aquarium

traveling in style

red line-green line-blue line,  there!

she did not want to get off

imax!

over the weekend we took the kids into boston for a visit to the new england aquarium.

ivy loves animals- i mean, i think all kids do - and loves to take the train so she was really excited. 

around town, we usually walk and sometimes take a cab...

 so the train is an adventure (for the record, i will not miss the T).  

she also associates trains with donuts because there's a dunkin donuts at our stop

and we usually treat her to a munchkin for the longest journey ever stroll home. 

annnyway... the aquarium was fun, kinda crowded, and her favorite was the seals. 

i also took her to her very first little movie at the aquarium IMAX and i was so excited!

it was under the sea 3D -- 45 min. 

(we lasted 20.)

she was sooo excited at first, in a quietly amazed way.

her movie seat kept folding up on her - haha, so she wanted to sit in my lap. 

we got some popcorn, put our glasses on and the movie started.

at first, she was loving it, trying to touch the things that look like they are right in front of you.

it was so cute.

but then fish started snapping and things started getting jumpy and her little body would flinch.

i was flinching too and i wished it would just stop but it didn't.

i gave her her favorite granola bar hoping that would ease her.

a few minutes later, i asked if she wanted to stay or go.

"go" she whispered back.

i got our things, took her hand to carry her out and felt her hand clinched around her uneaten granola bar, it just falling to pieces. poor thing!! 

i am being kind of dramatic.

it really wasn't that bad, and she was totally fine afterwards,

telling her friends she saw "a huge movie".

then we rode the carousel and all was good again.

this is so long.

whatevs.

the end. 

bath boy

music class

Longy School of Music

ivy's last day of music class was this morning. 

it was a charming little place, and i know she loved going. 

if given the choice between art or music class, it was music.

sadly, we'll miss her end of year performance since it's 10:00 on sunday morning. 

(of course it is). 

but she learned some silly songs, how to play drums, 

and can even sing an octave of solfege. ha.

although we didn't make any friends 

(language difference + reserved nannies isn't the easiest way)

 she enjoyed being in a classroom and likes to come home 

and pretend she's the teacher. 

anyway, it was a little blessing around our corner 

and i'm thankful we stumbled upon it.

longy school of music

sugar cookies

YUM. 

it is me and kevin's turn to host bible study tonight 

and the host provides dinner & dessert.

so ivy helped me make these after her nap, naturally.

i just picked this because i thought ivy would have fun making them

but they are actually the best cookies i've ever eaten. 

and i'm not even a huge sugar cookie fan.

we ate them warm from the oven and goodness, they were perfect.

(am i just really hungry??)

we were sitting at her little table, and ivy said

"mama, we need something to drink. maybe milk."

(haha)

so i got us some and she said 

"cheers"

and i said 

"cheers"

and it was heaven.

recipe from Baker's Illustrated

2 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

assorted sprinkles

Preheat to 375.

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray. 

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Cream the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla; beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.

 Chill the dough for 30 minutes or so.

Roll into medium sized balls and roll around in sugar or sprinkles if you want (and you do want).

Place on baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until barely golden brown.

Eat warm or let cool. 

enjoy! 

pear + granola muffins

• mom sent us pears.
  so sweet!
  we made muffins
  for miss annie
  and ivy's friends
  and ourselves.
  these are kinda on the healthy side
  (kevin passed)
  but i liked them.
  Recipe from Martha Stewart

  For Muffins

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (i used pastry flour)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 pears, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
  • 3/4 cup plain granola

• For Granola Crisp Topping

  • 1/2 cup granola
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, yogurt, and butter. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add egg mixture to well, and mix in flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the granola and pears.
3. Make Granola Crisp Topping: In a bowl, toss together 1/2 cup granola, 1/4 cup each all-purpose flour and packed light-brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut 3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter into pieces; add to granola mixture, and rub in with fingertips until clumps form.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Sprinkle with granola topping. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from tin. Serve warm or at room temperature.

thanks mom!

enjoy! 

sunday...

oreos & carrots

is it just me or does ivy look 7? 

sweet boy

lunch at the park. 

{the menu}

kevin: spinach salad with chicken, strawberries & toasted almonds

me: minestrone soup and pita chips

ivy: turkey, pretzel goldfish, grapes, pita chips, an apple, 2 oreos, milk and water

eli: 2 carrots and 1 stick

mmmm! 

happy monday.  

8 month photo shoot

kevin: out of town (have i mentioned k is out of town? we miss him. yea for tonight!)
ivy: enthralled in mickey mouse clubhouse
me & e: photo-shooting with an actual camera. no more less iPhone pics!

i am not sure of his height and weight (we'll get his next stats at 9 months) 

but i do know that he is back to his uninterrupted 11-12 hours at night.
(plus 2 naps)

can i get a hallelujah! 

firsts this month:

going to target 

(i am pretty sure today was his first trip there. 

insane. 

ivy had been exactly a million times by now.)

last week was my first time being in the car by myself with ivy and eli.

super insane!

(we are usually just in the car on sundays, and kevin with us.)

first time trying sweet potato puree. 

not havin it.

none of it.

the guy only wants a BOTTLE.

at all times.

ivy said sweetly to eli today: "how's your bottle, buddy? good?"

hahahaha. 

first time pulling himself up to a standing position. 

(holding something of course)

first easter!

first time eating puffs.

loves em.

(the one exception to his bottle)

first time flipping out of his bouncer. 

this never happened to ives, but he's done it 3 or 4 times...

poor thing.

first time in the park swing!!! 

it is soooo cute.

he holds on with both hands. 

oh it's so cute.

he's our little buddy and we love him so! 

espresso brownies

another recipe from giada...i am on a kick! made these this afternoon partly because kevin is out of town (he can't tolerate anything coffee), but mostly for a friend who just had a baby. thought these seemed fitting for a sleep-deprived new mama, no? anyway, they're kinda fancy (but they're from a box) and if you like coffee, i think you'd like 'em!


giada's espresso brownies 
1/3 cup plus 2 T water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 T + 2 t espresso powder (instant espresso)
1 box brownie mix (such as duncan hines)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 T butter, room temp

preheat oven to 350 and grease 9x9.
whisk together 1/3 cup of the water, the oil, eggs and 2 T of the espresso powder in large bowl. add the brownie mix and stir until well blended. stir in the chocolate chips. pour into pan and bake 30-35 minutes. let brownies cool completely in pan.

when they've cooled, dissolve the remaining 2 t of espresso powder in the remaining 2 T of water in a medium bowl. whisk in vanilla, then add powdered sugar and butter and whisk until smooth. with the brownies still in the pan, pour the glaze over the brownies and refrigerate until set (about 2 hours). cut into bite-size pieces, arrange them on a platter and serve.

enjoy :)

happy easter!

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

According to His great mercy, 

He has caused us to be born again to a living hope

 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 

to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading..."

1 Peter 1:3

raspberry-almond tart

for some reason, ivy thinks baking follows nap time. 

like every day.

she always walks straight to the kitchen and pulls up a stool. 

usually i'm happy to oblige.... 

not sure this is good for anyone though!

well today i found this recipe during her nap

and miraculously had all the ingredients. 

it turned out to be really kid-friendly too. 

she brushed the egg on the pastry, 

poked holes with a fork, 

poured the cream and sugar into the mixer, 

spread the almonds on a baking sheet, 

and plopped the raspberries on the final product. 

she was very proud, and

it turned out to be the prettiest little tart! 

i love it.

she strategically only ate the whipped cream,

but i don't blame her. 

this was my first time making it homemade, and it was soo good.

i'm kinda inspired to only make this kind of dessert all spring. 

fruit + whipped cream. 

so pretty and so delicious! 

giada's raspberry-almond tart

1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

flour, for dusting

1 egg

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 T amaretto liqueur (i used 1 tsp almond extract)

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds, coarsely crumbled

2 (6 ounce) baskets of fresh raspberries

unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting (i skipped this)

preheat oven to 400.

roll out the pastry sheet on a lightly floured cutting board to a 10 inch square.

cut off about an inch-wide strip off each side, set aside.

brush the edges of the square with the egg.

place the 4 pastry strips on top of the edges of the square, overlapping on the corners, and forming a raised border.

brush these borders with egg too.

poke the inside square a LOT all over with a fork.

bake until golden, about 20 minutes. 

let cool.

beat the cream, sugar and almond extract on med-high until firm peaks form. 

fold in the nuts. 

spoon the cream mixture onto the cooled pastry crust. 

arrange the berries over the cream.

dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar if you like!

also- this would work well with basically any kind of fruit. 

i think a banana one sounds good... 

enjoy! 

funny girl, part 2

a two year old's mind is a funny thing, 

and again, the creativity never ceases to amaze.

 i wish i would jot down more of this stuff, but here's a few of the latest. 

actually, i think this all happened today and yesterday.  

(note - this is mainly to help jog my memory later, so i'm aware it may not make a lot of sense!) 

ivy's "tortillas"

helping in the kitchen 

ivy's latest cooking endeavor is making "tortillas" by rolling up our placemats and putting them in our empty fireplace. it's sometimes a struggle for her to let me borrow them for dinner time, and afterwards, you can bet they are right back in her "oven"!  

also, this morning she took her 5 dvds out of their cases, put them in her play kitchen oven and said she was "making tookies (cookies)".  maybe because they are round like cookies? i don't know. she is always coming up with new material.

earlier today, she rolled up the comforter on our bed until it dropped perfectly on the floor at the end of the bed. she came and got me and eli and asked us really sweetly, "would you like to come see my whale? it is big, two eyes and a big mouth. would you like to ride him?"  interesting.

ivy has been making a huge pile in our den of every pillow in our house, and jumping off the couch and rolling around in them. (so?)  anyway, her and i were sitting in the pile the other day and she blurted out "these pillows are PLANETS!" i don't know what she was saying, but she meant it!

at any given moment during the day, if you have your feet on the floor (say you are sitting on the couch or on a chair like a normal person) ivy might point at your feet and shout "mom! shark!" and then you have to pull your feet up. and she keeps going on about her business. pretty funny.

yesterday, in her time-out chair, she said through tears, "i want grandma at my house!" haha aw :(

one thing that ivy can't quite wrap her mind around is why i have to wash our clothes.
when she walks with me down to do the laundry, we usually have a convo like this.
ivy: "did eli spit up on it?"
me: "no, eli didn't spit up on it."
ivy: "did eli p-u on it?"
me: "nope"
ivy, confused: "did ivy p-u on it?"
me: "no"
ivy: "daddy p-u on it??"
and so on....
i try to explain that we just have to wash the clothes every once in a while to keep them clean.
she's not buying it.

but she's keeping us entertained! :)