Taylor's First Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated Taylors 1st birthday.

Birthday Cupcakes:
Presents!:

Yum! Cake!:

3rd of July

Yeah, we celebrated the 4th on the 3rd. (Eric had to work all weekend) We had great day! We went boating on the lake. It was warm and wonderful!

Madi did a little fishing with her princess pole, but didnt catch anything.

Taylor went swimming. Despite the look on her face in this picture, she LOVED it- I would bop her up and down as she sat on my feet. She was mad because I wouldnt let go of her so she could splash better!
Yeah, Taylie is still mad at me because *gasp* I took her out of the water!

Even though fishing and swimming was lots of fun, the girls favorite activity on the boat was snack time! They like their food!

We ended the day with a BBQ dinner and "sprinkles" (sparklers) :)

New Baking Blog

First of all, I want to thank all of you who check my blog out from time to time! Its nice to know that Im not writing and posting pics in vain! When I started this blog, I didnt realize how much I was going to love it! Blogs are Fun!! :) Ive posted a few recipes on this blog and I have enjoyed the feedback some of you gave me. I decided that I wanted to start a new blog completely dedicated to baking (and occasionally cooking). I love to bake and I love to talk about baking- so I figured it made sense to start a blog and share some of my baking successes, tips, ideas and maybe even some failures. Please check it out! I havent posted too many yet, but come back again as I plan to update it fairly often. The address is sweetbakerbabes.blogspot.com I will also have a link to it in the side bar with all the other blogs I follow. Thank you!!

Ruff Ruff!

My baby girl said her first word yesterday! She has a huge awareness of our dog and everytime it barks she looks around for it. (its an outside dog). So then I repeat the word dog a few times and then say ruff ruff a few times. (this happens several times a day) Well, yesterday she repeat "ruff ruff". I thought maybe it was a coincidence but then she did it later for Eric and again today. Madi's first word was "quack quack" so my girls must have a fascination with animal noises. Looks like she is going to be talking before she is walking! :) Although she did take her first step. Eric has way too much fun rubbing it in my face that I missed it!! (I was in the other room) She also learned how to wave a week or so ago. Okay, thanks for indulging me in a bragging moment that only me and the grandparents probably appreciate! :)

Aaahhh! Snuggling with Papa (Eric's dad). They both ended up falling asleep like that!

Our trip to California

Here is the pathetic few pictures that I was actually able to upload so far (in no particular order). Our trip was great! The girls were perfect little travelers- we couldnt have asked for better cooperation- really! (for those of you who dont know- we drove) Of course it felt way too short, with not near enough time to spend with family. Not that I need an excuse to visit family, but the reason we went when we did was because my brother graduated from highschool- couldnt miss that! Congratulations Jason!

Eric, my mom, the girls and I went to a little zoo one day. Lots of fun, perfect weather and very active animals. And no, the turtle is not real even though Madison insists that it is!

Our first stop in CA was to visit my grandparents . It was wonderful to see them. It was their first time meeting Taylor. (oops-grandpa didnt make it into this one)

Uncle Jason and Auntie Kari making Taylor giggle like crazy!

My grandma S. lives in the same town as my parents now, so it was great to just pop over for short visits throughout our trip.

Madison and Taylor hanging with my dad after he got home from work one day.

We did more than what these pictures suggest, (like the graduation and party, a lot more hanging out and having fun pictures and one day Eric and I left the girls with my mom and went on a tour down into a gold mine) but like I said, uploading is not cooperating lately and Im getting sick of trying, so these will probably be the only pics I put up.

Almost Walking!

Taylor is getting closer and closer to walking and even attempts to stand hands free without prompting from me. Getting those feet to move is a little tough though! What a big girl! Whenever Taylor stands, Madi runs over and says, "Now I can push her!" Sheesh, sibling rivalry starts young! :)
Ive been having trouble uploading pictures on here, which is partly why I havent posted lately, Im actually surprised it worked today. Hopefully soon I can get some pics from our trip to CA posted.

Dutch Babies

And no, I dont mean Madison and Taylor. Although they do fit the description! :) I was intrigued by these mostly because of the name, but the fun of how they turn out and the fact that they are so delicious kept me coming back for more.
A dutch baby, otherwise known as a German pancake, is basically a giant "eggy" pancake. Traditionally it should be sprinkled with lemon juice and dusted with powdered sugar. I did eat them this way, which was good, but we also tried them with maple syrup, Eric had his with molasses. And once we even did them with strawberries, strawberry coulis and whipped cream. Yeah, it was more like dessert for dinner! These are WAY more simple to make than the picture may make you think. The hot oven does all the hard work- but you will get the credit of a very impressive and unique dish! And they are fast too, so they make a fun easy breakfast, or anytime treat. I do have a little trouble with them sticking a bit to the bottom of the pan, so if anyone tries these and has good luck with them not sticking, I would love to know your secret.

Dutch Babies

4 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 c. flour

2/3 c. milk

2 T. butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a cast iron skillet, or oven proof skillet. Put the 2 T. butter into the buttered skillet and place in the preheating oven to melt. While the butter is melting blend the eggs until light yellow (a whisk works fine, no need to pull out the mixer). Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until smooth. (I usually alternate adding the milk and flour a little at a time while whisking to avoid lumps). Pour the mixture into the hot skillet and return immediately to the oven. Bake 20-30 min. Avoid opening the oven door until close to 20 min to check them until it has "set" (the cool air will interupt the wonderful process of the puffing!) Slice it like a pie and top with your favorite topping. (I want to try sliced sugar and cinnamon skillet apples next! Yum!) Serve along side some sausage and fresh fruit for a very satisfying meal.