Summer Camp

 Let the games begin...

 A little Minute to Win It

 Our big 1 year old who loved every minute of camp.  She was the only baby there so she got a lot of attention and of course loved that!

 SJ's girlfriends

We got to go with the youth group to summer camp up in Oregon.  I was not sure how SJ would do but she did great and loved being with the students.  We were glad to be able to go along with the group but now we are glad to be home and be in our own beds:)

SJ's Birthday Party

 SJ turns 1 on Monday and we will be at summer camp with the youth group so we threw her a little party today.  My sister made this picture for SJ using the invitation for my baby shower so we had it out to use as part of the decorations.  These next few photos are for family who want to know how everything looked for the party since they could not be here.  Okay, they are for my mom and sister-they love all the details!

 Now that she is 1 it looks like Luke is making the moves on SJ.  She doesn't seem to mind:)

 I thought it would be fun to let her eat a cupcake but really thought she wouldn't eat much of it.  I don't know what I was thinking!  Our girl loves to eat!!!  She gobbled that thing down.

Again for my mom and sister:) Here's a little banner of pictures that I made for each month of SJ's 1st year.  I think I made it more for me than anything.  I love to see how she has changed so much but it is also sad how fast it happens.

It's a BOY!

 We are excited to announce that Andrew will be getting the son he has wanted, SJ will be getting a little brother to teach how to treat girls right, and I will be getting a little buddy to take care of.  Here's a shot at 20 weeks.

 This is me, a little in shock, after hearing we are going to have a baby boy.  SJ was super excited about it as you can tell.

Then we gave her this balloon to announce the big news and she was a happy girl.  Balloons are her new favorite thing.

My Favorite Muffins

We have a few guests coming into town this weekend so I thought I would make something special for breakfast.  These are my favorite muffins!  They are called-To Die For Blueberry Muffins.  A cheesy name but once you eat them you will agree!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Topping (I half these ingredients because I think it makes way too much topping)

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.  Makes 12 muffins.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.  

SJ's 1st Real Word

In the Mood for Baking

All of this rainy weather has me in the mood for baking.  Some things have come out good and some not so good like the whole wheat banana bread I tried to make last week-gross!  So I went back to my favorite banana bread recipe that a sweet friend gave me and just added some wheat flour to make myself feel like it is somewhat healthy:)  This recipe is so good I had to pass it on!

Sour Cream Banana Walnut Muffins

Topping:

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup butter

3 cups white sugar

3 eggs

6 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 (16 oz.) container sour cream (light is okay)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. baking soda

4 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (I never add the walnuts because we are not walnut fans)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine the 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon.  Mix in salt, baking soda, and flour.  Stir in nuts.

Fill greased muffin cups with batter.  Sprinkle evenly with reserved cinnamon sugar mixture.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  Do not over bake.

Alternately, these can back in two 9x5 loaf pans for 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes, or until tests done. 

Well I can't believe it is pouring rain and in the 60's in June but we might as well enjoy it while it lasts and bake some goodies while we can still turn on our ovens and not pass out!

The Leftovers

What do you find after a family visit...Dinoco, a barbie comb, and a storm trooper.  Don't worry Emmie, Isaiah, and Micah I won't let SJ eat them and we'll get them back to you soon!