little turkey

I think these guys will be gracing my thanksgiving table this year...

Happy Thanksgiving!

singing songs

Reese loves to sing songs!  When we tell her it is time to go to church, she says, "Go to nursery?  And sing songs?"  She sings all the time, it is so much fun!  She is starting to be better about singing for the camera, but she still gets a little bit shy.

I think these are the words:

Three little monkeys swinging in the tree,

(Teasing Mr. Alligator, "Can't catch me, no, you can't catch me.")

Along comes Mr. Alligator, quiet as can be,

And snapped that monkey right out of the tree.

Sorry, my camera ran out of space before she could get the last word in there.

Popcorn Popping 

Like I said, sometimes it is hard to get her to sing for the camera.  In this one, she starts with a whisper (listen closely!) and is much too busy playing with the doors of her toy refrigerator to even look up.  This video is a few weeks old, and she is really much better at it now, but her favorite part is still "smells so sweet" (with the inhale).

lyrics:

I looked out the window and what did I see?

Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

Spring has brought me such a nice surprise,

Popcorn popping right before my eyes.

I can take a handful and make a treat,

A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet.

It wasn't really so, but it seemed to me,

Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

As you can see, Reese likes to jump around a little bit.  But, it is so much fun to sing songs with her!!

granola bars

I was looking for a new recipe to make for my class of Young Women at church two weeks ago and remembered seeing Giada making this recipe for peanut butter granola bars the day before.  I had everything they called for on hand and they sounded so good, that I just had to try them.  I asked Michael to sample some of the batter before I baked it and he said it reminded him of no bake cookies (a compliment, to him!).  But, because they were for my girls, I didn't let him cut a piece of the bars before class.  Our numbers are generally small, so I figured there would be plenty after class for him to sample.  But, these granola bars turned out to be such a hit, that the girls in class (about 4 total) licked the pan clean!  So, I did what any good wife would do...I made another batch when we got home.  Two batches in one day--I think that speaks to how delicious this recipe really is!  Try it!

Here's what you'll need:

1 egg white

1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth)

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 cups old fashioned oats

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 7 by 10 3/4-inch nonstick baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Lay a 6 by 18-inch piece of parchment paper in the pan, allowing the excess paper to hang over the sides. Spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg white until frothy. Stir in the peanut butter, brown sugar, and honey. Add the melted butter, oats and almonds. Stir to combine, then add the chocolate chips.  (I also added some Reese's Pieces...a delicious addition, if I do say so myself!)

Using a rubber spatula, spread mixture into the prepared baking pan, pressing lightly to form an even layer. Bake until the edge of the mixture begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 1 hour. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares and serve.

**Note: Maybe I used the wrong size pan, but I had to cook my granola bars each time for at least an extra 15 minutes or so.

happy halloween

This Halloween was so much fun!  I think Reese really started to get it.  The first time I tried her costume on her, she wasn't that into it.  But when we called it her "costume" and had her go look in the mirror at how cute she looked, then she started to really like it.  Typical.  She learned how to say "trick or treat" and then we practiced and practiced to get it down.  However, when it came time to actually say it to someone at our ward's Halloween party, she totally froze.  In fact, our trial run at trick or treating turned out to be a bust, as Reese would not only not say "trick or treat," but she also wanted to eat each piece of candy as she got it, which slowed us down considerably!

Reese and Jack working the neighborhood on Halloween.

Reese with Jack and Charlotte at our ward Halloween party.

Are we having fun yet?

Reese got pretty good at telling people that she was a Dalmatian and when I would ask her, "what does a Dalmatian say?", Reese would answer, "Say...woof, woof!"  She is so precious!

When she saw her costume in the laundry basket a few days later, she ran over to it and said, "My costume!" and just had to put it on again.  Love her!

cartwheels

my sister scolded me for not posting enough video of Reese....so I thought of this video from over the summer of Reese learning how to do cartwheels with MommaCat. good times!

growing up...

Warning: This post may contain some "potty talk".



Guess who went peepee in the potty tonight!!!!! Yes, Reese! I think she was probably as surprised as I was, but she did it! Ever since she took her diaper off in her crib during a non-nap and pooped in her bed, we have been talking about going potty on the potty. Usually, she tells me after she poops in her diaper that she needs to go poopy in the potty. Other times she tells me she needs to go potty and she just sits there for a minute. She repeats all the things I tell her while she is on the potty, like "I gotch-you, I gotch-you" and "go 'head". But she never actually goes to the bathroom, so then we get off the potty and go get a new diaper.



Last night before bed, she told me she had to go potty. To be honest, sometimes it is a pain to strip her down (she can have nothing on her bottom half in order to sit on the potty) to sit on the potty for 90 seconds just to have to layer her back up afterward. But, I figured I shouldn't discourage any progress in this area, so I took her to the potty and let her do her thing. When lo and behold, some pee came out!!!! I don't think either of us was expecting it, based on the look on her face. I did my best to praise her and let her know what a big deal this is and what a big girl she is for going potty like a big girl, while also trying not to scare the little dear. For the rest of the night, she said, "I go poopy on the potty" and I had to correct her.

I'm not sure if we are really ready for pull-ups just yet, but I am so proud of Reese for being such a big girl! They grow up so quickly, don't they?