Banana Bread

Elyse LOVES helping me cook or bake in the kitchen! It doesn't matter what it is, I can almost always predict a little sidekick next to me. It's wonderful, unless we are short on time ;) Anyway, recently, Elyse's favorite thing to make is, banana bread. She mashes the bananas all by herself and never seems to get tired of doing it. Plus the recipe is really quite healthy, so I don't object to her wanting to make it so Nate, Caleb, her and I can eat it. I would not recommend it if you want really doughy banana bread or don't enjoy the taste of whole wheat.

Banana Bread
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola or veg. oil
2 large egg whites
4-5 bananas peeled and mashed
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 and coat 9X5 inch loaf pan

2. In medium bowl, mix flours, soda, powder, salt and cinnamon, set aside

3. In large bowl, mix sugar and oil with wooden spoon until well combined. Mix in egg whites, banana and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

4. Pour batter into pan. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, 40-45 minutes.

ENJOY!

Wanted and Dangerous

Be on the lookout for these wild animals who escaped the zoo! They may come across as cute and sweet, but don't let them fool you, they are ferocious. Just LOVE these fun, soft, and velcro headband animal masks. Recently found them in the $1 bin at Target.

Caleb's Birth Family

Yesterday, we drove 3.5 hours north to spend the day visiting Caleb's birth family. We were there for just over 4.5 hours and then headed back home. We spent the day relaxing, catching up, and watching the kids play or drive cars, even Caleb :) Very quick, but an enjoyable trip.
Special thank you to Ray, Rande, Mariah, Monica and Malachi for having us over and your hospitality. We had a great time and appreciated everything.

I am thankful for...

this little one,
this little one,
and for the leadership team and the nursery volunteers who make MOMS at Constance Free Church possible. I love my kids and love spending time with them; but getting together with other moms every other Wednesday for two hours to have a warm brunch, relax and share stories is something every mom should be apart of and thankful for.

Shopping Carts

One of the best things about shopping at home improvement stores is the race car shopping carts that keep your children entertained while shopping.

Tried many times to get Caleb to look, but he was way too distracted.

Dancin' Feet ~ Part 1

Last Wednesday, Elyse began taking dancing class at a studio in town. It's called, "Dancin' Feet" in Andover if interested. It is a great, affordable, educational and fun place to learn dance. They meet every Wednesday for 45 minutes and do jazz, ballet and tap. She smiles the entire time she is there. Her class consists of only 3-4 year olds, and she is by far the youngest, but her teacher, Ms. Kristi says she dances, follows the rules and behaves no way like a three year old. We are very proud of her. By the way, I titled this one part 1, because her class goes until May, so I am pretty sure she will be improving and we will post more.

The video has no audio since we are outside the classroom looking through the window.

Gum

Before I was pregnant, I was addicted to gum. I would chew at least a pack every three days. Elyse would see me chew and every time ask if she could have a stick. I told her when she turned three, she could chew gum. Well, since being pregnant I really do not enjoy the taste in my mouth and so I believe Elyse has quickly forgotten. However, that all changed on Saturday. Elyse saw Nate put something into his mouth, she asked what it was. Nate said, "Gum" (even though it was chocolate). That's when Elyse quickly said, "Hey, I'm three now, can I have gum?" We had no choice but to say, "Yes." Therefore, she got some later that evening and did great. She chews one stick a day and I am happy to say none has come out of her mouth and she only has swallowed one piece. I don't think she's going to become addicted anytime soon, but for now it's a new fascinating thing.

Some pretty bad pictures, but she was too focused on chewing her first piece of gum.