Sophia at 9.5 months

Sophia is now almost 10 months old. She gives the biggest, toothy grins and loves to try walking with her walking toys. Ava is a wonderful big sister and helps feed her snacks and gives her great hugs. Her hair is very blonde, she loves her little pink blanket and her favorite foods are cheese, avocados, bread and bananas. Both Ava and Sophia are outgoing and love to interact with kids their age. Ava especially loves to play with older girls, like our neighbor Emi.

Don't you like my pjs sissy?

Ava and Sophia in their new pjs hanging out in my laundry basket.

Brain freeze

Since I have really no burning desire to write an article for this site, I thought I would just take the easy way out and do some random thoughts about the last week or so.

Here goes:

• Love watching Olivia with Ava.
• Ava is a really good red raspberry picker.
• Ava loves to dress herself and gets a new outfits on all of the time.
• I wish my sisters and fams lived closer. i miss them right now.
• I am not interested in cooking this weekend or most weekends. Cooked out.
• Working out at the rec center again to get back in pre-baby shape. It feels good to be back and to work out hard again.
• Can't wait to see the girls pick out pumpkins next weekend!
• Sophia's poopy is getting even more disgusting as she eats more and more food.
• What do you do on a Sunday when you are not cleaning, cooking or reading. Relax? It's so hard to sit and relax!
• Need to wash car. Need to sweep car. Put it off until tomorrow.
• I am ready for fall, but not the dreary sky weather.
• Can you say "Ohio" without emphasizing the "hi" in the middle part?
• I have an awesome family in all their crazy finery. Just thought I would put that out there.
• After 6 years of marriage, I love Brandon even more than when we were first married.
• Brandon is supreme at breakfast in bed. He made me toast with apple butter and little apple slices around the toast. And strong coffee. very strong.
• Sophia is turning into a little girl. She is a stinker! She is very ornery and independant. she loves life and people. She won't even let me feed her most times and loves to eat messy foods by herself.
• Little girl's clothes are so adorable I can't help myself.
• MMM. Pumpkin. Yum.
• Starbucks drink of moment: Grande Iced Coffee, one pump cinammon dolce, little bit of cream. Thanks Marsha (Kevin on the weekends.)
• Brandon's drink: Grande coffee in a venti cup.
• Ava's drink: Agi

Fresh Red Raspberry and Pear Cobbler

Ava, Sophia and I visited Jacquemin Farms twice last week to pick red raspberries. We made cobbler twice. The second batch was better as I let the fruit sit for 10 minutes (didn't do that the first time).

Try it out!

In the picture, I used white ramekins from Pier One. you can do this, instead of using a 13 x 9 baking dish.

Here's the recipe I adapted from Food & Wine (Aug. 2008).

Fresh Red Raspberry and Pear Cobbler

Preheat oven to 375.

FILLING

2 pears and 2 quarts of raspberries

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

3/4 cup of sugar

Make the filling
Mix fresh fruit with cornstarch and sugar.
Let sit for 10 minutes.

Spread filling in 13 x 9 baking dish.

CRUMBLE

In a processor, pulse 1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour with 2/3 cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Add 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons cubed cold butter and pulse until crumbly.

Add 1 cup thick-cut rolled oats and pulse. In a bowl, press the mixture until crumbly and scatter over the top. Bake for 1 hour.

Serve with ice cream. MMM.

Happy Birthday Kelly!

This is Kelly. Kelly is our dear sister-in-law who married into the Kuhns clan. It's a crazy, mixed up clan with lots of estrogen, drama and love. We are glad that we have her in the clan with us.

If you ever need a good doctor, hair stylist, or practically anything call her. If it's 11 pm at night and your children are throwing up, call her. If you need a great vegetarian recipe for a zuchinni gratin, call her.

Love lots kelly.

Sophia (9 months) and Mommy

Charlotte's 1 part 2

Kelly, Luke and Charlotte...where's ethan?

Ethan, Charlotte and Luke

Nick and Ava outside eating.

Mom and Sophia getting some hugs in.
Brandon and I

Charlotte is 1

Bounce Ava!

Dinner compliments of Luke and Kelly - Yum. Hamburgers, fried green tomatoes (poppa kuhns), and lots of other good things like cupcakes.

Aunt Becca with Sophia

Charlotte in all of her finery.

" Who me? I'm beautiful?" Yes!

Ava's reward for potty training

Her chalkboard. She loves to use it to color and make art.

Visiting momma and poppa shmidt

Ava wants her "hot agi" aka hot milk. A little trick she learned from Ethan!

Good night Ava! Ava getting her goodnight story from momma and poppa shmidt.

Aunt Christina doing what she does best...I told her we would have to take a pic of what she was doing the most...nursing Cale!

Sophia wearing her hat from momma and poppa shmidt.

Uncle Brandon with the first boy on the Shmidt side!

Bakerella blog site

Don't you love to look at pretty food blogs that have tons of fun ideas? Well, if you do, head your little fanny over to Bakerella's blog site. The photography is beautiful and lively and the cupcakes are too cute to eat.

Note to self: must make all of blog recipes!

Little Cale!

The grandkids: Sophia, Ava and Cale Oliver

Aunt Erin and Cale

Uncle Brandon, Cale and Ava

Our little nephew, Cale, is getting so big! he is now 4-plus weeks and is growing up so fast. We got to visit the Shmidts last weekend and we had a great time. Ava loved holding Cale, and we loved kissing him! What a charmer. It was so cool to see what amazing parents both Christina and Troy are and how natural it was for them. They were a lot more laid back than we were!

Christina and Troy-- you have one cute baby! And more pics to come--our camera is out of batteries and I pilfered christina's pics.

Dine Originals Columbus

It's back! Dine Originals Restaurant week in Columbus is offering fabulous three or four course dinners for around $20 or $30 per person.

I wish I had known about this sooner so I could have gotten a babysitter! Visit http://www.dineoriginalscolumbus.com/database/rw.php for the establishments offering set menus until September 13.

Poppa Shmidt's house

Ava trying to say, "Poppa Shmidt's house" at dinner. Brandon and I are in the background laughing. During Christmas, someone in Brandon's family gives an outhouse as a gag gift.

Nap time patrol

Ava playing in her bed during nap time.

Sophia chilling out. (Love my Land of Nod letters for Sophia!)

Um, Sophia, your paci is backwards!

Ava and her Dora slippers "building something."

Sophia through the slats in her crib. I loved this picture!

What is nap patrol?
Def. Making sure you kid(s) get enough sleep so they wake up happy, therefore making you happy.

Nap time around our house is a very sacred, daily ritual. It involves forgoing fun times out to make sure the girls get their naps in because frankly, I really suck on no sleep. And this mommy needs her hour break/nap. I have learned how to walk like an indian quietly checking on my little babies and trying so hard not to wake them up. To wake up a sleeping toddler or baby, is a cardinal sin.

It's those hard-learned lessons you have obtained through trial and error.

Most of the time it goes something like this:

Me thinking:

"Holy cow, Ava is hyper mama on that chocolate milk," Never, ever before naptime/bedtime again will her lips touch that stuff."

Here are some of my hard lessons that I have learned.

• Never, ever give your child chocolate milk pre-naptime


• Shut the babies door during nap time. Or your toddler will gladly enter their room after their nap is over shouting, "Hi SISSY! HI SISSY!" Wake Up!" Ugh.
• Make sure you get a break and don't just clean!

Happy nap trails to you my friends.