Cookie Craze

Gracelynn and I were busy girls today! We took Clayton on a walk, went to "Mother Goose" time at the library and then decided it was time to make cookies. (I'm on sweets duty for bible study tomorrow night)

I know it's backwards to try new recipes out on non family members, but for some reason, that's always when I tend to make something new. This time...I tried my hand at Royal Icing for sugar cookies. I'm a self-proclaimed cook, but a self-condemned baker, so I had no business baking for unsuspecting eaters. However! The sugar cookies came out quite well, if I do say so myself. :)

Here's a step-by-step look at the afternoon:

1: Totally cover the kitchen in flour, cookie dough, and powered sugar. Bake cookies at 350 degrees. Put Gracelynn down for a nap before they come out!

2: Whip up some Royal Icing (this is super stiff stuff! Only 1 egg white, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, and about 1-lb powdered sugar)

3: Color the frosting orange and pipe the pumpkin cookies. (I learned that "piping" is outlining the cookies so that when you "flood" it, everything stays on the cookie)

4: Flood the cookies! (Which means, taking my super-ultra stiff frosting, adding water, and then pouring over the cookies. They said to use a toothpick to spread it all, but I found that a baby spoon worked so much better)

5: Take a breather....

6: Get Gracelynn up from her nap, change diaper, return to cookies. The frosting has to "set" and get hard before I can do any detailing.

7: Survey the disaster I (and Gracelynn) created in the kitchen...make mental note to ask husband to HELP!

8: Detail pumpkin cookies!

9: Using a "kid" paintbrush, brush details with corn syrup.

 

10: Using favorite sprinkles/crystals! (They didn't have orange crystals at the grocery store...so we had to settle for sprinkles)

Whew! It was a fun day...but I'm worn out. Somehow, the three of us managed to get to the park too.

Three more weeks left of Heath's 8th grade football season. Gracelynn will enjoy it so much more when he's home. She's always asking for "Daddy". What? Am I really that boring??

Here she is only a 1/2 hour ago reading a book about yawns. Yawwwwwn.

And Mr. Smiley-Pants on his sister's towel...not very manly, I know.

There! Mr. I'm-Still-Hungry on a "manly" blanket. :)

Okay, definitely tired now. Good night readers!

Back Seat Quote

Here is one of those moments and kid quotes a parent wants to remember.


As we're driving down to the Quad Cities this last weekend, we pass a grassy field full of black angus cattle. Heath and I barely notice until we hear this very serious voice from the back seat:


"Bears, Mommy. Bears."

Sunday Sleepies

Before my little man fell asleep, I tried to get a "nice" picture in his Sunday clothes...

...I tried

Losing him here already!

Gracelynn finishing up a light lunch before she went down for a nap. :)

What She Doesn't Know Will Help Her Grow!

Now that Gracelynn is feeling better...she has taken to asking for "nacks" and "teats" all day long!

So Heath and I came up with a slogan:

What Gracelynn doesn't know will help her grow!

This morning I made low-fat homemade apple muffins with all kinds of healthy goodness hidden inside. Heath and I ate them with good 'ole Amana Apple Butter...and Gracelynn ate them plain. :) 

Clayton has been smiling and cooing a lot lately. I caught some on video, but I can't figure out why it's so fuzzy! Sorry, enjoy anyway. :)

Gracelynn is still enjoying her new role as "big sister", although occasionally, to get attention, she...ahem...takes it out on her brother. Not good, but normal.

Here are this morning's smiles! He went to bed at 8:00 (Heath and I were so tired, we just went to bed and figured we'd deal with late night feedings) and didn't get up until 12:30...and then 4:45! What a wonderful rest. :)

Heath pulled out this baby photo of himself the other day...

6 Weeks Old. Seriously?

Moms of ONE beware!
Time goes into warp speed with TWO.

Moms of THREE + ...I don't even want to know!

Yes, Clayton is 6 weeks old tomorrow. It's been a hairy couple of weeks here at the Kelley house, so I'm sorry I haven't updated. At his one month checkup, Clayton passed the 10lb mark at 10lbs 6oz. and 22". Growing like a weed and below, passed out in what I like to call his "milk coma". 

Gracelynn had to visit the doctor this week - she's over 28lbs already. No wonder I can't carry her around without my back aching...

This is her favorite new pastime. Lining up all her little figurines and then smashing them, flinging them off the sill. The other day, I heard her saying, "Naughty doll. Naughty." As she placed her in the swing. Hmmm...what has Mommy been saying lately???

Poor Gracelynn spent last week fighting off an ear infection, bladder infection, resp. virus, and a sick tummy from her medicine. Needless to say, I have a much greater respect for my mother and all the hours she spent taking care of us when we had the flu. Yucky! As Gracelynn would say. 

In the past few days, I've scrubbed the carpets, washed the couch, pulled a "yucky" carseat out of the van and scrubbed the seat...and so on and so on. I never would have believed we could have run out of crib sheets - but we did. So in the last week, Gracelynn has been sick, Clayton is starting his 6 week growth spurt and Mommy is getting the minimum amount of sleep required to live! 

Here's little "Payt-pen" enjoying his vibrating bouncer.

Don't ask me why (or how), but I managed to put in almost 3-dozen "Southwest Rollups" (recipe is in the Recipe Archive). We love these here. Simply grab one from the freezer, microwave for 2 minutes, melt cheese, tomatoes, and whatever toppings you want and you have one scrumptious and healthy burrito!

Seriously, I've had one just about every day!

And my favorite part of this update:

Clayton is just starting to really smile! Granted, they're still only every so often, but it is still so precious. :) Next to his vibrating bouncer, this is his favorite spot! He's in his "football uniform" for his first football game...which just happened to be one his Daddy was coaching. :D Go Sabers!

I caught the tail-end of this smile!!

And the Queen of Mischief herself...

Don't let that sweet expression fool you...she is up to no-good these days! Now that she's feeling better, she's back to eating me out of house and home and growing out of all her clothes. Those are her new 3T pj's. 

Big change at our house...Gracelynn is sleeping in a big girl bed! And by big girl, we mean she is now sleeping in an adult bed in her "new" room. We were going to search for a twin bed...but then realized there's no way we have room in our little upstairs, so we swapped rooms on the kids which means she's in what was once the "guest" bed and she is loving the new arrangement. Pictures soon to come...

Enjoy this day that the Lord has made!

Family Weekend

Wow - what a weekend! We're exhausted here at the Kelley house (although, lately, when haven't we been?) Gracelynn's Uncle Seth turned 16 this past Saturday, so we trooped our family up to Waukon to watch him play football and do some Mississippi fishing - don't worry, we did it without our kids.

Now that we're back home, it's back to me juggling home-life and Heath back to school. I took this picture of Clayton the other day and realized I had almost the exact pose of Gracelynn at the same age...can you see the similarities?

Crazy isn't it? Some likeness and yet - not. 

Here's the poor little guy all worn out. This is what we call his "food coma". Out cold with a full tummy.  :D

Lately, Gracelynn has taken to wearing her own pretties (instead of Mommy's) and she loves modeling them.

Even though the transition has been hairy at times, Gracelynn absolutely loves her little brother...

...and her stuffed animals.

We spent Labor Day at the Quad City Zoo as a family! Our first time together. :) Gracelynn had a blast seeing all the animals we've been reading about. Here she's enthralled with those ugly big goldfish that seem to always get bigger and uglier (at least that's what I think!).

Clayton, of course, just hung out. :)

MONKEYS!

She thought these were the best!

Daddy and Gracelynn checking out the bighorn sheep.

And an up-close look at a black bear. He came right up to the fence for her!

She talked away to him...

And this morning...

Yes (sigh), my child is playing in the dog kennel.

Just why she loves the kennel, I don't know, but she tucked every single stuffed animal she could find "in bed".

After a weekend with Pappa's cows, it was all she could talk about.

Uh-oh, better go! Clayton is hungry (when isn't he?).

Hope you all enjoyed your long weekend!

Blessings. :)