More pictures from our trip to Indiana

Lynette kindly sent me more pictures from our time in Indiana.

Here we are enjoying dinner our last evening there.

Mom holding Aubrey

Mom holding Aubrey in her makeshift sling.


Dad with his new (to me) beard.

Dreamy Chocolate Mousse

A coworker shared this recipe. I made half a batch last night, and now that I know how simple it is to make...it might be dangerous.

It's decadent, smooth, creamy and delicious. I'm dreaming up ways to tweak it a little. Like drizzling in a little amaretto liquor, slathering it between layers of chocolate cake, topping the cake with chocolate ganache sprinkled with almond slivers. Or dolloping onto angel food cake with strawberries. Or mixing in a little strong, cold coffee for mocha mousse.

Or, most likely, I'll enjoy it just as it is. A spoonful or two is really all you need for a chocolate fix. (Or maybe just a few more spoonfuls). To balance things out, I'm glad to have picked my first zucchini and squash from the garden this afternoon! :)

Dreamy Chocolate Mousse
Makes 4 1/2 cups

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups heavy whipping cream

1. In a small bowl, soften gelatin in 3 tablespoons cold water. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup boiling water, stirring until gelatin dissolves. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cocoa powder.

3. In a medium bowl, beat cream at medium speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar mixture, beating until stiff peaks form. Stir (or beat) in gelatin mixture. Cover and chill 4 hours. (The waiting was the hardest part)!

5 Months

The little squirt will be five months-old tomorrow.

Here she is on June 10.

Poor baby. I was playing dress up with her yesterday. Doesn't she look like a little milk maid with that silly hat? :)

She has started pulling things to her mouth like her spoon, toys, and bottle.

Little sweetums in the laundry basket last night.


Tonight, she sat briefly unassisted. She seems so little, but is interacting more and more. I love her babbles, when she flaps her "wings," and her sweet smile.

Indiana

Life has been busy lately...thus the time between posts. From May 30-June 8, we headed to Indiana for a visit.

We decided to try the train. I had not taken the train since I was probably 7 years-old and still have good memories of that trip. We traveled in coach seats on the way out. Suffice it to say that we will not do that again...at least not with small children. We took a sleeper car on the way back...and it was worlds better! Here is Aubrey, happily playing in our sleeper car.


We are thankful that Lynette and Rusty were able to pick us up (and later drop us off) at the train station in Chicago. We scheduled our visit to see them again before they return to Thailand. We spent the beginning and end of our trip in Middlebury at Mom and Dad's. I failed to bring my camera, we only brought our video camera, so I'm borrowing pictures for this post. I'll try to post some video another time.

Aubrey enjoyed baths in the kitchen sink...

...and Tyler enjoyed Mom and Dad's tub, especially when accompanied by a snack and a DVD to watch. What more can he ask for? Not much, in fact, as each time this was allowed, he stayed in the tub for a couple of hours. :)

We spent part of a day in Decatur visiting Wayne's grandparents. Aubrey had not met them yet, so we were happy to see them again. Then we spent a couple of days with Hollins and Rachel in Indianapolis.

We got to babysit for Jillian the first night we were there. She has recently learned to crawl, and was getting around just great. She was a lot of fun, and was easy to take care of. She was interested in checking out her little cousin.

We got to visit the zoo while we were there. I was impressed, especially by the Oceans exhibit.

We headed back to Middlebury for a few more days before heading home. Mom and Dad babysat one evening so that the cousins could spend an evening together. We had another gathering of Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins.

Tyler and his second cousin, Brennan, play very well together. Brennan came over on Sunday afternoon and the boys kept each other occupied.

They took a break in the afternoon to go fly a kite.

Sitting on the deck.

Playing in the backyard.

Dad caught their looks of "oh no!" after Tyler had fallen in the little koi pond.

(No, this was not staged). We wish we knew what they talked about all afternoon. :)

Acting shy.

Tyler enjoyed exploring at Mom and Dad's house. He just loved eating mulberries off the tree, exploring in the pasture and woods, and peering into the swamp with promises of Mommy bringing better clothing for exploring the swamp at our next visit. I am so happy that Tyler loves our visits to Indiana. I love that he feels so comfortable there despite how infrequent our visits can be. I'm glad that even though he doesn't see Brennan too often, they can pick up where they left off. He cried when I reminded him we were coming back home to Kansas. But, once we were home, he was also happy to be in his house again.

I also feel torn. I love visiting home, in Indiana, and reconnecting with family and friends. I feel completely comfortable. It's an oasis from the demands of everyday life.

But, I'm also thankful for family here in Kansas, and friends and coworkers that feel like family. I'm thankful for their big hearts, and often sarcastic quick wit. I'm thankful that I feel at home here too.

Happy Sunday

Preschool's over

Tyler's last day of preschool was yesterday. The year went very quickly! They had a cute program and Tyler sang to Aubrey the whole time. :) He sang and did all the motions without acting so bashful. He has come a long way in not being as shy as he was at the beginning of the year. His teacher said that since the class was so small, 7 students, they had all gotten close and have all been talking about being sad that it was coming to a close. Afterward, Ted and Sue took us out to the restaurant of Tyler's choice (Pei Wei) to celebrate. In a few short months, Tyler will start kindergarten. Wow, how quickly time has passed.

Here's a short clip. It's a little fuzzy - Tyler's in the back row with the blue shirt...the one looking our way.

4 Months

My little babylicious turns 4 months-old tomorrow. She has become quite the cuddly smooshy gooshy baby. Those not so little squishy thighs, and kissable double chin remind me of how much she's changed in these few short months. My little lady is rolling from stomach to back, usually when she wakes from a nap. She's getting stronger and enjoys sitting or standing (both with help) to see the world. She enjoys watching her brother who is obsessed with talking to her and kissing her. She has started chewing on her hands quite a bit, and is drooling a lot as well.

I have also been trying to brace myself for this milestone. Olive was four months-old when she passed away on January 22nd. I feel such a mixture of joy and sorrow. Love and grief. It's hard to put into words.

Soooo pretty

This week, Tyler was watching TV, and there was a kiddie music video on by Miranda Cosgrove.

He was watching and exclaimed, "she is so pretty, Mommy. She is even prettier than you. She is just so pretty. She wins the Guinness World Record for being pretty."

:)

3 Months

Strangely, it feels like Aubrey's been around forever, yet at the same time it's hard to believe she's already 3 months old.

She has discovered her hands...and seems to constantly be chewing on them. She has also discovered her voice. She is not only cooing, but seems to be talking to us too...sometimes, very loudly! I really enjoy hearing her try out her voice. She has started scooting around and I've found her laying the opposite direction in her crib after a nap. She was also diagnosed with having reflux a couple of weeks ago. So far, no medicine needed, just lots of burp rags.

Today, I asked Tyler to stay by Aubrey for a couple of minutes. I came back to find her buried in blankets. He noted that he made sure she didn't have any on her face, so she could breathe. Luckily, she didn't seem to mind.

Strawberry Pie

I got more done than I had anticipated today, with the beautiful spring weather and a cooperative family. So, I'm tired. But, before I head to bed, I wanted to share the recipe for this Cream Cheese-Strawberry pie. (I left off the coconut - it just wasn't what I had in mind). I'm not much of a pie-baker, so ignore the ugliness of my crust (it did taste good, promise)! :)

CREAM CHEESE - STRAWBERRY PIE

ONE 9-INCH PIE: 1 prebaked 9-inch pastry shell OR Graham Cracker shell 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 1/2 c. powdered sugar STRAWBERRY FILLING: 1 box fresh strawberries 1/4 c. water 2/3 c. granulated sugar 4 tsp. cornstarch Whipped cream 1. Use a store-bought pastry shell or prepare and bake your own according to your own recipe. Cool.2. Blend cream cheese and powdered sugar. Spread in bottom of pastry shell. 3. Rinse berries, hull and sort, reserving largest and best berries. Crush enough remaining berries to make 1 cup. 4. In small saucepan, mix water, granulated sugar and cornstarch. Add crushed berries. Bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes or until thick and clear. Cool. 5. Press whole berries, tips up, into cream cheese. Spoon cooled strawberry mixture evenly over berries. 6. Chill for 3 to 4 hours. 7. When ready to serve, top pie with whipped cream or serve cream alongside.