Big Changes

I wasn't so sure how 2012 was going to go because at first it seemed things were going to have to get a lot tougher before they started to get better.  However after a little hope and a lot of patience it looks like things are turning around.  Aaron starts a new job Monday and not only it is the type of job he has been looking for but it also seems to have a lot of promise.  The company has been so welcoming and the opportunity for growth is very strong.  It has to be a great feeling to have a company as excited for you to start as you are.  I couldn't be happier for him.  He has stuck out some pretty tough situations and dealt with more than I thought he was capable of.

The timing of course is perfect because in just a few short months our little family of three is going to become a family of four.  Yup, for those who didn't already know we are expecting a new bundle of joy this April.  Ava has named the baby grass but she keeps going back and forth on whether baby grass is a boy or a girl.  Guess we will all just have to wait until April to find out.  We decided to go team green this time around.  We already have all the basic baby necessities and besides the obvious of boy clothes if baby is a boy we really don't need too much.  I need some new parts for my pump and other baby things we no longer stock in this house like diapers, wipes, soap, lotion, etc.  We will be purchasing a new bassinet this time around because the cradle didn't fair too well when we moved.  All in all though we are lucky to not need too much. 

Here is baby day #2 (pictures of pictures...I haven't gotten the chance to scan them in yet)

 A large foot aka baby big foot

 Another profile with a little baby fist in view

and here are a few baby bump pictures.................nothing fancy just phone pics :)

24 weeks

25 weeks

26 weeks

I'm due for another picture and I've definitely or should I say baby definitely has hit a growth spurt because holy belly.  Our date was changed by the ultrasound but my midwives said they will just stick with the original date of the 27th and not the new date of the 20th because they said they only change if it's 10 days or greater difference.  So I'll just go with once April 20th rolls around it's game on.  Oh and I guess speaking of midwives...........I'll update on that a bit.  With Ava I used a pretty well known local OB practice and while I didn't dislike them I decided this time I wanted less medical intervention.  I don't want to hear the words induction or pitocin and I feel like OB's tend to through those out there a bit too much.  I was not induced with Ava.  My water broke before I even left the house but I would rather be encouraged to hold off on such things and not persuaded to use them.  I'm not going to rule out the work epidural lol but I'd like to be giving more information and consulted more in the decisions which I feel my midwifery team will do.  Already they seem so much more laid back and less text book.  This is supposed to be a natural process and not a surgical procedure so please don't view me as a textbook and/or non-textbook case.  Anyways off my rant about that and back to the baby.  Much like last time Aaron nixes every name I come up with and so far only one boy name has managed to remain "tentatively" on the list.  I imagine as soon as he can come up with a reason to dislike it he will.  Names cannot remind him of anyone or anything so it's a bit tough. (Fun fact:  Ava was initially ruled out last time but he came back around to it)

So there you have it...not much else has changed.  We are excited and nervous about all the new changes that will be taking place but I think 2012 will be a good year.  Oh and in a few months when I'm posting at 3am while nursing a newborn for the 1000th time, running on zero sleep, and making no sense whatsoever just ignore me.  If I remember correctly a newborn brings on a brief period of insanity and confusion.  At least this time I have a pretty smart little three year old to set me straight :-)

Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping

I had three more ripe bananas waiting in the freezer to be made into something.  Banana bread takes a bit longer to cook and I was looking for something we could eat this morning.  I found this recipe in a cookbook and just made a few changes to it to suit my style :)

The ingredients....

 Lined muffin pans

 Mix together the dry ingredients in the first bowl

 Mash up the bananas in a smaller bowl

 Add the sugar, egg, and melted butter and mix.

 Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture.

 Combine together.

 Spoon into muffin pan (I always make a mess with that part.)

 In a small bowl mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, oats, and butter. 

 Cut in the butter until it resembles course meal.

 Top muffins with mixture.

 Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes. I started eying them after 10 minutes because my oven tends to cook faster than most cook times.

 Don't they look yummy

 Remove from muffin pans and let cool on wire rack for a few minutes.  Enjoy warm!!!!

Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping

• Muffins
•  
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Crumb Topping

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons oats (next time I may add a bit more...chopped walnuts would also be good)
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
2. Line muffin pans with muffin papers.
3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, mash together bananas then mix together sugar, egg and melted butter. 
4. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.  Don't over mix. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
5. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and oats. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add topping over muffins.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (mine did shortly after ten minutes).
7. Enjoy warm!!!

Homemade Goldfish Crackers

This week we are planning a trip to the aquarium so all of our activities, lessons, etc are based around fish :)  This was actually a really fun week to plan because I had a real theme which includes a field trip.  So to kick off the week we baked which is one of our favorite things to do together.

So what better thing to bake then one of Ava's favorite snacks............GOLDFISH!!!!

I found this recipe on pinterest and it looked easy enough plus how can you go wrong with cheese.  

To start we had to make our own cookie cutter using a soda can.  Ours wasn't perfect but Ava wasn't in a patient perfectionist mood.  In fact I'm slowly learning that stopping to take nice pretty pictures of our baking endeavors isn't so easy.  Ava will just move right on whether we are ready or not so I only really have time for quick snapshots and I have to hope they turn out.

Cut a thin strip of aluminum

 Fold into a fish shape and tape together

 The cast of characters

 Of course the always needed handy helper

 Pulse all ingredients in the food processor.  Ava liked getting to push the button.

 My food processor is small so I had to split the batch and then combine in a mixing bowl.

 Then we wrapped the dough in saran wrap and put it in the fridge to chill.

 Then I remembered we had some goldfish so I thought I'd get it out and look at the ingredients.

Baked with real cheese?!?!?!  I'd hope so.

 The ingredients aren't bad (I've seen worse things) but the list does seem long.

 Ready to roll.  We use this pampered chef pizza dough roller instead of a traditional roller because it's easier for Ava to handle.

 Cut out the fishy shapes

 Place them on a cookie sheet.  We have a blue silicone mat so when Ava was placing the fish on the mat she pretended she was putting them in the water.  At one point they were even being chased by sharks.

 Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

 A closer look

 They are yummy and from all the reviews I read they get even better the next day.

The recipe................I simplified it a bit from the original for a basic cheese flavor but next time I may experiment a bit with seasonings and cheese.

Goldfish Crackers

• 1 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons cold salted butter, cut into cubes
• 8 ounce package grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 2T-4T cold water (add one T at a time in case you don't need it all)

Directions

1. Pulse the flour, salt, butter, and cheese using a food processor until it is combined.
2. Pulse in 2 to 4 tablespoons of water one tablespoon at a time.  You may not need it all.  You need just enough to be able to form the dough into a ball.
3. Roll out and cut into shapes.  The thinner you roll it the crispier they will be. 
4. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until they look crispy.  

**Hint--they get better the longer they rest.

A Quick Museum Trip

We decided to go to a local Marine Museum on Friday just for a quick outing.  With the weather there isn't much you can really do to get out especially with small children so this was perfect.  We took Ava there last March but this time she was much more interested in asking questions and seeing all the different displays.  She really liked the play room where each kid gets to dig for a fossil, shark tooth, or shell to take home.  There is also a little boat and a small lighthouse to play on as well as turtles to pet and low tanks with various marine animals to watch.  In the back of the museum are some more tanks of local marine wildlife and displays of locally found fossils and artifacts.  She really wasn't as interested in the boat displays and other historical marine displays but maybe next time she will be.  

When we are looking for things to do together we typically try to find something more educational for a few reasons.  One, kids this young are like sponges and love to learn, it's typically a good family environment,  and it's normally pretty affordable.  Ava at this point has no clue what a chuckie cheese is and hopefully that remains true for some time to come.  Eventually she will probably get invited to a birthday party at one but for now while she is impressionable I'd rather just stay away from them.  She goes to gymnastics once a week so I feel that even during the winter she is getting some physical outlet.  

Anyways back to the topic at hand....the musuem...

Excuse some of the blurry grainy photos...I was playing around and experimenting with some camera settings.

 Digging for her shark tooth

 Showing Daddy her treasure

 Playing in the boat...she kept telling us to climb aboard.

 My favorite picture of the day

 As a mermaid

 She was more interested in being a pirate though

Next week we are planning an aquarium trip because she hasn't gone there since before she could walk.  We aren't fans of Baltimore so we don't go there often but it was that or the DC zoo and well it's winter so the aquarium it is.  Since we will be going to another place to explore and learn about marine life I am going to look today for a few educational activities to do at home with her next week.  In fact as soon as I post this I will need to spend some time planning next weeks lessons/activities.  

Before I go I'll share two videos of Ava showing off her scooter skills.

 Racing

 

Her new trick

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekends.  See you again soon with some more activities and fun to share.