Scooter

Penny is now mobile.  Especially when there is a cell phone that is not within her reach. Or if there is a spot of carpet that hasn't been barfed on for a while.  We get so excited when she scoots around so we cheer and clap and laugh and she just looks at us like, "Yeah, what of it?"  I love her.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

I found this recipe a few weeks ago on a blog called Oopsey-Daisy and have been really excited to try it.  I love anything with cinnamon and sugar.  I could eat just the streusel that goes on top of apple crisp like popcorn.  I have tried a few cinnamon-y recipes in the past that were okay, but these muffins were SO GOOD!  The muffins alone (even without the topping) have such a great flavor.  Maybe you should go make them right now!  Here's the recipe:

Snickerdoodle Muffins

Muffins

2 c. flour

¾ tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp. cream of tartar

¼ tsp. salt

½ c. butter, melted

1 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping

1 c. sugar

2 T. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Either butter a 12-cup muffin tin or use cupcake papers.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.  In another bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Stir until combined.  Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and mix lightly with a fork.

Fill the muffin cups with batter.  Top each muffin with the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  It can be applied heavily.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Camping Out

Last weekend I took the boys out for a little camping with some of our friends and this was the result: Dirty faces, lots of sweets, running around with flash lights trying to scare people, throwing rocks in the lake, trying to catch little fish with our bare hands, making sand creations on the beach, going for nature walks, checking out the nature station at the park (who knew beavers were so huge?), and staying up late listening to the noisy forest around us. It was fun. I'm pretty sure the boys think being out in the woods is better than Disney World. At least, there was less complaining. Of course, how could they not be happy with no need for hygiene and a mouth full of fire roasted marshmallows?

Rockstar

Last night Penny went to bed around 6:45, ate at 6:00am, then slept until 8:00. That's my kind of baby. She really is a rockstar. And I'm not just talking about her hair.

Attack of the Hair!

Um, I can't even come up with words cute enough for this picture. Maybe you can, how about a caption contest! Give it your best shot.

Attitude of Gratitude

Last night was quite the adventure. I was pretty sick and took some Nyquil to help me sleep but told Jessica to wake me if she needed me during the night to help with Penny. Well it turns out she didn't have to wake me. At around 10pm Bridger burst into our room. He covered his mouth and Jessica ferried him to our toilet where we had to watch him retch over and over. It was the first time since a baby that he had to vomit and it was really sad to watch, but he took it like a champ. He didn't cry, just talked normally in that little voice and went back to bed. The second time, he ran into our room with a blood-curdling scream that scared us half to death. He went in a and threw up again and went back to bed. Unfortunately, the scenario repeated itself every 45 minutes for about 5 hours straight. He couldn't keep anything down.

Sometime in the night the power shut off too and we worried that Penny would wake without her white noise fan.
Then, early in the morning Brody came in to tell us he wet the bed.
Then Jessica woke me with her sobbing. She had dreamed that Bridger died.
Overall, I'd say last night ranks high on our list of worst nights ever, but on the upside Penny didn't need to eat until almost 5, so that was nearly 10 hours straight.

With all this, and being a bit sick myself, its actually hard not to be grateful. Strangely all these things just serve to remind me how wonderful we normally have it. That our kids being sick and sad is something rare. That we have comfy beds and a home to sleep in. That Brody and Bridger are completely out of diapers, and normally don't wet the bed. That our children are alive and well and generally happy. We have everything that we could need and much more. Even at times like this when things aren't "perfect" we are well taken care of and have medicine and food and water. We have the Church. We have awesome friends. We have it all.

I think of all the families in Pakistan and Afghanistan who have lost their meager livelihoods and homes, who worry about strangers or bombs killing them in the night, who wonder what they will eat the next day, who ache for rest and health. What would it be like to be a parent there? A parent who loves and cares for and worries about their children just as I do mine, but they don't have the comfort and ease that I enjoy, or even the means to give their children what they need. And not just there, but places all over the world. How can I not be overwhelmingly grateful for everything we have and enjoy on a daily basis? We have it so good, its amazing. Heavenly Father has blessed us so much.