We Welcome Spring

We have taken advantage of the amazing weather we have had and the freedom to take the kids out in public. The combination of Spring finally gracing us with her presence and Jared's week break before school starts again gave us a lot of free time to have fun. I couldn't help but share a little of our adventures...

We went to costco, which is always a fun adventure!

 Finally in some summer clothes, ready to play in the sun and enjoy a neighborhood BBQ

 Playing with friends, just too much fun.

 We also spent time relaxing in the warm sun (well...ok, I relaxed and watched Jared work hard on our yard)

 Beyond a beautiful day, the best kind of day to sit in the sun and read a good book while the kids take a nap.

 But of course, the minute they woke up we were back outside together.

 We even decided to venture out to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point, the kids loved seeing so many people. We even let them try a few booth treats...

 This is my favorite treat (I only get it once a year)...clearly Abigail likes funnel cakes too!

 It was so cute to watch them observe nature and play with each other...

 This was one of those moments I think I will cherish forever. I am so grateful to have such a loving husband and father to my children, this picture has my whole life in it...Jared and our children. I am so blessed!

 These were my favorite flowers from the whole day, reminded me of my wedding.

 We even enjoyed a few minutes playing on the grass while Dad got some work done. This is such a fun age of independence and exploration, I am loving every minute.

 We also spent time doing several long walks...the kids were so patient to sit in the jogger. We seriously could not have welcomed the warm weather any faster.

 We discovered the joys of bubbles....although I am pretty sure that the kids liked to play with the containers more than the actual bubbles themselves.

 We are still trying to learn the term "share" around here.

And lastly we ended such a wonderful break with a trip to the park (first one this year). We had so much fun, 2 hours passed us by and we were late for naps! Who would have thought that we would ever be late for our precious nap time?! I should have taken more pictures, but there were so many kids I spent most of my timing running around.

 Welcome Spring, we are so happy you are here and that we can enjoy our days outside. We are looking forward to even warmer weather and long days at the splash pad. We {heart} Spring and Summer!

1 Year Stats

Liam's Stats

Weight: 18 lb (6.52 percentile)

Length: 28.5 inches (7.55 percentile)
Head Circumference: 18 inches (39.33 percentile)
Liam grows up everyday. He is still my precious little boy who isn't too big to give me cuddles and kisses. We celebrated his birthday by giving him a shorter "do", it was crazy how much older he looked with shorter hair.

Abigail's Stats

Weight: 20 lbs 4 oz (57.83 percentile)
Length: 28.75 inches (34.25 percentile)
Head Circumference: 17.75 inches (55.58 percentile)
Abigail has grown up so much, Jared and I both comment how she went from a baby to a toddler in the blink of an eye. She is so full of life and energy and definitely keeps me on my toes! We celebrated her birthday by getting her ears pierced, she was such a brave girl and barely cried (that couldn't possibly be because of the reeses I gave her immediately after, could it?!).

Between both kids, hitting this 'year' mark has meant passing several huge milestones as well. For starters, we are finally done with the formula!

They have started (and have quite enjoyed) feeding themselves...

 We have been able to be more active and mobile, which has meant a lot of fun playtime...

Learning how to play and share with friends too!

And the most exciting news is...with this 1 year check-up Liam's quarantine was finally lifted! We are so proud of him for staying so strong through such a long few months. We celebrated by going grocery shopping together. 

 This kids woke up and we surprised them with some fun new toys, Liam is still trying to get comfortable with them, and Abigail goes to town pushing that motorcycle around.

 I also gave in and we made yummy warm chocolate chip cookies and cold milk to celebrate such a wonderful milestone.

Christmas Bread

My dear friend Mindy is the one who taught me how to make this extraordinary bread, I gave it out to all my neighbors for Christmas and I make it almost every week, so it would be selfish to not share this with others.

You will need:

1/2 cup warm water 

1 packet yeast (2-1/4 tsp)
1/2 cube butter
1/2 cup milk 

1/4 cup sugar 

1 tsp salt
3-1/2 cups flour (it will most likely be more like 3)

1 egg

poppy seeds or sesame seeds to top the bread

 Put the yeast in the warm water and let it sit and activate

It will go from milky water to bubbly/frothy water

Melt the butter and add to the mixing bowl

 Next warm the milk, sugar and salt in a bowl, add to the butter in the mixing bowl (making sure it cools down a little or it might kill the yeast), add the yeast

 Continue to add the flour into the mixing bowl, a cup at a time

As it kneads it will go from a thick sticky mixture to somewhat of a ball of dough, and will start to pull from the sides of the bowl, it will be tacky to the touch but not overly sticky.

Scrape out of the pan and knead by hand until it is the consistency of a soft play-do or until its elastic, when stretched it will shrink back.

 Place into an oiled bowl

Place a towel over the bowl and let rise for an hour or until doubled in size

 It will look like this, punch it down and dump out of the bowl

 I weigh the dough because I tend to make more than just one loaf at a time

 Cut your dough in the middle into 2 equal pieces

Roll out into 2 ropes about the size of a 3 feet or so...

 Make an X with the ropes

Use the rope on the bottom and cross over "right over left" by taking the bit in your right hand and laying it up where the piece in your left hand was, and the left where the right was.

 Then continue by holding onto the other rope and doing "left over right"

 Go back to the other rope and continue "right over left"

 "Left over right"

 Until you get to the end and you just tuck the end pieces all underneath the end

 You will end with this

Now to make a Kaiser Bun, roll a small strip out, I measure 3 oz.

 Start to tie into a simple knot

 Use the upper end sticking out and tuck it under towards the middle

 Take the bottom end and pull it up and pole it into the middle

 End with a knot

 Lay the bread and/or knots onto parchment paper or silpat mats and let rise and hour or until doubled and puffed

As the bread is rising towards the end of the hour preheat the oven to 350 and mix together an egg and 1 TBSP water into a cup, let it sit or scoop out the bubbles

The will look like this when they are risen and ready

Brush the egg wash onto the bread and rolls

 Sprinkle with your topping (poppy seeds, sesame seeds or salt)

 Place in the oven and bake until golden brown, 15-18 minutes for the loaf or 12-15 minutes for the rolls

They will look like this

Transfer the bread and rolls onto a rack to cool

Enjoy the bread with soup, as a sandwich or even plain, it is simple (at least I hope I have explained it in a simple manner), easy and delicious.