the tree is crooked, I'm waiting for Pete to get home so we can straighten it.

2011 Christmas Tree Hunt

2011-12-11T22:21:00.001-05:00

We had a beautiful day in the Bluegrass for our seventh trip to Nieman Tree Farm.

Ellie has a very discerning eye when it comes to choosing a frasier fir and knows to smell one for its wonderful piney scent in addition to checking for brown needles.

We decided on this nice eight-footer. If it's not going to scratch the ceiling, it's too short!

We borrowed our neighbor's truck-a-sauras so we could have both a car seat and a tree in one vehicle.

We got home and strung the lights - Ellie liked the glow!

Tomorrow we'll hang the ornaments!

Meeting an Old Friend

2011-12-11T20:56:00.004-05:00

We're in full Christmas decorating mode at our house. So of course we had to make room for Big Dolly!! He comes out every year - since before Pete can remember - and we were excited to introduce him to Ellie.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of him but didn't seem to mind too much!

2011-12-09T20:25:00.004-05:00

We recently lowered Ellie's crib. She was doing the following to show us it was time:

Now what could possibly motivate Ellie to crawl across her crib?

Her daddy? Nope! It was her favorite play thing --

The nasal aspirator!!!

We took Ellie to see Santa today.

2011-12-07T19:32:00.004-05:00

It went fairly well! She didn't cry until the very end and I think that she cried more in response to the photographer who was jumping up and and down and shrieking like a dog than the Santa. Although she would have responded better to him if he had talked to her or smiled at her. Though being Santa and having a different germy child on your lap every five minutes, two thirds of which scream at the sight of you, can't be the most fun in the world. I guess it was pretty unrealistic of me to expect an experience the likes of Miracle on 34th Street in Lexington.

7 months old.

2011-12-06T20:21:00.000-05:00

It's getting more difficult to keep up with these monthly updates - month seven was a busy one for us and month eight doesn't seem to be slowing down!

It seems like Ellie had some of her biggest changes yet in month seven, the most visible of which is TWO TEETH!

I saw the first one on a Sunday evening in early November and eight days later Grandma and I spotted the 2nd one while eating breakfast on her porch!

She also started scooting backwards on her tummy and knees. She was sort-of doing it on the carpet one evening, so we moved her onto the hardwood, and she went all over the place!

Ellie traveled through four more states in her 7th month - FL, WV, MD and PA - bringing her total to 13 states - not too shabby!

She sat in a high chair for her meals (instead of just her Bumbo with tray) at Grandma's.

side note: Ellie is wearing the greatest bib ever in this pic - grandma had it at her house - it snaps behind the head AND around the arms - genius! It's Gerber so I figured I'd be able to find them on Amazon and get some - no such deal - I searched for bibs and smocks - so if you know where to get these, please leave a comment :)

Now that we're back home, she eats at the table from her hanging seat.

mmm, hummus

Ellie swam in a pool for the first time at Aunt Susie's Florida house.

I feel like I already touched on the rest of the Florida firsts - many different foods at Grandma's, including acorn squash and pineapple, new favorites. As you can probably tell from the pictures above, her hair is looking red again; but I swear in my house, which apparently lacks natural light, it looks brown. Either way is fine, it's just funny how it appears one color one day, and another color the next. Red heads are sneaky that way!!

Thankful for a good little traveler

2011-11-29T20:20:00.001-05:00

We were home from Florida for two short days before we loaded up in the car and headed to Pennsylvania to spend the holiday with my mom's family. It's normally about an eight-and-a-half hour drive to Reading, PA; but with Ellie dictating when we had to stop for eating and changing, it took every bit of ten hours. Luckily, every time we got her out of her car seat she was as happy as she could be - giggling and laughing and happy to be with us.

Thursday morning we headed out to Honey Brook for our 3rd annual Tel-Hai Camp Turkey Bowl 5K. Uncle Corky rode with us to the race and Uncle Richard met us there. I was looking forward to the race - it is always nice to 'earn' a big turkey dinner. Alas, Ellie's morning nap time fell about 30min before the race began, and I certainly was not going to wake a sleeping baby - especially when we had a big day ahead that would include her dining with 30-some other people. So I did not get to run the race - I sat in the car with Snoozy Boof.

Since I didn't participate, I was able to get some good snapshots of those who did.

Pete came in 12th out of 497 with a time of 18:45. Rich and Corky ran as well, finishing 105th and 107th, with times of 24:41 and 24:44, respectively.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty calm - I didn't take many pictures, we just hung around the house. Dinner was at 5pm - Ellie did really well in the high chair at Aunt Susie's and really seemed to enjoy her first taste of turkey. She LOVED her first taste of whipped cream, but I don't have any pictures as I was holding her while she ate dessert.

what's up turkey butt?

all dressed for dinner

nom nom nom - note Ellie's place card on the cabinet (thanks, Jade, for thinking of her!)

Thanksgiving dinner was our main event for the weekend. Other than that we didn't do anything terribly exciting. Went with Corky to get a new pair of running shoes and helped Aunt Susie and Uncle Joe clean up the woods around their property - there were two chainsaws, a chipper, and lots of folks (I think 12 in all?!?) sorting out the brush from the fire wood, stacking logs and cleaning up debris. New puppy Auggie even made an appearance!

Before we headed out of town we stopped in Tamaqua to have breakfast with Aunt Phyllis. Ellie was pretty excited to meet her great-great aunt!

Ellie's first Thanksgiving is in the books! Now on to Christmas!!

Our 2011 Florida Trip

2011-11-22T21:13:00.019-05:00

Florida is full of our relatives - so we took advantage and drove up and down I-75 to see them! Sunday evening before Pete had to be in Naples we had dinner with Carl and Estelle. Ellie was most excited to meet Flash the dog.

Ellie and I spent Sunday evening through Saturday night at my Grandma Prann's house. Ellie was cheerful each morning when she awoke at her house and enjoyed many of the things I have always enjoyed about her house: the abundant sunlight, hand-picked oranges and grapefruit, and the peaceful view of the lake.

Wednesday morning Grandma, Ellie, and I drove to Palm Harbor to see Umpah and Jan. Ellie hadn't met him yet and was on her best behavior for him as well. I think he was glad to meet the youngest of his great-grandchildren.

Friday morning Ellie and I picked up Pete from his meeting in Naples. Aunt Susie and Uncle Joe were at their house in Marco Island so we joined them for lunch.

Ellie was especially happy that Aunt Susie has an Ellie-sized rocker at her Florida house.

Back together, Pete and Ellie and I spent Saturday afternoon at St. Armand's circle in Sarasota. For those of you who don't know our history, our first date was in St. Armand's circle March of 2003, and in May of 2004 he proposed! Seven-and-a-half years later I couldn't wait to take Ellie to the spot where we promised to become Pete + Laura, Queep + Loo, Mr. + Mrs. If you had asked us then - or even a year later when we married - if we would ever become Mommy + Daddy I'm not certain what our responses would have been. I was emotional thinking about all of it!

5/26/04 - I was sitting on this bench chatting with Pete when he suddenly dropped to one knee! And now we have a BABY!

We tried to take a picture with the three of us - this is the result after propping the camera in a nearby tree. Oh well. At least our faces are in it.

Then, just like we did after getting engaged, we went to Kilwan's for some ice cream and fudge!

Since it was a very special occasion, we even let Ellie have a lick!! Key Lime Pie flavored - we think she liked it.

Sunday morning was back to Kentucky. It was a great trip, but we do love our home!

We're back!

2011-11-20T21:39:00.003-05:00

Ellie and I are back from spending the week in Florida at my Grandma's - Pete was in Florida as well, unfortunately it was at a sales meeting in Naples, not in Venice with us. I will try to share about our trip tomorrow or Tuesday, but to tide you over until then, here is a picture of my blue-eyed babe playing in Grandma's florida room :)

6 months.

2011-11-04T23:00:00.002-04:00

I can't believe our Baby Girl has been with us for half of a year. I feel like I love her more every day. I miss holding the tiny baby that was placed in my arms six months ago, but each day she does something new and amazing that I would not trade for the world.

Ellie's 6-month checkup was on Wednesday, she weighed 16 lbs, 9 oz (56th percentile) with a length of 27 inches (85th percentile). She had two immunizations, one of which was her flu shot. She's been pretty clingy and extra tired since then. I'm hoping she'll be able to sleep through the night tonight, last night she was up every three hours, which hasn't happened since she was about six weeks old. Poor girl, I just don't think she feels very well. I know my annual flu shot usually makes me feel puny for a day or two.

In the last month, Ellie's personality has really started to shine! She is a happy baby, babbling the most after her morning feeding or when she's on her changing table. That's right - she's now producing front consonant sounds!! The morning she first made a /b/ sound I almost squealed out loud, but I didn't want to startle her so I managed to hold it in. She has also made a /p/ and an /m/, though not as often. A few days after her /b/ production, she blew a raspberry, and was instantly hooked. She blows them all the time now and is so pleased with herself with each production! But if she is not happy - she let's us know it. Ellie will kick her legs and furrow her brow until the situation changes, whether it is placing a toy closer so that she can grab it or picking her up out of the Bumbo or off the floor.

Thankfully, her hair is growing in quite rapidly. She was born with red hair and then it all fell out when she was 3 to 4 weeks old. She looked like Lex Luthor for her 1-month pictures! Now she's nice and fuzzy, but it is looking more brown than red. That's okay, though - brown hair/blue eyes has served me pretty well - look at the wonderful hubby I managed to score :)

In her 6th month, Ellie really championed sitting up - no more tripod - she just sits tall and proud, turning her pretty-shaped head whenever we call to her.

look at the band-aids from her shots - sweet girl was a trooper and barely cried

We have also started using a few signs with her to facilitate her language development. We use the following signs: mommy, daddy, doggie, milk, diaper, bath, water, all done, and out. When she begins to use approximations of these signs with us, hopefully in a few more months, we'll add more signs from her routine and some modifiers such as 'more' and 'please'. I'm excited to see how this develops!

Here are some pictures I took the afternoon of her 6-month birthday - it was warm and sunny out, probably for the final time this year.

Baby Girl, we are really looking forward to the next few months with you! We know the holidays will be more special than ever before - can't wait!!

You need to go make these.

2011-11-03T20:48:00.000-04:00

Now. Well maybe not now, but at least by the end of this weekend.

Pumpkin Pie Croissants

image via Pinterest

Finally! A Pinterest recipe success! These were much easier to make than the pumpkin pull-apart bread and they taste much better.

1/2 block of cream cheese
1 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3 T sugar

Beat together until fluffy and creamy.

Roll each crescent roll out and cut lengthwise in 2. This recipe will make 32 mini croissant. Spread a generous tablespoon of the pumpkin pie filling on each piece of dough. Mix together 4 T sugar and 1 T pumpkin pie spice and roll each pumpkin pie croissant in it. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-18 minutes.

Candy Corn Cheescake

2011-10-31T22:30:00.010-04:00

Just in case anyone wonders how I made the little cheesecake to coordinate with Ellie's costume, here's a picture timeline. The cheesecake itself was a Jell-O No Bake, so that was easy-peasy. I combined two boxes worth so I would have enough to fill a larger pan. (I also doubled the crust, but wish I hadn't as it turned out really thick.)

I used a spatula and then the back of a spoon to smooth the filling into each section. I let it set up for about half an hour in the fridge before removing the inner rings, then smoothed over the cracks again with a spatula.

Then when it is cut into individual pieces for serving, ta-da! Candy Corn!

Thanks to Pinterest for the inspiration!

Happy Halloween Y'all!!

2011-10-31T21:44:00.006-04:00

Ready to hand out the candy!

Here's a pic of what we gave our neighbor friends.

Halloween Festivities

2011-10-30T21:37:00.002-04:00

...and it isn't even the 31st yet!!!

Last weekend Ben and Emily hosted their annual Pumpkin Carving Party. Ellie had a great time and was happy to see her buddies Scarlett and Clover. Scarlett was sporting some pretty sweet Yoda ears.

Rachael was there too - I think she and Ellie were both excited to see each other!!

Alas, we had to leave to put Ellie to bed before the actual pumpkin carving began. Luckily, Josh and Bari were carving their pumpkins the next afternoon and they invited us to join them. Ellie and Caitlyn were happy to give their opinions on our designs.

Yesterday we finally made it to Home Depot so we could dress up the rest of our front porch.

Here's Ellie's cute outfit close-up. I knitted the little hat she's wearing :)

This afternoon was our neighborhood Halloween Costume Parade. We were excited for Ellie to wear the costume I made her - a candy corn!

Ellie and Caitlyn were the youngest parade participants - note Ellie's entry number :)

We'll have more pictures tomorrow - no trick or treating for us but Ellie will help us hand out candy until it's her bed time. Hope your weekend was as fun as ours!

5:09PM, Six Months Later

2011-10-25T21:28:00.003-04:00

I teared up just loading this picture on the page!

my baby girl, so perfect.

Dinner with the 'rents

2011-10-25T20:33:00.006-04:00

On the eve of her 6-month-iversary we decided it was time for Ellie to join us for dinner. She always sits with us at the table, but usually we give her chewbeads or her crinkly star to entertain herself. Last night we put the tray on her bumbo and gave her some roasted sweet potato wedges and steamed green beans. We don't know how much went down, but she had a good time smashing it in her face!

Then this morning, it was time for breakfast - a banana, an apple, and some oatmeal. I don't think she actually ate any of this, but it made a MUCH larger mess than last night! Pete calls it total carnage.

Tonight she had some ground beef and a few sugar snap peas. Who knows what tomorrow will hold?!?

Halfway there

2011-10-24T22:20:00.000-04:00

Ralphie!

2011-10-21T19:21:00.002-04:00

This is my correct size?!?!?!?

I seriously think you guys might have misread the tag....

A perfect night for pasta

2011-10-19T22:12:00.003-04:00

Well today was NOT a beautiful fall day in Kentucky...today was a cold, rainy day in Kentucky.

For dinner I made Pasta Carbonara with Leeks and Lemon from the November 2011 issue of Everyday Food. It was just what we needed on a day like today, warm and delicious. In the past I would not have made a recipe that used leeks because they were in the category of Foods I've Never Had but Suspect I Won't Like. Luckily, we ate at FIG last summer in Charleston and I had one of the best meals of my life - braised pork belly on a bed of mashed potatoes with leeks and rock shrimp - and my eyes were opened to the loveliness of leeks.

Here's the recipe:

salt + pepper
6 slices bacon, cut into 1" pieces
4 leeks (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise, rinsed well, and thinly sliced
3/4 pound campanelle
2 large eggs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley

1. Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 Tablespoons fat from skillet (there wasn't any fat to pour when I cooked my bacon). Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until leeks are golden brown, about 10 minutes.

2. Add pasta to pot and cook according to package instructions. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Parmesan, and lemon zest and juice. Whisk 1/4 cup pasta water into egg mixture.

3. Drain pasta and immediately add to egg mixture, along with bacon, leeks, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Sprinkle with more cheese if desired and serve immediately.

Though the weather was semi-yucky, I didn't really mind. The coming seasons will be full of firsts for Ellie and our little family. I am looking forward to our first winter together - our noses turning bright red when we go outside - snuggling them away when we are back inside.

Fall in Kentucky, 2nd Edition

2011-10-16T22:30:00.000-04:00

Another great fall weekend in The Bluegrass State! Race for the Cure was Saturday morning. Pete held Ellie while I ran it - my first time to do any running in about a year. It was chilly Saturday morning, so Ellie wore a darling rabbit hat to keep warm.

I didn't bring the camera so there aren't any pictures of me at the race (darn?). I finished in 38:29, which isn't too terrible considering I had the interval timer set on my watch so I jogged 3 min, walked 2 min after running an initial 7 min, 42 sec before my first walk break. Hopefully I will continue to improve and return to my former slow-but-steady-jogger self!

Saturday afternoon we went to the new bagel shop in town - The Great Bagel - for lunch and some coffee. We have already become regulars there, the owners are our age and really nice!

Then Saturday evening Matt and Jen came to visit!! Jen's sister Claudia got married this weekend in Frankfort so they crashed at our house after the festivities before heading home to South Carolina this morning. We sat in the basement on the comfy sofas eating chicken tenders and wedding cupcakes and chatted the night away. We loved seeing them again seemingly so soon after our South Carolina visit in July.

Today Ellie visited one of the best things about her hometown: Keeneland!! We dressed her up in a cute outfit and she was more than ready to get going!

The fall meet is running through October 29th and today was too perfect a day not to be outside. Ellie did all the typical things once we arrived. She had her picture taken by the big Rolex clock,

perused the race program before placing her first bet,

and then watched her very first horse race!!

Between races we went to the paddock to see the horses up close

and watch them get saddled right before the jockeys mounted.

Then the camera battery died. But we had a great afternoon and got to see several horses face-to-face!

Next week will be more fall fun: Kentucky football and pumpkin carving!

On October 10, 2010

2011-10-10T20:30:00.008-04:00

I announced I was pregnant ! Here's a picture of me on 10.10.10 when I was 12 weeks pregnant:

Here we are 10.10.11 - one year later - can you believe it!?!

Fall in Kentucky

2011-10-09T19:33:00.007-04:00

It's my favorite time of year! Except for maybe spring in Kentucky - what can I say, we live at a nice latitude season-wise. Even though I missed out on two of my favorite fall things this weekend (Oktoberfest and Keeneland), it was still a weekend full of activity. Hopefully we'll make it to Keeneland next weekend - we try to make it at least once a meet. Besides, the last time we went, I was 39 weeks, 5 days pregnant - surely it will be more fun this time with Ellie on the outside!

Friday afternoon Pete got in a van with 5 of his friends, and 6 others got in another van and the I.T. Bandits were reunited once again for the running of The Bourbon Chase, an overnight, 200-mile relay race through 6 of the distilleries on the bourbon trail. (Bourbon that's not from Kentucky is just plain 'ole whiskey)

Pete returned home yesterday evening to shower and change clothes, but then Van One needed to go downtown to the finish line so they could all cross together with the final runner. Obviously, Ellie and I didn't follow Pete all along central Kentucky to take pictures but we did take great before and after pictures.

Pete and Ellie BEFORE The Bourbon Chase:

and AFTER:

Last night was a special night for me as well. I kept Ellie up past her bedtime so we could go to Light the Night, a walk that raises money for leukemia and lymphoma. Pete met us in front of the courthouse in time for the walk to begin. I got a gold balloon in memory of mom, white balloons were for survivors, and red were for supporters.

Today was a nice day around the house - we went to breakfast at Alfalfa's and didn't do much else!

5 months old!

2011-10-07T19:30:00.001-04:00

Here's our little 15-pound, 6-ouncer in all her glory:

In her fifth month our little girl learned to laugh - as featured in the video. She can also log roll now, but she doesn't do it very often, and is usually pretty worked up by the time it happens.

Ellie can't quite sit up - but can tripod for a bit before flopping over to one side. She is finally enjoying Sophie the giraffe, she likes to gnaw on his legs the most.

I suppose the biggest thing this last month was that we hired a babysitter! Her name is Robin and she is a senior at UK - some friends of ours with a similar-aged daughter recommended her and I am so glad they did because we really have no idea how to find a reliable sitter. I wish we had taken a picture on the first afternoon that Robin watched Ellie, but alas, we forgot. So far we have only used her to go to two UK football games, but it has gone well, so we know we have someone to call should we actually have something to do or somewhere to be. That's about it - not the most eventful month! But in a little more than two weeks Ellie will be six months old! I am a little sad about it - she is growing up so fast!! I try to remind myself that the future will hold many great things, but some days it is very difficult.

Some Like it Hot

2011-10-07T14:00:00.006-04:00

Last night Pete complained that there hadn't been an update in a while on our blog. I invited him to write his own entry, but he demurred. So instead of cleaning up the house during nap time, I'm writing blogs.

I have kept up the use of my new dutch oven. Sunday night I made the spicy Crab and Vegetable Gumbo from the Dec 2010 issue of Cooking Light. I have made it before and it is very good - but has quite a kick! We usually end up blowing our noses from the heat. I like it because it's really simple and quick. Saute some onion, carrots, celery -

- then add a bag of frozen veggies (before this recipe I never knew frozen vegetables came in gumbo-blend), some spices, chicken broth, and a can of crab meat - presto! Ready to serve over white rice.

Last night I made the Tex-Mex Pork from the Nov 2010 issue of Cooking Light (notice a trend here? I love CL and have a little folder of favorite recipes from past issues).

image from cookinglight.com

This recipe is also spicy but could easily be mild if you omitted the black pepper. I make this little number about once a month because it is fast and requires few ingredients - pork, salsa, rice, avocado. Plus I usually can only find pork tenderloin in 3-pound packages and the recipe only calls for one, so I often have two little tenderloins frozen and waiting.

In an attempt to redeem my baking reputation, I made another recipe I found on Pinterest: Pumpkin Pull-Apart Bread.

photo from Pinterest

After reading the recipe and discovering that it called for yeast, I wasn't going to make it because waiting for dough to rise twice can be a drag and I try not to do it more than once a year. But Pete reminded me that I did not make Fastnachts this year so I did not have an excuse. I didn't have big plans for Tuesday afternoon, so while baby girl was napping, I started the process.

Of course Ellie's nap is only an hour and half long so she was awake before the fun had really started. I do enjoy baking with her - it is a good opportunity to talk about fractions, measuring, and cleaning up after yourself :)

After the dough rises you roll it out, sprinkle on a melted butter cinnamon sugar mixture, cut and stack the slices in a loaf pan.

Once the sugared dough is stacked in the pan, it must rise again for 60-90 minutes. Then it bakes for 30-40 minutes. By this time it was evening and I needed to start dinner so there aren't any more pictures. I made the glaze in the morning and Pete and I ate it for breakfast. Pete liked it, I didn't think it tasted pumpkin-y enough. For all the effort, it definitely wasn't as good as a cinnamon-sugar fastnacht would have been. Oh well. Perhaps I will use the leftover pumpkin to make pumpkin pancakes for dinner sometime next week.

Then and Now

2011-09-28T13:11:00.010-04:00

We brought Ellie home from the hospital on April 27th in her sweet little gown:

I took these pictures yesterday - what a difference 5 months makes!

Le Creuset, Ooh La La!

2011-09-27T20:52:00.007-04:00

Pete got me this lovely dutch oven for our 6th anniversary back in June. The sixth anniversary is Iron - we just started doing the traditional gifts last year; he got me a wooden vase with a pretty gerber daisy in it for our fifth anniversary. I have no idea what I got him. This year I gave him a T-shirt with the Tasty Table on it ('cause iron's an element, get it? I know, it was a bit of a stretch, but he loves the shirt so all is well).

June doesn't exactly scream 'dutch oven weather' so I've just now been using it. So far so good! I made cobbler with apples we picked at the orchard last weekend.

And Sunday I made the Italian Beef Stew from the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Cooking Light. It was delish! My first time to let something simmer for 1hr, 45 min that wasn't in a Crock Pot.

pic from Cooking Light

In other news, Ellie celebrated the last day of summer by wearing her favorite pooch onesie and frilly skirt,

her daddy's birthday UK trousers finally arrived in the mail,

and on Saturday she attended her THIRD wedding!

Every Monday Morning

2011-09-22T20:30:00.000-04:00

We take Ellie's weekly photo!! Only one of them 'makes the cut' for our collection, but I thought you might like to see just how hard is is to narrow down the choices.

And then there's the fun to be had when daddy comes upstairs afterwards.

Here she is looking like her Aunt Audrey.

and her cousin Ben!

Finally caught it on video!

2011-09-20T23:28:00.004-04:00

Update: video should work now - Thanks, Chelsea, for the note!!

Ellie's been laughing for about a month, but every time we tried to capture it on video she would see the camera and stop! But today I discovered something that made her laugh EVERY TIME.

For Aunt Jenni and Uncle Pete

2011-09-19T20:54:00.005-04:00

Saturday morning, we put Ellie in her new UK outfit from her Aunt Jenni and Uncle Pete. She would be in bed well before the UK/UofL game, but we thought the folks at Starbucks would get a kick out of her custom-made tutu when we went to grab morning coffee treats.

Alas, she cheesed all over the blue onesie before we could make it out the door. So she wore this outfit instead :)

If only having our baby decked out in cute UK gear could have had some sort of positive impact on our team's performance.

Neighbors of the Year you say.....

2011-09-17T13:53:00.001-04:00

Pete has been out of town on business. He left Wednesday morning and got home this morning.

Murphy somehow knew he was out of town, and applied her law ALL OVER THE PLACE. should it be his law? I guess I assume her because of Murphy Brown. I digress....

Pete was out of town. I was at home with baby girl and the two dogs. This has happened before. No biggie. Until the dogs decide to engage in Mortal Combat in the middle of our house. I won't go into the whole story, but Fiona attacked Hannah and I was not able to get them to stop fighting. I tried throwing water on them but it did not work. So then I called Pete. Imagine how happy he was to pick up the phone and hear a sobbing wife, a screaming baby, and two dogs trying to kill each other. Pete, ever the smart one, told me to grab a dining room chair and break them up with it, lion tamer-style. It worked! I got them apart, backed Hannah into Pete's office and closed the door, and escorted Fiona to her crate in the basement.

First I had to calm baby girl and then I could attend to the disaster in the hallway, and eventually see if the dogs needed to go to the vet. Enter Josh and Bari. They live across the street and helped me in numerous ways on Wednesday. I dropped Ellie off with Bari and baby Caitlyn so I could sop up all the water that was quickly being absorbed by and ruining our hardwood floors. Then I opened up the door to the office to give Hannah a quick look over. She was limping pretty badly so I took her to the vet (after I dropped off some milk and a diaper at Bari's since it was going to be more than 5 minutes before I got Ellie).

Josh headed right home from work and to our house to look at Fiona to see if she also needed medical attention while I was at the vet with Hannah . Hannah's cuts on her eye and ear weren't the bad part, it was a puncture-wound she had in her arm that caused worry. It could get infected so the vet gave her a shot of antibiotic, and prescribed pain meds and antibiotics to take at home.

Fiona wasn't the most compliant in letting Josh check out her wounds so once I got home from the vet and put Hannah in the backyard, Josh came back and we looked at Fi's wounds together and decided she didn't need an ER visit (since it was now way past 5pm) and would do fine to visit our vet in the morning. I gave her one of each of Hannah's antibiotic and pain pills just in case (as suggested by our vet).

Meanwhile, Pete called to say he had cancelled his hotel for the night and was headed home. I assured him we now had it under control but he would not be swayed. (He got home well after Ellie was asleep for the night but I think he wanted to assess the damage for himself and together we discussed how we would deal with two dogs and a daughter who would no longer be allowed to interact. He headed out again Thursday morning. It's been an interesting few days to say the least.)

I walked back to Josh's house with him to get Ellie - she was on a play mat with Caitlyn, rolling around and laughing, having totally forgotten the disaster she had seen earlier.

So THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! It is so nice to have friends you can call in a pinch and not hesitate for a second to drop off our child with no instructions whatsoever.

Here is what was left after I went all Florence Nightingale on Fiona Thursday morning. Her ears are pretty banged up, but after I got all of the blood cleaned off I didn't think she needed to go to the vet. Pete and I are currently sitting in the back yard with both dogs on leashes (ellie is napping). This is the closest they have been to each other since Wednesday afternoon. So far so good.

Crawford-tested.

2011-09-15T21:12:00.008-04:00

The ever-fabulous Julie liked one of my foodie pins on Pinterest and asked if it had been Crawford-tested. Julie has actually made some of the things she has pinned, so I thought I should follow her lead and make a pinned item.

So earlier this week I bought the ingredients to make Salted Caramel Chocolate Pretzel Bark, and when Josh and Bari were Neighbors of the Year yesterday, I had a really good reason to make it today. I need good reasons to make food so that I can give it away. Otherwise, since I no longer have coworkers on whom to hoist my baked goods, I eat it myself.

(pinterest picture)

It seemed simple enough. Melt butter and brown sugar until it caramelizes, pour over pretzels, bake for a bit, then cover with melted chocolate and salt.

I give it a solid.................................................

meh.

Clearly it didn't turn out as I expected or Josh and Bari would be enjoying the bark rather than reading about it. Josh being an avid sweets-eater will no doubt want to taste it anyway so perhaps I will have an update tomorrow.

I think maybe I burned the caramel part. I've made caramel before, but today the butter and sugar never seemed to combine, it had been simmering for way longer than the suggested six minutes, so I decided to pour it over the pretzels anyway.

I didn't have enough caramel - or I used too big of a pan - who knows. The recipe did not specify pan size, it simply said baking sheet.

It doesn't taste bad, it just has a bit of burned flavor to it. And I'm bummed!! I really wanted it to taste good! I loved salted caramel stuff and usually do really well following recipes - guess I just need specificity for success.

Here's a sneak peek of another Pinterest item I've decided to try - any guesses!?!?!

our own september 11th

2011-09-10T22:03:00.006-04:00

We miss you so much mom, can't believe it has been three years.

Ox Roast 2011

2011-09-08T21:50:00.000-04:00

Hope your Labor Day Weekend was fun! We drove to Lawrence, Michigan for the annual Ox Roast and Homecoming.

Pete's dad grew up in Lawrence and Pete's grandma and aunt and uncle and cousin still live there, along with about 50 other 2nd cousins or whatever relatives of your great-aunts are. In other words, we went to the ORIGIN OF THE RED HAIR!! It was like visiting the Weasleys - every picture on every wall at Great Aunt Ruth Reinertson's house featured someone with red hair. On Monday Pete and I walked by the Lawrence High School alumni association's booth at the fair and a man in his 80s took one look at Pete and said, "Are you Carl Crawford's son? I was good friends with your grandfather." It was so cool! He knew just as soon as he saw him that he was a Crawford.

We arrived Saturday afternoon after driving up from Indianapolis. We stayed in Paw-Paw (pop. 3300) because Lawrence (pop. 1000, total area 1.8 sq miles) doesn't have any hotels. We spent some time with Pete's grandma and introduced her to Ellie - her first great-grandchild! Carl and Estelle arrived Saturday evening and we all watched Pete run the Ox Roast 5K Sunday morning before heading over to cousin Danielle's house for dinner. Audrey and Andrew had also arrived by Sunday afternoon and we had a great time with them causing all sorts of shenanigans in the hotel Sunday night :)

Monday we went to the parade and fair before heading over to Aunt Ruth Reinertson's house for the reunion.

this is the ENTIRE band! Carl said when he was in high school he had to play all sports and be in the band so that they'd have enough players to make up teams :)

tractor train - I think there were six tractors being pulled by the front one

any time we talked about Ox Roast both Pete and Audrey brought up the elephant ears - as fried dough goes, they did not disappoint!

Here is Grandma Crawford with her side of the family - two children, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild! It's quite different from visiting my grandma who has eleven great-grandchildren, but fun nonetheless!

It's September Already?!?!?!

2011-09-01T14:23:00.013-04:00

Yipes! Time has seriously. got. to. slow. down. Our baby girl is 4 months old!!

We took Ellie to her well-check on Tuesday and she got two immunizations. I will take her back next week for two more. Here are her stats: (I don't know if the percentiles are for 4-month old females or 18 -week old females, I forgot to ask, but I suspect they are for 18 weeks.)

Height: 26" (93%)
Weight: 14 lbs, 6 oz (61%)
Head circumference: 41 cm (47%)

She's long! I am still putting her in some of her 0-3 month clothes while they fit. The doggie applique onesie is one of our favorites.

I finally broke down and bought her a hair bow - when she wears gender neutral clothes it really helps to i.d. her as a girl...I don't love the look, though, so I doubt she'll wear them too often. When she has hair I think they'll look cuter.

Here she is chilling with her daddy in his office:

In her fourth month Ellie has started to do several new things. She found her feet,

learned to roll back to front,

and let us know we needed to move her bedtime up again.

She also started carrying her own shopping bag.

Every day we are reminded how perfect she is and are so thankful that she's ours!!

Baby's Got a Brand New Bag

2011-08-30T20:22:00.006-04:00

It finally arrived!!

After much web-surfing, local shopping, and seeing what others are using, I have found a diaper bag. WHEW! We bought one (a spendy one) before Ellie was born - it's OiOi, black, messenger bag with all the specs that a bag is supposed to have, and I don't like it one bit. The strap is too long (and not adjustable), I don't like how the outer pockets stick out, and it's a little masculine.

I figured out after Baby Girl arrived that rather than have a diaper bag to carry in addition to my regular purse I really would be served best by having a larger tote that LOVE the look of and could carry as an all-in-one, purse/baby bag combo. Sure I loved what Kate Spade had to offer but couldn't really wrap my mind around the price.

I was also worried that the color might not please me through the seasons. Thank goodness I go to Mom & Baby Yoga and saw the bag I ended up ordering, just in an older color combo. It is large enough to hold all the stuff I now find myself carrying that wasn't necessary when Ellie was an infant: zebra blankie, nursing cover, teething ring, etc. There will only be more items when she begins eating solid foods in two more months and again when she stops nursing and needs sippy cups and snacks. It is also cute enough that I could just be carrying a large tote and not schlepping diapers.

(yes! those ARE my old pants - they fit again!!)

The brand is Bella Tunno - it's called the Beautifully Basic Baby Diaper Bag - and I already love it!! It was empty when I took the pictures - the bottom doesn't fold up like that now that it has my stuff inside. Hopefully we'll still get to use the OiOi bag when Ellie starts going to day care (at an unknown time in the future) and needs a bag to stay with her during the day. In my infinite pregnant wisdom I removed the tags from the bag and don't have the receipt.

Stay tuned for Ellie's 4-month-old post! I'll get it written eventually!!

As you watch this, sing "Proud Mary" in your head

2011-08-18T21:26:00.005-04:00

Because that's the audio I had on this video for about 30 seconds before I got caught for violating copyright laws and had to remove it. Boo.

So.....yesterday was my birthday. I turned 31. Pete got me a camcorder. He says we need one since our little one is so mobile these days and will only get more so :)

weeks 9-16

2011-08-15T22:13:00.011-04:00

Today Ellie turned 16 weeks old! I last shared weeks 1 - 8, here are weeks 9 - 16.

Quite the Party Trick

2011-08-10T14:31:00.005-04:00

So Pete's little birthday cake has gotten quite the response on Facebook. Confession: of all the cakes I've made for him, this was the least complicated.

I saw the recipe in the July issue of Martha Stewart Living - you can find it here. All you really do is make a double-batch of chocolate chip cookies (I used my own recipe from Cooking Light in 2007), whip some heavy cream with mascarpone cheese, sugar, and a tablespoon of bourbon (obviously optional), and layer the cookies and cream on a cake stand. Nine cookies in a circle with two in the middle, topped with a cup of whipped cream mixture, repeat till you end with a cookie layer. Refrigerate overnight and before serving top with one additional cup of whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Certainly not as time consuming as this little number from '09:

So for your next cookout or gathering, give it a try - your friends will be amazed and you can graciously accept all their praise :)

Thirty-onederful years old!

2011-08-09T22:30:00.008-04:00

We've had a relaxed day at our house - took Pete's Prius in for some work, took the dogs for a walk, went out for lunch, etc. I started on Pete's cake yesterday and after it chilled in the refrigerator overnight, finished it this evening. With ingredients like these, how can you go wrong?

I think Pete was happy with the end result - and Ellie loved the candles!

It's been one year since I found out I was pregnant - I don't think we ever could have imagined this would be our daily life now.

She seriously loves her daddy - Happy Birthday Pete!!

3 Months Old!!

2011-08-01T21:51:00.008-04:00

Look at her!! In the blink of an eye - our baby is 3-months old!!

As a big 3-monther, Ellie tried her Jumperoo...

and loved it!

She continues her love affair with overhead fans...

and daily tummy time.

Ellie produces copious amounts of drool, smiles all the time, and converses with anyone who will listen. She sucks on her fingers incessantly, but they soothe her when she is upset, so we can't complain. She is also one mobile burrito! Though we still swaddle her each night, it does not prevent her from wiggling to the far corners of her crib and wedging her head against the rails. Ellie and I continue to attend mama & baby pilates and yoga twice a week, she seems to love all the stretches and baby yoga moves!

We love you baby girl! Don't grow up TOO fast!!

Ellie's visit to Folly Beach

2011-07-26T16:25:00.001-04:00

I finally figured out iMovie on my new mac- it isn't as intuitive as everyone claims, I'm just sayin'.....

Guess Where We've Been!?!

2011-07-25T21:11:00.011-04:00

That's right - we returned this afternoon from a weekend getaway to sunny South Carolina! Friday we drove to visit our dear friends Matt and Jen Wheeler in Columbia, SC. Ellie was dressed and ready for her first trip to the Palmetto State!

After a relaxing Friday afternoon and evening at the Wheelers (watching le Tour go over the Alps d'Huez of course) we headed to Charleston Saturday morning. WE LOVE CHARLESTON!! Seriously, it is one of our most favorite places. We daydream about having a summer home there someday....maybe just an annual rental....who knows.

I don't know if we like Charleston more for the restaurants or the beaches, but luckily we visited both on Saturday. First we ate lunch at Taco Boy!

Ellie was excited to have her first official visit to Taco Boy (though I guess technically she was there last summer during our week-long vacation when I was 5 weeks pregnant)

After lunch we went to Folly Beach. It was a totally different experience from being at the Cape, but I think Ellie had fun! It was super windy and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, but it somehow didn't feel too hot! We had a really nice umbrella and chairs that Ellie slept under most of the time we were there.
We played with her in the water a little bit, but unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, I stole the above from Jen's blog. (I did take a little video with our flip camera, though)

Then for dinner we went to Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island - best. burgers. ever. anywhere. I had the Annabelle Lee (as did Pete and Jen) - it's a hamburger with a crabcake on top with this remoulade that is to die for. Matt had the Tell Tale Heart - a hamburger with a fried egg on top. The burgers can be a bit large to navigate the initial bite, but it's totally worth it.

Sorry about the backlit image, but check out Ellie's reaction to the waving flag behind Pete- she was enamored!
AND Jen and I were totally rocking the 'beach hair' :)

We drove back to Matt and Jen's after dinner and Sunday we just hung around the house. We watched the final stage of le Tour whilst eating blueberry muffins (the official breakfast of le Tour for the Coon Pit alumni) Then we were sort-of out of things to do.....so we had a little photo shoot with Ellie in her bathing suit that wasn't really beach appropriate.

How cute is that?!?! Jen received the bikini from a co-worker to give to me when she told her she was coming to Kentucky for my baby shower. It cracked us up -- Ellie had no shortage of precious faces!

So that was our little mini-vaca! Ellie was a great little road-trip baby - she slept the whole way down to South Carolina and had a pretty good trip back to Kentucky today. We had such a good weekend with Matt and Jen and feel so lucky to have friends with whom we can spend the weekend! Especially friends who are only a couple of hours to the beach! Thanks so much guys - we had the best time, can't wait to see you again soon!

I'm no Seth Meyers...

2011-07-19T12:08:00.010-04:00

but here's our Weekend Update!

Saturday was Rachael's Surprise birthday thing over at Harry's. I think she new something was up when Sylvain was being so vague about their plans after dinner, but she wasn't expecting a whole table of her friends waiting with drinks and dessert!

Sylvain gets extra hubby points for pulling the whole thing off - you can check out her blog for the story of her whole birthday weekend getaway!

Sunday afternoon we went to see Harry Potter 7 part Deux!!! That's right - we both went. Together. Alone. I'll let that sink in.

Ellie's Aunt Audrey and Uncle Andrew were kind enough to drive in from Louisville so we could go see the movie. It was the first time Pete and I have been out together without Ellie since she was born. I'm so glad Aud and Andrew wanted to come because I would have had trouble leaving Ellie with just a babysitter, I think. We knew that they would take perfect care of Ellie because they love her!
As far as the movie goes...
I LOVED IT!! (spoiler alert) Maybe it's because I am a mom now, but in the flashback part where Harry's mom is talking to him in the crib telling him how much is mommy and daddy love him - I cried and cried. And when the professors are showing all of their magic skills to protect Hogwarts - I cried from excitement. And at the end when it was all over - I cried. It was a really good movie and Pete and I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to watch it again when it comes out on DVD.

Then on Monday, when Ellie and I returned from mom and baby Pilates, Grandpa Crawford had arrived! Pete's dad is visiting us for just a couple of days to spend some time with Ellie.

They've been reading books and singing songs - when I was getting the laundry I'm pretty sure I heard him playing the piano with her!

"The Belly Button Book" cracked him up!!

This morning they read another favorite, "Hey Wake Up!"

Happy Monday!

2011-07-11T19:42:00.004-04:00

Nothing much going on around here, just doing our tummy time!

Eleanor Wrenn meets Jean Eleanor Wrenn Prann

2011-07-05T21:37:00.008-04:00

We named Ellie after my Grandma Prann, and were really excited that they would finally get to meet when we visited the Cape. It was cool and rainy when we got to the house in Cataumet, and Grandma was with my cousin Pamela and the gang walking around Falmouth, but they arrived back home shortly after we did. I don't have any pictures of the actual moment they met, but here are some pictures from later in the week.

In addition to meeting Grandma, Ellie met about 17 other relatives!

Jack

Chris and Margo

Johnny (Johnny's the 1st great-grandchild and Ellie's the 11th!)

and Ruby!!

Of course that's not everyone; Ellie really liked making faces with Sophie, Logan, Maren, Taylor, Alex and Emma as well - I just didn't always have my camera at the ready.