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Monday, July 30, 2007

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.


I made my first batch of yogurt almost two weeks ago. It actually turned out really well especially for the first try. We've added bananas, strawberries (with a drizzle of honey), peaches, and my favorite combo, strawberry-banana-pineapple. Lauren was my guinea pig...










Hmm...what did I do today to deserve this?



















Umm...tastes like...


















Loloike! (the way she pronounces yogurt)
















Now you try it, that way if it's bad we'll both get sick and die!!!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Suzie Homemaker? Who's laughing now?!

Well to those of you that laughed at me for registering for kitchen gadgets and gizmos when I got married, and wondered if I would display any homemaking skills, hear this and laugh: I have two new bees in my bonnet.

The first is that I want to try to make my own diapers. Not the old-fashioned diapers that our mothers used, but 21st century diapers. No pins, no rubber pants! I've ordered enough material to make a trial diaper (I'm trying microfleece on the inside instead of suedecloth, and I'm not sure if my current diapers are 1mil or 2mil, so I'm getting 2mil) and then will decide which way I like it better.

For those of you not familiar with my bumGenius diapers, let me give a short explanation of the materials. The outer layer of the diaper will be PUL (polyeurathane laminate) which is waterproof. The inside next to Claire's skin will be seudecloth or microfleece (both of these fabrics wick moisture away from baby's skin) The inside of the diaper will be microfiber terry if I can find it (it has great absorption/thickness ratio). There is elastic in the back and legs to help keep the mess in. There are stretchy tabs for a customized fit, and aplix - similar to velcro. Basically, it works like a disposable, but you can use it over and over. I think I'll be able to make mine for about a quarter of the cost of buying bumGenius.

My second bee is that I'm going to try to start making my own yogurt. We eat it every day, and it's going to be a big part of Claire's diet as well (Super Baby Diet, but that's a whole other story). I've been reading up on it, and I think I can do it. There are several reasons that I want to do this. The first is that organic yogurt, which we've always purchased for Lauren, is expensive. The second is that if it's not organic (for Tyler and me), it has lots of ingredients that we don't need, and way too much sugar. If I make my own, I can control those things. Did you know that some brands of yogurt have the equivalent of 10 teaspoons of sugar! Could you imagine how you'd react if you watched a friend add sugar to their tea or coffee and you were silently counting one, two...eight, nine, ten!!!

Well, I guess that's a third bee: eating healthier. I'm so stuck on daily caffiene i.e. Dr. Pepper, and I'm trying to cut back. And, as I'm about to begin the process of making Claire's baby food (all from scratch, bee #4) I'm reading a lot about nutrition...which ties into bee #2, making yogurt, and also bee#5, looking for ways to save/make money. Boy, I'm sure on a rabbit trail with a lot of bees flying around. Did I mention that I'm afraid of bees? Or anything that stings? You see, I've never been stung by anything, and the older I get, the more afraid I am...still rambling down the rabbit trail...(just to clarify, I'm afraid of bees, not the rambling rabbit trail...what kind of run-on/fragmented sentence is that, anyway?)

Monday, July 16, 2007

No Refunds or Exchanges!

The morning of my birthday, we were all cuddling in bed. Lauren said "I'm all done with baby Claire. Let's take her back to Dr. Atkins and trade her for a baby brother!" It was hard not to laugh, but we explained that you don't "trade" a baby for a new one, that we have to wait for God to send us a brother.
I had a great day. Tyler took the day off. We went to water aerobics, ran a few errands, had a mint oreo shake from Chick-fil-a, I worked on Claire's Christmas stocking while we watched Frasier reruns, and my MIL watched the girls while we went to Hoffbrau Steaks with Natalie and Bryan.

Monday, July 9, 2007

Do you know where babies really come from?

Lauren is always talking about how baby Claire came out of Mama's tummy, and how Dr. Atkins helped me get her out. One day a few weeks ago, she was saying this again, and I asked her, "Lauren, do you know where you came from?" She looked at me and said "I came from Costco!"
I told this story to a friend, and she laughed and replied "if Lauren came from Costco, she would have been quadruplets..."

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Copy Cat

Well, as you can see, I haven't touched my blog since April. For that matter, I haven't even shared the web address with anyone until today. I read my friend Erin's blog and she had a great idea: in order to join the bandwagon of bloggers, have a semi-updated blog, and not use several thousand pictures in the process, just post one picture a month from the desired beginning point to the present. So here goes - Lauren, this is YOUR life from April 2006 until February 2007. (we didn't go digital until April...maybe we can borrow some digital pics from Uncle Stephen) Claire, maybe I'll get to you by the time you turn two!
April 2006
Botanical Gardens


May 2006
Ireland
(apparently I can't narrow it down to just one picture a month.)






Enchanted Rock (outside of Fredericksburg)

Cousin Emily


Uncle Stephen


my first pigtails



June 2006

Sugar Bear (Uncle Josh's dog)

Heidi (Uncle Steve's dog)


Cousin Analisa



July 2006



Riding the carousel for the summer reading club party

August 2006





the froggy slide at Randoll Mill Pool...we spent many summer days here


September 2006

doing "cheeks" for Uncle Stephen. Maw Maw made this dress for me.


Ariel - the kitten daddy brought me. I named him myself! He dissappeared shortly after Christmas


Helping Paw Paw mop


October 2006



Cinderella




Picking a pumpkin at Country Critter's Farm




riding a pony at C.C. farm



camping in my tent


November 2006

doing "school" with Uncle Josh



December 2006

My Christmas dress from Maw Maw

Cousin Michael

Cousin Michael Making cookies for Santa


Eating a cupcake at the MOMS Club Christmas party

January 2007



My first snow. I wonder what it tastes like?

Hmm...tastes like snow!


As soon as Lauren saw that it was snowing, she wanted to make "Frosty the Snowman" with a carrot for his nose.


my first time on roller skates - I did great!



February 2007


Happy 2nd Birthday! Mama made a Strawberry Shortcake Birthday cake. My party had to be rescheduled because my new sister Claire decided to come three weeks early.





yum!