Cooking with Kinley and an Awesome Cookbook Gift

We have hit week four of living with 2 kiddos and have finally run out of prepared meals for dinner. I was totally blessed to have so many friends and family bring over meals for us after Ty was born. Fortunately, it lasted for a long time and we had leftovers for lunch and weekends and it was a dream. Unfortunately, Ben is now spoiled by everyone else's fantastic cooking. I am not really a cook...not at all actually. I wish I loved it...but, I don't. So, it was definitely appreciated and my very favorite gift when someone brought over a meal for us!

The only thing saving grace I have now is that Kinley LOVES to cook. She loves helping me in the kitchen. She loves pretending to cook in HER kitchen and taking orders like she is a waitress with a marker and paper. She loves it. She likes to pour things in a bowl, put anything I have chopped on a salad, put cookies or crescent rolls on a cookie sheet....pretty much anything. She will stop whatever she is doing to help me cook. Therefore, my goal is for this to become a regular productive activity for the both of us...and maybe because she is doing it with me, I will start to love it.

Yesterday, we really went after it and made some homemade banana bread and a new recipe for dinner!

Kristen's mom, Kathy, brought us some banana bread a couple weeks ago and we ate every bit of it and have been craving it ever since! We used Allison's grandmother-in-law Gran's recipie here. I did not quite get the timing in the oven right. The edges were a little dry but, the taste is great and it is definitely delicious heated up with butter on top!

Kinley loved helping pour the sugar and mash the bananas.

Then, for dinner, we made Beef Enchiladas from a recipe book that Ben's Aunt Deb gave us for Christmas last year. I can't believe I have not blogged about this book yet! It was SUCH a thoughtful and creative Christmas present.

She basically made this scrapbook/cookbook on Snapfish. Deb titled this book "Tastes like Another" because that is what their mom would say when she really liked something. When their dad "Walter" really liked something he would say "You got a good do on that one Lusel!"

She scanned in old family pictures and recipe's in their mother or grandmother's handwriting and told the story of every recipe.

It was so fun to read about the memories Gary and Deb have of when their mom made these dishes and the history of certain recipes like these "Dust Bowl Desserts." These were desserts their mom made during the Kansas dust bowl when everyone was poor and they could not afford anything but the basics and tried to make the best tasting desserts with what little they had.

This beef enchilada recipe was SUPER easy and fantastic. I actually halved it since I did not need the entire amount.

How cute is this old picture of Ben, Alex and their cousin (Deb's son) Adam!?

This book is really so cool and such a great idea for a present for Christmas or really any occasion....even for someone who doesn't cook much because it inspires you to want to!

I was really excited when Gary and Cheryl came by last night. I already had this made and Gary hadn't eaten yet so I was glad he could try the enchiladas. He said they were great and just like he remembered. Yay! Then we initiated a fun photo session with Gram and Pops.

I mean...how cute is this guy!?

I will keep you updated on how the cooking goes....I am hoping it will stick!

Ty's First Family Birthdays and Ty & Austin

Every other month or so we have a family birthday celebration with my mom's side of the family. I have posted many times about family birthdays but this past Sunday was Ty's first time to attend! We all went to Aunt Jan's house for lunch and the Cowboy game. (the game that was the biggest collapse in the Cowboys history?...yes, that one) Nevertheless, it was so fun to be there and just be with family. Ty was held the entire time by someone and thus he slept most of the time we were there. Not too many pics but, here are a few.

We did our best to deck out in Cowboys gear/colors...

Kinley loves to shout "Go Cowboys!" all the time now. But, I think she was feeling our disappointment at this point.

How cute are Kinley and Pepa looking out over the golf course!?

After the game, Cary, Chris and baby Austin came over to meet Ty. Austin and Ty are only 6 weeks apart. I think it will be so fun to watch them grow up together so close in age over the years. This was their first little photo shoot together.

How cute is Austin!?

Of course, Kinley wanted in on the photo shoot too!

Before she left, Cary gave me a tutorial on the Moby wrap. I never had one with Kinley but, I wanted one for Ty. I hadn't quite figured out how to use it yet and had about given up on it. But, after Cary's tutorial and seeing how much Austin loved it, she has converted me and now I am using the Moby every day sometimes twice a day! It is so helpful to be able to get things done using both hands while keeping Ty close. I love it!

The Moby and the Miracle Blanket are my two favorite mommy life-savers for a newborn. I learned about the Miracle Blanket from Camila a couple years ago. I never had one with Kinley but, it really is so helpful for a baby that jerks themselves awake during the night. It is impossible for Ty to get out of and he sleeps so peacefully with it on. If you are about to have a baby...I definitely recommend both of these and you should check them both out!

Farmer's Market

This weekend I felt inspired to get some pumpkins and fall decor so Ben and I loaded up the fam and went to the Bedford Farmers Market. I love a farmers market. They are so pretty and so much fun with all the fresh local fruit and vegetables.

Kinley loved the pumpkin patch with all different sizes and color pumpkins and the cornstalks and the scarecrows.

Sometimes we like to pretend to lick pumpkins like an ice cream cone....What?

Ty did a lot of sleeping in the carseat.

They even had a free bounce/slide for all the kids to play on while their parents shopped.

I love the produce and gourd displays. Everything looks so fresh and delicious.

When we got home we set up our pumpkins, hay bail Halloween wreath and Sammy the scarecrow. Kinley named him this year.

Happy Fall!

Who does he look like?

Ty had his 2 week Dr. appointment this week and he is growing and doing great! He weighed 9 lbs 6 oz, which means that in the 5 days since his weight check...he gained 10 oz. He is definitely an eater! He is in the 70th % for weight, 50% for height and somewhere in between that in head circumference. Since Kinley has maybe never been above 20th % in weight...this is new for me. I just love those chunky, kissable cheeks! I am very thankful he is eating well.

We have still been laying very low around here. Ty is awake more during the day now, which I love...but, finding time to blog is proving as difficult as I expected. I don't want to take any time away from playing with my kids and at night I tell myself I am going to blog when they go to bed...and then I just want to go to bed too. So, I am taking time this Saturday afternoon while everyone in my house is sleeping to catch up a little bit.

Ty and I got to take and pick up Kinley from school this week and she loved showing him off to her teachers and friends. Ty had to do his 2nd newborn PKU heel prick screening this week and he was a champ. It was far less traumatic for me than when Kinley did hers. Kinley's half birthday was yesterday so now she is officially 2 and a half. The Barstads came by for an evening play date since they were coming in town and Kinley thought it was THE best half birthday present EVER. She was seriously on cloud nine. No pics from this unfortch...but, I can still hear them all playing and laughing and I just love it.

Also, here are some comparison pics of Kinley vs. Ty in similar positions that my mom took on her phone (so quality is not tops). Everyone keeps asking me if they look alike and I really can't tell yet...but, these pics were a big reminder of exactly what Kinley looked like when she was just a few weeks old. I think they look like brother and sister...and I think they have the same lips but, they definitely look different too. Kinley's features are more delicate and girly and Ty's features are more boy-ish, if that makes sense.

He has even changed more since these pics were taken. Right now, with eyes open, I think he looks like Uncle Alex. We will see if it stays that way!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I feel up to some Fall decorating since it is October now!