The Way You Make Me Feel

Last night, I was on the treadmill doing a fast walk, ready to wrap up my workout. Michael Jackson's The Way You Make Me Feel came on the ipod and it gave me the motivation to crank up the speed one last time and really make the workout count. I pictured myself as the girl in Center Stage, dancing to this song in front of a giant audience in her underwear (not that I would dance in front of an audience in my underwear but I think you get the point). Thanks MJ, for giving me the kick in the pants I needed. If it had been any other song to come on, I probably would have called it quits!

A Visit to the Dentist

We finally took the girls to their first dentists' appointments. I know, I know, what took so long? Their dad is a dentist after all. We never made the time for it is what it comes down to. Going to the dental school was quite an ordeal and we just never did it.

 

Clara looked so tiny in the chair. They didn't get x-rays of her because she couldn't hold her mouth still. She did good getting her teeth cleaned, though. Unfortunately, she has a cavity! Sam was kind of embarrassed that she has a cavity. I had lots of cavities in my baby teeth though, so maybe it's just genetics.

 

Abby also did great! She was shy, as usual, but she did whatever they asked her.

They loved getting new toothbrushes and picking out stickers. Now we just have to figure out how we're going to get wiggly Clara's cavity filled!

Recipe Sunday: Chick-Fil-A Lemonade

Last Christmas, my parents bought us the citrus juicer attachment for our KitchenAid mixer. I must admit, I was really excited about it! As a kid, we had a lemon tree in our backyard. It was usually my job to pick lemons and though I hated the task (Hello thorns. Hello bees.) I loved the fruits of my labor (ha ha, get it, fruits.) Every Sunday, I would get out our juicer and make fresh lemonade.

 

We perused Pinterest for a lemonade recipe and when we saw the words Chick-fil-a, we were sold. Who doesn't love Chick-fil-a lemonade? 

 

Chick-Fil-A Lemonade

via Real Mom Kitchen

 

Ingredients

• 8-10 Sunkist lemons (that is what Chick-fil-a uses, but we've used different one with excellent results. Don't use Meyer lemons though. Those are better for baking)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 5⅓ cups water

Instructions

1. Juice lemons so you end up with 1½ cups of lemon juice.
2. Add lemon juice to a pitcher and whisk with the sugar until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add water and whisk until well combined.
4. Refrigerate until nice and cold.

A Girl's Eye View

When we got a new camera a while ago, we let the girls have the old one. When I was uploading the pictures from the scavenger hunt, I enjoyed seeing the other pictures on that camera. Here are some of my favorites.

Photo Scavenger Hunt

I sent the girls on a photo scavenger hunt. I wrote down different words and put them in a bowl. They took turns drawing them out and then they would go find something that matched the word and take a picture of it. Here is what they came up with:

 

Something Yellow

 

 

Something Red

 

Something White

 

 

Something With Flowers

 

 

Something With Polka Dots

 

 

Something Pink

 

 

Something Blue

The Letter A

 

 

Something Brown

Something Orange

 

 

The Letter C

Something Black

 

 

Something Gray

 

Something Stripey

 

Something Purple

 

 

Something Green

 

 

This was a fun, easy activity. We'll definitely be doing it again. I think it would be fun to do the whole alphabet or different shapes. The possibilities are endless.



Biker Chicks

A while back, I wrote about how Abby stopped biting her blanket/sheet/pillow case. Well, unfortunately, she regressed and was back to her old fabric-loving ways. We knew we needed to crack down hard and up the prize. We have been wanting to get her a bike for a while, so we decided to make that the grand prize. We made a chart. She earned a sticker when she wouldn't bite anything and got a sticker removed if she did bite something. And, anything she bit would be taken from her bed. She was down to the fitted sheet and a pillow with no pillow case. Luckily, it's nice and hot outside so we didn't worry about her getting cold in her bed. A few nights, she even snuck a blanket into her bed and one time, while taking a nap, she bit the bottom of her dress. Well, she finally earned her eight stickers so we took her to Target to pick out a bike and a helmet. She chose a princess bike and a Hello Kitty helmet. When Sam went to assemble the bike, it was defective so we had to take it back and order a new one.

 

Yesterday, Grammy and Grandpa came over and brought a pump so we could pump up the tires and take the bike for a spin. She was beyond excited! She did a great job riding but the adventure was short because it was really hot out!

 

Clara is working on her tricycle skills. She prefers to walk her feet along so we'll have to get her to pedal.

We're proud of Abby and hope she's really beaten her habit for good this time. But, we're keeping all the bedding off a little longer, just in case!

Four Months Old

Our little man is four months old. He is getting to be such a fun little guy. He likes to play with toys and smile and interact with us more and more. He is so sweet and I could just squish him all day.

 

Hopefully we'll get him in for a doctor appointment soon, once we get our insurance squared away. I'm excited to see how much he's grown. He seems to get bigger all the time! My parents saw him yesterday after three weeks and they said he looked like a whole new baby.

The girls really are so in love with him. Abby says Grant is her best friend and whenever I go to put him down for a nap, Clara says, "Don't put my baby to bed!" Clara says he is her baby because she got him for her birthday. Whenever I refer to him as my baby she says, "He's not your baby. We have to share that baby!"

 

He's a pretty good little sleeper. At night, he'll usually do a nine hour stretch, eat and go back to sleep for a few more hours. His naps are getting more consistent and it's easier to put him down. Before long, he probably won't even want me to rock him at all.

Recipe Sunday: Cookies and Cream Bars

I have a lovely Pinterest board full of Treats and Sweets. When I was pregnant with Grant, most of my pins were desserts because savory foods just weren't as appealing. When it comes down to it, though, I don't really make a lot of things from it. Usually, when we have a dessert, we'll eat ice-cream or Oreos. I kind of hate making treats sometimes because recipes usually make a ton and then I have to eat it all. We don't want good food going to waste. Think of the starving children in _______. The board is a my go-to when I'm asked to bring a dessert to a party or activity or when we're really just needing something special.

 

I made these bars a while back and, man oh man, they were delicious. They are quick and easy and the recipe only makes an 8x8 pan. I'm drooling just thinking about it!

 

Cookies and Cream Bars

via Sweet Pea's Kitchen

 

Ingredients:

One 16 oz package of Oreo Cookies
5 cups large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Butter an 8X8 inch baking pan. Line the baking pan with parchment paper letting the paper extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. Butter paper; set pan aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse Oreos until ground.
In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt butter and marshmallows in the microwave until puffed, about 1½ - 2 minutes. Stir in ground Oreo Cookies until combined. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Using a piece of wax paper, press mixture evenly into prepared pan.
Let set up for at least 10 minutes. Cut into bars and serve.

A Fish Called...

Waldo

 

After many visits to Petsmart in Philly, we promised the girls we would get a fish when we moved to Arizona. They were dying for a pet and a fish is all we can handle for the time being.

Sam got off work a little early yesterday, so we went to pick out a fish. Abby liked this purplish one and she picked blue rocks for the bottom of the bowl. She got to choose because she was getting a reward because she hasn't been biting her sheet (again, but more on that later).

While we were brainstorming names, Abby came up with Waldo and we all liked it.

So, I guess we are a family of six now. Ha!

How Animals Eat Their Food

The girls are kind of obsessed with this YouTube video:

 



They ask to watch it all the time and usually I indulge them because, well, it's funny.

Yesterday, I went to give Grant a bath while the girls were finishing up dinner. Abby was trying to get Clara to eat more bites so she was telling Clara to eat like different animals in the video. Next thing I know, they come into the bathroom and Clara has dumped her plate over her head. Apparently, that is how this animal eats her food.

My Guy

I was playing with my little guy on the floor and he was so cute laying there showing off his guns so I thought I'd do a quick photo shoot.

 

Sweet little smiles.

He's getting so strong! It amazing to me how much he's grown up in the last two weeks. My parents have been on vacation and I'm pretty sure they won't even recognize him when they get back.

I love having a baby with a little chunk! I just have to munch on those cheeks all day.

He's so strong, he can wrestle elephants.

Water Fun

We have a pool at our apartment complex. However, just the thought of packing up and sunscreening and playing with three kids in the pool by myself is exhausting.

 

The summer heat and being cooped up is really getting to us. We are going a bit stir crazy! So, today I decided to be a lazy cool mom and send the girls outside on the porch with some bowls of water and some toys. They played out there for a while and had a great time. My sliding glass door is looking really clean! I've been meaning to get a kiddy pool to put out there but until then, the bowls of water will have to do.

 

This isn't the first time I've used the bowl trick. Here's Abby and her cousin playing as babies!