Happy Halloween from our Little Clown

Happy Halloween everyone!

Tonight we went to a Halloween Festival at a local church. It was really neat.

Audrey was a clown. She wore the same costume that her cousins Cate, Caroline and Cole ("Date, Line and Dole") wore when they were her age. I think Aunt Sarah and her mother in law, Edwina, made the costume.

Here is Audrey when we began to get dressed. She has no idea what she is in for...We found out that putting makeup on a 19 month old is not that easy, but Daddy did a good job.

Isn't the hat cute?

She is also supposed to have on a big ruffly white collar, but she would have NONE of that!

Off to the festival...

Aunt Sarah made the cute pumpkin bucket last year.

Much of the face paint is already wiped off by this time and we haven't even started.

Whoa, there were alot of people here. Audrey walked around quite wide eyed most of the time.

Trick or Treat!

The fam...

Games...

This sucker was a winner!

Go fish...

Our friend Mrs. Stephanie

Throwing Jonah in the Whale.

She did this once and everyone clapped and gave her candy so as we walked away she turned right around to go and do it again.

Well, that was about enough for me. I had a great Halloween. Thanks for sharing your costume with me Date, Line, and Dole! Who knows, maybe my sissy will wear it in a few years too!

Alrighty, I'm off to bed - my big girl bed.

I'm a Big Girl Now

Last night I slept in my big girl bed for the very first time! Mommy and Daddy say that I did better than they ever imagined I would do. They laid down with me and prayed with me, read me some books and mommy sang to me. I kept sitting up and looking around just to make sure where I was. And when mommy got up out of my bed I patted the bed next to me for her to lay back down. When they left me I cried for a couple of minutes and then I was fine. And in the night I cried out a couple of times, but I went right back to sleep by myself.

And this morning I woke up at 7:30 singing like I always do. Then I called for Mommy. She came in my big girl room and I asked her to lay down with me in my big girl bed. I was not ready to get up yet (and of course I wanted Nettie up in my bed too).

I was so excited that I was sleeping right next to my books. I kept asking Mommy to read me a book.

Aren't I a big girl?

(I think it made Mommy a little sad that I was not in my crib anymore, but we sure do need to make room for my little sissy. She'll be here soon!)

Anyway, I did such a good job that we celebrated with blueberry pancakes this morning and I even got to use the special "Celebrate" plate. Wow!

Then we got dressed and went for a drive. It is such a beautiful day today. We went to look at the river.

A rare picture of Mommy pregnant.

Daddy was throwing a stick for Nettie so I found my own stick that I was very proud of.

What a fun day. And now I am back at home in my big girl bed for a nap. Mommy was really thinking I would not want to nap in my bed, but I showed her. I laid down and went right to sleep. Don't you think I'm ready to be a big sister?

Alright. I better go. Tonight is Halloween and I need to get my rest before I go trick or treating.

2 Great Recipes

So my mom has been here this week (Sarah was here over the weekend too and I'll post those pics later) but Mom and I have been getting ready for baby craziness. Not being in Boston with our church family there we realize that having a baby is going to look quite different. Man, our friends there sure took care of us with food for over a month.! Here, being new in town and just settling in we don't have that to look forward to. SO, Mom and I have cooked alot this week and frozen lots of good stuff to eat when the baby comes. (Katie, I even made tater tot cass. in your honor. We'll pretend you are bringing it over.)

And so my Aunt Lynn is a wonderful cook and I wanted to share with you 2 of her recipes that we made this week. Really really good.

Skillet Barbecued Pork Chops
We didn't freeze these of course...just made them for dinner one night
4 to 6 pork chops, 3/4 - 1" thick
1 T veg oil
1/3 cup chopped celery (I used red onion instead...not a fan of celery)
2 T brown sugar
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t. dry mustard (I didn't have any of this and just left it out)
salt
pepp
2 (80z.) cans tomato sauce

In a large skillet, brown chops in oil over medium heat. (I put tony satcheries and pepper on each side before browning...you know Giada says to season every layer.)
drain off excess oil
sprinkle celery or onion, brown sugar, lemon juice, and seasonings evenly over chops. pour tomato sauce over all. cover. simmer over low heat for 1 hour until chops are very tender, turning occasionally (I turned mine ever 10 min or so.)

These were REALLY really good. SO tender. and the sauce was great.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
we froze 2 extra pans of these!
2 cups shredded chicken
1 c mont jack cheese, grated
1/4 c flour
8 oz. sour cream
10 oz. can chicken broth
1 cup swiss cheese, grated
1/2 c onion, chopped and sauted only till barely softened
1/4 c butter
1 (4 oz.) can green chilis
12 corn tortillas

Dip tortillas in hot oil, only till soft. (I think next time I will dip them in hot chicken broth for the same effect...less grease.) Put cheese, chicken, and onion in tortilla and roll up. place seam side down in buttered bakin dish. melt butter, add flour, cook till fuzzy. add broth, cook till thickened. add sour cream and chilies. cook till heated through. spoon sauce over enchiladas; top with remaining cheese. bake at 350 for 20 min. or till bubbly. you can also add some chopped jalapeno to to sauce along with chilies to spice it up more.

These are great enchiladas! I will definitely make them again.

:)

You should definitely try these!

Nov. 24 it is!

The date and time is set! Baby girl Douglas will come on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 7:30a.
Yea!!! We can't wait!

The other day Audrey and I were in the car and I asked her to sing a song. Sing she did. She kept singing the same song over and over. And anytime we ask her to sing, this is what she sings...



(thanks Gran for the bubbles...and other treats too!)

Our little talker

So, as you might know, I printed up my blog last year for a memory book for Audrey. I'll print it again when baby # 2 turns 1. Because of that, most of my posts are meant to be memories for my girls. That being said...

Audrey, I wanted to write a list of the words that you are saying now - at 18 months. You love to talk and mimick almost everything we say. We want to remember these first words. There are really many more words that you have imitated (for example you got in the car a few weeks ago and started saying "aw man!" over and over...just like your mommy), but the following words you know and say regularly.

The Dr. said today that your language is advanced, you are tall for your age, average weight and have a big head.
Aunt Sarah says that you get your smarts from her and your big head from Mommy. :)

You love to say:

1. Mommy
2. daddy
3. nettie (neh) the other day when we left the house you waved at Nettie and said "bye Neh"
4. grandpa (bapa)
5. cole (dole)
6. nana
7. milk (mil)
8. book
9. cracker (dado)
10. outside or inside (iide)
11. fish (ish)
12. giraffe (raffe)
13. puppy
14. baby
15. car
16. please
17. owl + hoohoo (you have to say them together)
18. go
19. chicken (kind of sounds like that soundtrack to Ferris Bullers Day Off...chickachickah)
20. banana (namana)
21. apple (bapple)
22. color (lalo)
23. balloon (also sounds like lalo)
24. yogurt
25. diaper
26. truck
27. read
28. bird
29. pig
30. peas
31. cheese
32. ming ming (from Wonder Pets)
33. Ring Ring (also from Wonder Pets)
34. duck
35. bug
36. flower
37. rock
38. cuckoo
39. bunny
40. mouse
41. shoes
42. bear
43. frog
44. star
45. grapes
46. cat
47. bubble
48. ball
49. ear
50. nose
51. mouth
52. eye
53. pooh bear
54. more (and you add more to words...more milk, more book, etc.)
55. bath

That's all I can think of now although I know there are more and it will drive me crazy when I think of one and don't have it on the list. You also say moo for cow and baah for lamb and growl for a lion. You definitely recognize the names, but prefer their sound. :)

Wow, we can't wait to see what you'll be saying even a week from now. Our little smartie pants!