Just a'swingin

This past weekend we went to my sisters house. My sisters and I ran a 5K...I was very proud of us all!!! They live on a river and have a great swing. My brother-in-law, Mike who doesn't live in this particular house, even cut down a healthy branch in order to make this swing go higher. Anyway, Bryan took Mary Paul on the swing and she loved it!!! Notice how she grips the rope handles...she's on her way to being a professional.

Delicious Pancakes

I love pancakes...they are a wonderful comfort food to me. This is a wonderful recipe that I found in the Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine. It is a great recipe and beats any pancakes I've ever made from a mix. Plus, its really easy!!!

Basic Pancakes
(serves 4)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tblspn sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tblspn melted unsalted butter or veg. oil (I use the oil...its faster and easier.)
1 large eggs
Veg oil for the pan

1. Preheat oven 200 because you can put the pancakes in there to stay warm on a cookie sheet while you cook the others
2. In small bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and set aside
3. In medium bowl whisk milk, oil (or butter) and egg. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture and whisk until just moistened...a few lumps are fine
4. Heat a large skillet (I find that a cast-iron works best) over medium heat. Put some veg. oil on a rag or paper towel...rub it over the skillet and then pour 2-3 tblspns of batter in the pan and spread it into a round using the back of a spoon
5. Cook 1-2 minutes, flip and cook 1-2 minutes and transfer to heated cookie sheet.

That's it!!! I hope you all enjoy making pancakes!!

-Ryan

Favorite Blanket

Mary Paul has a favorite blanket. It is silky on one side and soft on the other. The wife of a guy Bryan works with made it. She also made a blanket that matches the smaller one, and Mary Paul loves her silky. She sleeps with it every night. It helps her to fall asleep. She cuddles in it and likes to sleep with it over her face. I had a silky growing up...did anyone else?

A is for Applesauce

Here are some pictures of Mary Paul's first taste of applesauce...and a cute one of her in the tub. She loves her baths and she enjoys applesauce...but she loves sweet potatoes. The one with Bryan makes me laugh...what we do to get our children to eat.

Visit to My Sister's House

Mary Paul wants to watch TV just like Addi.
Andi is getting ready for her school's talent show.
John is in highschool now...can you believe it???

Landon also loves trucks and talks all the time.

Addi loves driving her car.

Hello!!! I went to visit my sisters on Tuesday for the night. I love going to see my sisters because we always have so much fun. I also love it because I get to see my nieces and nephews. This time...poor Samantha had to have two wisdom teeth removed at the last minute so she showed up very swollen and speech-impediment like. I didn't take her picture. Ashley and Mike were doing great as were John, Andi, Landon and Addi. Dave was away on business. I have such a beautiful family!!! Mary Paul had a great time with her cousins.

Investment Advice

I don't know how many of you are aware of the fact that we have a sock eating black lab named Daisy. She will be 4 years old on June 8th. She acts like she's 3 months old. She inhales socks whole, no chewing just sucks them on down. Of course, what goes in must come out...one way or the other. Just last month we spent $300 on a trouser sock, that came out naturally. Having a dog means we have tons and tons of pet hair...everywhere. And having a sock eating dog that occasionally dines on the finer things in life, such as trash or a baby washcloth, we have a lot of cleaning that has to be done. We purchased (before Mary Paul was born) the Dyson DC 14 Animal Vac. This vaccum is made especially to suck up pet hair...it is AMAZING!!! It's a bagless vaccuum that works wonders!!! When you finish vaccumming, and I vaccum a few times a week, its like you have a whole other dog inside the wind tunnel. It was well worth the money. Another item I'd like to sing the praises of is the Hoover Agility steam vac. Having a dog who has to get rid of trouser socks means we occasionally have some messes. This steam vac works wonders!!! It is easy to use and easy to pack away. Another great investment. Plus, with kids no in the picture, I am sure that both the vaccum and the steam vac will definately be worth their weight in gold. So, if you have kids, or pets, or a sock eating black lab who got sick 5 times yesterday and you're not sure why, these are two home products in which you should invest.

This Little Piggy Ate Rice Cereal

Mary Paul ate her first full bowl of cereal last night (as opposed to the 4-5 spoonfuls she ate on our first atempt). Granted some of it ended up on her bib...and her face...but as you can see, she throughly enjoyed it. She repeatedly tried to grab the spoon and even the bowl in her attempts to get the rice cereal. We'll try again today and see how it goes!!!