Morning at the Beach

Here are some pictures from our morning at Raccoon River Park:

Nothing like playing with a little garbage in the river

Maddie staying cool in the shade

Spicin' Up the Pad

Thanks to my sister, Allie, and her vinyl business, I have been able to add a little color and excitement to the apartment. She sent some vinyl with my mom and I love it! Here are too many pictures but I had to show it all.

Here's what a room with two cribs looks like

Isaac's new transportation decorations

Not sleeping as much as he should...

Maddie's name

Closeup of Maddie's butterflies--they match the butterflies on her bedding (thank you, Robyn!)

Birdcage in the hall

Flower vase above kitchen sink (I don't even miss having a window in the kitchen with these beauties!)

Under the Sea animals in the bathtub

Thank you so much, Allie---I love it all!

All to Myself...

I'm so excited to have my mom in town this week! It is the first time that I've ever gotten her all to myself. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but if you had a brother like mine, you would understand. Whenever we go to Utah to visit he is so demanding and needy that no one else (myself and kids included) can get any quality time with her (still love ya, B). Not now! Here's to the best week ever!

Rock and Roll

Here's a clip of our little rock star rolling over. As you will see from the video, having a head that measures in the 75th percentile really comes in handy when you need momentum and weight get yourself where you want to go.

She is still working on rolling from her back to her tummy--maybe we'll let her watch the footage of her cousin so Addie can show her how it's done :)

For my Mama

This post is dedicated to my angel of a mother (who's coming to visit on Friday--wahoo!). Without her, I never would have won my first blue ribbon. That's right, I entered my mom's Fresh Peaches 'n' Cream pie into the local pie baking contest at church and I won!I never win anything so this is big.

Let me tell you peeps, it was some steep competition--there were hundreds of delicious pies competing with mine (or at least a dozen)---including cherry, key lime, strawberry cheesecake, raspberry-peach, and more--- but Peaches 'n' Cream didn't let me down. This pie is one of the best things about fall--so delish! Here is the recipe (for my girls who asked for it):

Peaches 'n' Cream Pie

1 prepared baked pie crust

1 1/2 c. mashed peaches

3 Tbs. cornstarch

1 c. granulated sugar

1 pint whipping cream

1/2 c. powdered sugar

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

3-4 c. sliced fresh peaches

In saucepan, mix mashed peaches, cornstarch, and granulated sugar on stove top over medium heat. Stir constantly until glaze begins to boil. Remove from heat and refrigerate until cool.

Meanwhile, whip cream until soft peaks form. In separate bowl, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Add whipped cream. Spread half of cream mixture into bottom of prepared pie crust. Place sliced peaches on top of cream mixture. Pour cooled glaze on top of fresh peaches. Spread remaining cream mixture on top of pie. Serve immediately. A special thanks to Isaac for cleaning the beaters. I just had to post this picture of Maddie. She's been working really hard on her tummy lately ever since we figured out how to keep her from falling asleep. Unless we put her hands underneath her, she just gets puts her head down and sleeps most of the time, but if we strategically place her arms underneath her, she squirms so much that she rolls over (unless she has a 23 lb. toddler trying to lay on top of her, of course).