Too many apples (in a good way)

We had an abundance of apples in our fruitbowl this week (thanks to a lovely giftbasket), and some leftover cider from Christmas. I came across an article in Good Housekeeping and decided to be resourceful. It called for fresh lemon, but I used the orange we already had. It also called for 5 lbs apples (about 10 apples), but I didn't have that many, so this is the halved version. I thought it turned out nicely. Husband agreed. Let me know if you try it out.

Apple Butter
5 apples, cored, peeled and cut in 8 wedges
1 cup apple cider
2-3 strips orange or lemon peel
3 Tbl. fresh orange or lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1. In a dutch oven, combine all ingredients except sugar, heat to boiling. Simmer on medium, partially covered 18-20 minutes or until apples are soft, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in sugar; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, partially covered, 30-40 minutes or until very thick, stirring often and breaking up apples. Increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring until spatula run along bottom of pan leaves a clean trail.
3. Discard peel and cinnamon stick. If needed, transfer to food processor and puree until smooth. Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 weeks or freeze up to 6 months.
Makes 2 cups

Simple things

My father in law passed along a notebook he replaced with "newer technology", so now I blog more :) Thanks Pops! Just to update my last actual post...we got to see some amazing Christmas light displays in Cali, we walked the sundial bridge and riverwalk in Redding, Billy and I had a nice date night (with free babysititing), but the fishing was replaced with another hobby of my hubby's, our spa day was replaced with shopping (nice trade off) :), and.....there was snow!

(It still amazes me we have two blue eyed kids!)

The kids were so cute, just taking in all the surroundings. Emma seemed to enjoy the sledding, but Will was pretty overwhelmed by all the screaming we did racing down the hills (which I royally whipped my husband at, by the way ::) he wasn't too interested in going down with either of us.

When he watched both his parents go flying by at once, he got a bit concerned we might be leaving him, or hurting ourselves. Thankfully, he figured out he liked throwing snow balls at the bottom of the hill and everything was all better.

We're finally home after a great early Christmas in California. Two of our big suitcases ended up in Newport News Virginia after being tagged incorrectly by the ticket agent. They finally made it home yesterday. At the moment, a good amount of our belongings are strewn down the hallway.. it feels like the piles just never go away, even when I whittle at them for what seems like hours. Oh dear, I need a maid!

We got home, turned on some Sinatra and Bing, and finished up the ornaments on our tree we had put up before we left. It was nice to get into the spirit of the season. This year we are staying in line with our churches theme to have a Simple Christmas (it's all part of the Advent Conspiracy). So we only put the ones on the tree that were sentimental.

For Christmas, we're doing one big gift for each of the kids, and a few little knick knacks, so tonight we did a little stocking shopping together. Speaking of stockings....it's pretty wild to have a mantle full of those babies! The thought crossed our mind we may have a mantle full from just our own family one day :) That's a cool thought.

Merry Christmas week....try to enjoy it with the people you love, and make your time together a gift.

(Tr)Ader Joe's

Cali Christmas Part 2

Will has this funny habit lately of offering you something encouraging you to "rock rock" it :) Sometimes it's a bell, a truck, a book or even YOU ("rock Daddy"). I literally found Billy sitting in his lap the other day so Will could "rock" him :) LOL! 

This time, he handed his sister her doll and in good fashion, told her to "rock rock" the baby. They are so cute together...he play's really nicely with his sis, and she totally adores him.

 Last night we had a really nice evening with Grandpa (Gpa) and Grandma (Gma) E., Uncle Herb (Suzanne's brother) and Aunt Brenda. We enjoyed a nice bowl of warm chili and homemade cornbread (I missed my cast iron when making it!) on a cold night, and we watched Ice Age Christmas and Cars 2. Will was throwing kisses and "I love you's" to me across the table and Emma enjoyed catching up with her Pops (who had been out of town for a few days on business in Austin, TX, of all places!).

Everyone was highly entertained by the kids, and Gma especially loved showing them her santa-popping out of a gift-box lapel pin. She said when Billy and his bro's were little, they loved it too (that's a long time to keep a pin!) Will would count to three for her to pull the string, and Emma would mainly just try and put it in her mouth :) She's turning into quite the skilled fine-motor girl, undoing her Nana's pins multiple times in a row. .

Gpa and Gma brought the kids some great new books, and a very nice gift for Billy and I. It's times of gathering like these that we are so thankful for good people we get to call our family.

California Christmas Part 1

Billy's annual work Christmas party landed us in Las Vegas over the weekend. It was great to catch up with all the co-workers and their special someone's, and meet the many new faces added to the company this year. We were treated to a nice dinner and a night's stay at the Bellagio, a gift exchange, Cirque du Soleil's "O" and a yummy brunch before we dashed off. Will and Emma loved all the Christmas decor and fun animal displays the hotel offered in their Conservatory, and thankfully we had church friend of a family member that was able to come care for them during the late evening show. This was our first time out of the Vegas airport...and a nice trip. Oddly enough, we never took our camera out to take any pictures while we were there! Shame on us!

When we left Vegas, we took a little detour....and flew out to visit...Nana and Pops!'

and Grandma and Grandpa B....

they totally loved seeing the kids (and meeting Emma). 

Will found it very interesting that Grandma had her own walker too, it was so cute how he chased her all over the house. We are always thankful to get another visit with them

Emma girl has been on the move, scooting around on her bum, or getting onto her knees. She's also been pulling herself up a little on things like the coffee table.

Somebody's about to crawl

Sunday we had an early Christmas, so the kids could have some fun toys to play with while we're here in Cali. It was so fun to see Emma light up about the wrapping and bows! She got an adorable giggle doll, a purse and my pal Violet. Will loved his farm and cars and is starting to warm up to the idea of liking the Singamajig:) They both had new clothes and accessories in the closet when we came. Billy and I were blessed with cash and presents too and we feel so loved for all the gifts the B's gave our family.

Will and Emma are both having a lot of fun playing with all their new toys and books, and Nana and Pops are eating them up! We were promised a date night, guys fishing trip and girls spa day, so more pics to come!

 

Daddy's helpers

New in Christ

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

2 Corinthians 5:17


We received an email this morning that our dear friend passed away after a rollercoaster battle with cancer. Our hearts ached for the families' loss. Immediately, we began to pray for their minds to be at peace, for grieving to come, and for comfort and love to overflow in their grieving.

I questioned why God would allow such a struggle like this one to come to an end? Especially when there had been some very high peaks of hope, and victories, in his valley called cancer.

God quickly reminded me that he ultimately had been healed of this terrible disease. His healing came in a different form than we had hoped, or expected. His healing was eternal.

We left our bedroom, and to our surprise, the caterpillar we had caught on Saturday in our bug catcher had fully cacooned himself in the night. What a symbolic moment that was. This creepy crawler was about to be made new, into a beautiful winged creature.

God revealed his truth in nature. In our decaying bodies' death, GOD GIVES US A NEW BODY. When we are in Christ, our lives are transformed and our bodies are perfected when we go to be with Him.

We will miss our friend dearly.

For him, the new has come.

She's here

Just in case anybody was still wondering...yes...our little, ahem, BIG sparkle is here!

Miss Emma Jaymes Sweet Girl Sparkle Baby arrived a few weeks early at 11:56 p.m. on March 9, 2011. She was a tiny little thing, weighing 6 lb. 3 oz. and 18 1/2" long. Now our 8 month old "little" girl weighs about 20 pounds! She's been a great addition to the B. fam, and her brother loves her so (the feeling's mutual). Her contagious smiles light up the room, and her newest trick "pat-a-cake" is sure to put a smile on anybody's face. I'm thinking she may be crawling soon, since she is starting to side prop a lot in efforts to reach all her toys. She gets herself around the room, rolling to and fro. She is sure cute when she engages you to play or hold her. Her little feet just kick kick kick when she wants to get somewhere while in someone's arms (I guess she thinks she's helping you go). We are certainly glad to have her and can't imagine our family without the cutie pie.

The Princess and the Pilot

Will is doing great these days. He amazes us all the time. Spelling his name...recognizing many letters, all the colors, and shapes. There are so many books he's memorized and can fill-in words for. Lately, his big thing is pointing out the different tractors...backhoe, excavator, dump truck, etc.  It's so cute to hear him sing his version of "Row, Row, Row" among several other songs. He had surgery back in September to have tubes placed in his ears and his blocked tear duct drained. He hadn't suffered from many ear infections, but his speech had somewhat changed ("dada" had become "gaga"..imagine the joking we did with Billy for that one! LOL:) . This was a clue to us that his hearing had also changed. So in efforts to test his hearing, we found he had chronic fluid that needed to be drained. The ENT described it as having "air plane hearing" all the time. Just imagine that, poor guy! The week of his surgery, we noticed his speech improve. His words are becoming more clear every day. He now has high-profile AFO's (orthotic braces) to assist him in walking, and for long distances is pretty pro at using a little walker.We are hoping these are only temporary, as he has recently started taking independent steps. His overall tone is getting much better, and we are soooo often praising God for the awesome blessing Will is!

Since we last spoke, my brother and his family moved in (April 2). It's been a lot of fun having so much "community" time together. We enjoy rotating the dinner duty (and the clelaning duty as well!) and the kids totally enjoy being in one house. It's been good for the toddlers to have "siblings" around, to learn to share and play fair. They will certainly be better off for it. We had a friend tease the other day that our house "looked like Disneyland"...with many books, toys and play-things in every room. Life is fun in our casa!

We gained 3 neices this year! Olive, Olivia, and Nova! They are all beautiful and healthy girls! We haven't met Olivia yet (she lives in Boston) but we get to see adorable pictures of her via email.

Aunt Mimi came for a visit

I thought I'd post a quick something to let the blog world know I haven't forgotten you! It's just been suuuuuper busy! If you can, take a sec. and let me know you're still reading and I just might follow this posting up with another :) Here are a few fun pics of the 5 grandbabies on my side of the family.

Nova, Will, Emma, Olive and Lucie with Papa and Gramm

Big Boy, Big Girl

~BIG BOY~

Back in January, Billy and I started working on getting Will's bedroom ready for his transition. We wanted him to love it so much, and not feel slighted when little sister's crib took the place of his in our room. Fortunately, he already loved his "playroom" so very much, that he, in fact, would leave us in the living room most days to go play in there alone. It took a few days to get paint on the walls, the ceiling fan, pictures, decals and curtains hung...but I'd say what took the longest was Mommy being okay little man leaving our room (he never skipped a beat so I'm good now) :) Here's the pics of the finished product.

~BIG GIRL~

We had an ultrasound today with the maternal fetal specialist. They wanted to check Emma's growth, and the midwife had noticed a few months back that my placenta seemed to be a little low-lying. This could be dangerous, potentially causing something called "placenta accreta" where the placenta can actually attach itself to the scar tissue of a former uterine surgery (my c-section), and result in hemmorage and/or hysterectomy if not diagnosed in time. So it was important for us to have a good report today, in order to continue with our plan to birth safely at home. We were so pleased when the ultrasound was over, the specialist came in with a big grin, announcing that our girl looked healthy and beautiful. She's weighing in around 5lb 6oz (only 6 oz. less than Will AT BIRTH) which is considered a little above average for 35 wks g.a.. Whew! Then she said the placenta had completely come up to my mid-belly region, moving completely out of the way of my scar or cervix. Whew again! We had a feeling, based on the past 3 visits, and good fetoscope findings with the midwife, that it had moved up. But it never hurts to see proof!

The only downside to the ultrasound today was Miss Emma is already so embedded in my pelvis, and looking down, that we never saw her little face! I guess she will have to surprise us when she arrives!

Update on~Bags!

UPDATE: I found my perfect bag! I was browsing Dillards one day with mom, and came across a Fossil utitlity tote. At the time, I thought it was the wrong size, but after much searching in several stores and online, I came back to it. Billy said he knew I loved it when I was showing it to him for the first time, and I looked like a kid in a candy store, face beaming and all.

Its's waterproofed inside, with just the right amount of pockets and zippers...plus a great big area on the outside for changing pad, diapers, nursing cover, etc. I bought a second smaller toiletry bag that fits comfortably inside, that I'm going to use for Will when we drop him off at the nursery, or he goes out on his own with family. It's perfect! Holds his sippy cup, snacks, bibs, diapers, wipes, etc. Just what we needed, and I can keep my brain organized with their things separated for times when she's with me, and he's out having fun with someone else. LOVE IT.

My goodness, who would have thought finding a good diaper bag would be so hard! I'm less than 7 weeks out from being an official parent of 2, and I really wanted to get a bigger, better bag to carry my kiddos things in.
I guess I'm pickier than I originally thought. It's got to be big, but not heavy; I want it to have a washable/waterproof liner, but don't like the "laminated look"; I like the outside pockets, but don't want it to look like a gardeners tote :)  I would love for it to be stylish, but not just a pocket-less bag that becomes a big black hole....My, oh my, this is hard!
I've SEARCHED THE ENTIRE WEB and have yet to find "the one" where I hear angels singing their ahhhs in the background :0 Okay, so perhaps I'm overthinking it.

So far, this is the one I'm leaning towards... http://www.etsy.com/listing/61573709/morning-glory-emma-large-hot-mama?ref=mt

We've only just begun...

This afternoon, Will wandered into Billy's office where he had brought a brand new can of Kilz oil-based primer in to read the directions (we're re-painting Emma's armoire). Needless to say, Will found that brand new can of Kilz, knocked it onto the floor, and managed to get the lid off....when my mom and Billy found him, he was swimming in it, covered from head to toe! By the time I was called into the bathroom, I found Billy scrubbing him vigorously in the sink, and all you could see were those baby blues shining out from a very white painted face! He was talking up a storm, seemingly not even phased by what happened. If anything, I think he had fun splashing around in the quart of thick goo on the carpet!

Thankfully after speaking with Poison Control, we were relieved he must not have ingested much at all,if any (smart boy!). Otherwise, he would have immediately had coughing and vomiting fits (none of which he had) and most likely, he was going to be just fine :) We were able to clean him up with Canola oil and baby wash...and his mouth came clean with peanut butter! I just spent the last hour scrubbing all the clothing my husband and son have most likely turned into "painting clothes" (Billy's fave jeans, and a brand new outfit on Will from Nana and Pops!) Tomorrow, it will be on to scrubbing the carpet...then again, maybe we'll call someone professional in for that one.

I was especially amused, because I had taken a picture of him earlier this morning after he pulled himself into my generously sized bathtub, fully clothed. I thought that was a big deal, and then this happened! I have a feeling life with a toddler on a mission to get into everything has only JUST BEGUN. Yippie.

4 Preggo's

My friend Claire (18 weeks pregnant) and I thought it was high time she was introduced to the store called Babies R Us :) It just so happened to work out that sisters Lin and Rachel were free so they got to come too (and don't forget Grammy May, Will and Lu!) We all piled in the Durango (good ole' Bess) and had a grand time together. We had people stopping us in the store, trying to get the whole scoop on our group. Claire and Rachel mainly browsed for future ideas, but Lin was on a mission, buzzing around scanning registry items diligently.

At one point, I was wishing I'd had my camera when we all stopped to enjoy a rest in the comfy rocking chairs...so there we were, 2 kids in strollers sleeping, 1 grandma watching over them diligently, and 4 tired pregnant girls with their feet up, eating a protein snack. What a day. I'm pooped!

2 and Under!

Last week, we heard the great news that our SIL Winnie, in Boston, is due to have their first baby in August :) We were so happy to know Will and Emma would get to share a B.cousin now!
Last night, we were informed that our sister Rachel is joining Lindsey and myself on our Round #2 of baby making! (We always teased them their 5 year plan was gonna' change, and they would join us on Round #2...)
We are thrilled and amazed that this year will make 3 grandbabies for Billy's parents, and 5 grandbabies for my parents that are all 2 years old and under!! Of course, just like our wedding year, we had to be on this journey at the same time, and we didn't even plan it, lol.
How blessed to be a apart of a beautiful, growing family :)