Timeout.

Kate is now 21 months old and so much of her little personality is shining through. Everyday I watch her explore life and all it's joys. She is one of the most outgoing children I've seen. Her vocabulary amazes Brent and me and every new word usually brings a chuckle to us. She repeats everything - both good and bad! We have discovered that apparently when we change her diapers, we comment, "Oh Gosh" (referring to the mess inside) because she now says, "Oh Josh" when we change her diaper. It's so funny. She can also recite her ABC's and count to 10. Kate is holding steady in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. We imagine we will be embarking on the potty training soon but I plan to wait as long as possible. She does tell me now when she needs to poo-poo but I'm not ready to deal with "that" in public environments. I have issues with public restrooms and lugging my 2 yr. old into one is just not something I'm ready for. Well as with all these wonderful milestones, we have reached a milestone for independence. Now don't get me wrong, Kate has the sweetest heart and has always been the BEST and EASIEST baby, even in womb (never threw up once!), but we have seen some new attitudes that have made us do a few double takes. That's why we have implemented the following disciplinary tool. Works great and more importantly, looks cute. ;)















Before



















After: Much classier. ;)

Byron Nelson Tournament

Last year, we hosted our first annual Byron Nelson Tournament. We had Wii Golf, a putting green playoff, and fun food outdoors. I only have a few pics from the party.

Parties

I've decided I'm going to start posting some pics from some of my favorite parties. Some I may have hosted and some I may just have attended. Either way, I think it will be fun to look at and hopefully they might inspire some ideas for your next event.

Last year, Brent and I hosted a launch party for a biscotti business called, Dunkluv. Here are some pics:

















P.S. If you have a party you want me to post, send me some pics.

Energy Bars

I'm always looking for healthy breakfast and snack options for the family. Most energy bars you buy are packed with sugars and I'm not always certain of all the ingredients. I like making my own because I know exactly what's in them and these bars are full of all kinds of goodness: whole wheat flour, wheat germ, nuts, fruits and pure maple syrup. I used apricots, raisins, and dates and I think the next time I make them, I won't add as much fruit. These were a little on the sweet side. Hope you feel energized!!

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
• 1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pitted dried dates
• 1/2 cup powdered nonfat dry milk
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
• 2 large eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Place all ingredients except the syrup and eggs in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely chopped. Add the syrup and eggs and pulse until the mixture is well combined. It will resemble a coarse paste.

Transfer to the baking pan and spread evenly. Bake until just done, about 20 minutes. Cut into 20 squares.