Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great Memorial Day Weekend. Saturday, we went to visit Matt's Aunt Barbara who was in a hospice to help manage her pain as she is suffering from cancer.

Grace and Matthew in front of the hospice.

Mary and Matthew hanging out.

Matthew enjoying the grass.

We came home and had the missionaries come over to teach Mary and me Spanish. This was our second lesson and we decided to have a barbecue afterward which Grace and Mark joined us for. On Sunday, we picked up Grace after church and headed to visit the graves of her parents and grandparents. It was a beautiful day and the scenery in Lancaster is breathtaking. We passed many Amish buggies and even an Amish guy on his scooter. That is always my favorite to see.
This is not the Amish boy I saw, but I wanted you to be able to see what I'm talking about. I guess bikes are too technologically advanced, so they use these scooters instead.

This is at the cemetery in Strasburg.

Grace's Grandparents' graves. This cemetery lets you plant flowers, so Matt and Grace planted three flowers in front of each headstone.

Volunteers at Strasburg Cemetery planted 5,300 American flags. Each flag represents a soldier that has fallen in Afghanistan or Iraq. This really made a statement and reminded me of how grateful I am to the men and women who have given their lives in service to our great nation.

Baby Matthew liked the flags too.
This is a covered bridge in Amish country on the way to the second cemetery.
Matthew in front of his great grandparents' graves.

Monday, we took the baby hiking in Maryland at Rock Park. Mary has those pictures, so I will have to post them later when I can get them from her. It was beautiful, just a quick 75 minute hike. Matt carried Matthew in the Ergo carrier and Matthew was just perfect. It was hot and humid, so we were all very sweaty. Matthew even fell asleep towards the end. We went back to Mary's for a BBQ of pulled pork and smoked ribs. It was excellent.

Matthew and Trixie were very interested in each other.

Half Birthday

Today is Matthew's 6 month birthday! He got to sit on the grass for the first time. It was fun to watch him touch the grass and check it out. Luckily, he had no interest in eating it. He is adorable! He is no longer allowed to be on the beds unattended. We had a close call the other day. I was changing his diaper and he decided to pee just after I took the diaper off (second day in a row). I wen to grab a wipe from his closet and turned around to see him falling off the bed feet first! Thankfully, I bounded across the room and caught him before his head hit the ground. He was fine, just a bit freaked out I think. Matt came running into the room. I was trying to let him continue sleeping. I must have made a lot of noise jumping to save our sweet baby. That is his latest nickname "Sweet Baby."

He is working on his leg and arm muscles. We think he'll be crawling in no time. He just needs to figure out how to coordinate everything together. He still doesn't roll easily from his tummy to his back. Although, a few days ago he suddenly rolled like a bulldozer over to a newspaper to scrunch it up. I'm not sure how he did it, he hasn't done it since, so I'm pretty sure he doesn't know how it was done either. I think it must have been sheer determination.

He is enjoying eating his solids more and more. I was very surprised to find that he likes peas. He does seem a bit finicky. Some days he likes bananas, others he doesn't. This week I plan to make about a month's worth of baby food and freeze it. For the last six weeks, I've been making it daily as needed.

Matthew is a talker. He babbles a lot. He is happiest in the morning just after waking up and he will just talk and talk. I think he may be saying "dadadada" now, much to his daddy's delight. He is such a joy and we are so grateful to have him in our family and watch him grow and change every day.


Big smiles - outside the Bombay House in Provo.

Enjoying his new Jumperoo.
Daddy helping Matthew bust a move.


Matthew enjoying carrots for the first time.

Dents in the Cars

We had a downpour today interspersed with hail. One day we'll own a garage to shelter our poor cars. I brought a big piece in to let the baby see and touch it.

Cinco de Mayo

After having the St. Patrick's Day party, Mark and Mary thought it would be fun to have a Cinco de Mayo party. I am all about any excuse to make and eat good food! Mark made fajitas and I made Tres Leches cake. It was amazing! I got the recipe from my sister, Holly.

Gackie with baby Matthew. We have to feed him with his shirt off. When we put a big on him, he ends up chewing on his bib, too distracted to eat.

After slaving away all day, I present the finished product!

Tres Leches Cake

6 large eggs, separated

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a tall and round springform pan and set aside.

In the mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually while the mixer is running and keep mixing until stiff peaks form. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix the flour and baking powder in a seperate bowl and then add to the egg mixture, alternating with the milk. (quickly, so the batter does not loose volume). Add vanilla. Pour into pan and bake until golden for at least40 minutes, or until the middle is cooked and not jiggly. Take out of oven when done.

1 can condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

2 cups whipping cream

Mix together well in a large pyrex liquid measuring cup. Pour mixture over cake (which is STILL in the springform pan). Let sit and cool. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (if you want it REALLY soggy, let it sit overnight).

1-2 cups whipping cream

1/4-1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

zest of two limes

assorted fruits--we used blackberries, strawberries, and kiwi.

Whip cream, adding sugar and vanilla. When cream has reached the right consistancy for spreading, fold in the lime zest. (DO NOT add lime juice, as this will curdle the cream). Spread over cake (which by now is OUT of the spring form pan and on a nice plate). Garnish with fruit and serve.

Holly's cake looks much fancier. I didn't have all the fruit to make it happen. She always shows me up!

Farewell Party

The night before we left, we got our families together in the Clubhouse at Trellis for a farewell party. Looking back, I feel bad that I wasn't very social. I was really excited about this game, cribbage, that my brother-in-law Mark taught me. We sort of secluded ourselves playing that game for most of the party. Why did I do that? I don't know if I was just burnt out of socializing. Maybe all the noise from the nieces and nephews playing in a small space was overwhelming. Maybe I was sad that I was leaving the next morning. Here are just a few pictures I took before I got so involved in our little card game.

Grace with Ruby and Mary with Matthew.

Me with the cute little babies.

Matt about to devour Cookie Monster! Mark found this cupcake at the grocery store and just had to buy it, thinking the little kids would go crazy over it. Matt found it first and just had to have it!
Dad playing his own crazy high speed version of Patty Cake with the kids. They all took turns on his lap. It was pretty darn funny!

Bombay House

This is my FAVORITE restaurant. It is an Indian restaurant in Provo. Every time we visit Utah, I have to eat here. I always order Peshwari Naan and Chicken Tikka Masala. I am still trying to find the best recipes to duplicate these dishes at home.

Going back and forth between Grandpa Shipley and Gackie.

Hanging out with Aunt Jackie and Uncle Josh.

Matt and his family outside the restaurant.