Peanut Butter Banana Bread!

Wow...love this bread! And the bonus was that Lizzie and I got to make it together while Emma hung out (literally) in the Bjorn. It was a fun morning activity as we are studying the letter B this week. A was last week, and I made a miserable attempt at making a paper airplane. Lizzie and I laughed and laughed...and she hasn't stopped talking about it --- "Mommy no can make paper airplane! Funny!"

Anyway, here's the recipe for anyone else who wants to study the letter B by Baking some Bodacious Banana Bread!

Ingredients

• Bread:
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
• Cooking spray
• 
  Glaze:
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.

4. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.

Enjoy with a huge glass of milk!

Verbal to be sure...and Ambidextrous too?

Lizzie's language capability is astounding. We are daily awed by the sentences she constructs. Where does she learn all this stuff? It is amazing to listen to her experiment with words, word forms, and word order. She wrestles with complex thoughts until she is able to make them understood with her words. It's like having a window into her brain...remarkable! And still, in all the amazing language advances, we get the 1 1/2 year-old gems like...

* Boat of cereal (bowl of cereal...and who's to say she wasn't using hyperbole?)
* Time ouch (time outs do hurt, you know)

This time is so rich with growth and learning. We are loving and treasuring every second.

Enjoy this short video Danny took during their "Daddy Day" (every Monday is Daddy Day, to Lizzie's utter delight!). Now I'm wondering if we have an ambidextrous child as well as a verbal child?

Lizzie and the Bees

Oh, my, we have a child who is so attuned to the beauty God has made...what a treasure she is!

On a walk through the neighborhood this weekend, Lizzie noticed some bees in the flowers. We talked about them for a minute and then she looked up at me and said "Sit, watch bees, Mommy." She then carefully sat down and watched the bees for at least 5 minutes, until I convinced her (Mishka was getting very impatient) that we should keep going and look for some more bees along the way. Oh, that I would relearn the patience and joy of just sitting and watching the bees.

Then, last night, we were sitting in the garden and two V's of Canadian geese flew overhead. I thought Lizzie was going to fly away with them, she was that excited. When they flew out of sight, she burst into tears, "Again, Mommy!  Again!"  Oh, my precious girl!

What a sweet little girl...so interested in all God's creatures. I can't wait to see what this might develop into as she grows older. If nothing else, she will have a sensitivity to beauty that can't help but lead her right into His presence! 


May we all notice the bees, today.


xo,
a

It's Been Too Long

Stories by Lizzie...

Lizzie is very much into communication these days. One might even say she is chatty! She tells stories and makes her wishes very clear.  Here are a few gems:

After a morning with Daddy at the beach:

They got home and Lizzie looked at her Daddy. 

Lizzie: "Nap."  

Danny: "Do you want Daddy to read?"

Lizzie: "No, nap."

Danny: "Do you want daddy to sing?"

Lizzie: "No, nap."

So, she took a nap (over two hours, I might add).

After seeing a golden retriever carrying a leash in his mouth:

Lizzie: "Funny, Mommy!" (punctuated by a giggle)

Me: "What's funny, Lizzie?"

Lizzie: "Doggy."

Me: "The doggy was funny?"

Lizzie: "Leash. Mouth." (again punctuated by a big grin and giggles)

My kiddo has a sense of humor!

After playing basketball with Uncle J and Aunty A:

Lizzie: "J! A!"

Me: "What about Uncle J and Aunty A, Lizzie?"

Lizzie: "Play! Ball! Basket! J!"

This one is a current favorite, usually preceded or followed by the compulsion to find and look at her People Book with the picture of her dunking the ball ---with help from Coach Uncle J.

After biting her friend, Ebie:

Lizzie: "No bite."

Me: "That's right, Lizzie. We don't bite."

Lizzie: "No bite Ebie. Friend."

Me: "That's a good place to start, Lizzie. We don't bite our friends."

Lizzie tells this one over and over. I think she was as shocked as Ebie and was really distressed over the whole affair.  Whew.

Needless to say, Lizzie is a joy and a treasure. We are so grateful for her sweet presence in our lives, and rarely have an hour without laughter because of her.  We can't wait to see what's next...every stage has been our favorite!

Lizzie's Dedication

Well, I'm only a few weeks behind at this point. But I thought I'd go ahead and tell about Lizzie's dedication, anyway.

On February 8th, we, along with several other families, had the opportunity to dedicate our sweet baby to the Lord. It was a joyful time tinged with wistfulness and anchored in the weighty responsibility of stewarding the life of our little daughter.

Lizzie wore a gown her great-great-grandfather's baptismal gown. It's been worn by five generations of Knorr's, so it held special meaning, especially for Danny's family. Such a legacy.

Danny parents came. My mom came, and so did my dad. My Aunt Dorothy and Uncle David were there. Lizzie's nanny, Chandra, came with her mom. Our precious friends Jessica and Stephen drove down from Vancouver, and our community group and other church friends stood by us. Aunts, uncles, cousins, and Lizzie's great-grandmother were all there with us in spirit. The weekend was full of family and friends, laughter, stories. Memories were made and Lizzie charmed all.

We would love it if y'all woudl join us in praying for Lizzie as she grows. We've chosen Colossians 1:9-12 as her dedication verse, and it is our fervent prayer that the Lord will bring her to know Him and will make her a woman after His own heart. Amen.

"For this reason since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to sak that you mat be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, strengthened with all power according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience, joyously giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." Col. 1:19-12

With all our hearts,
Danny, Amy (and Lizzie)

Treye's Day

It's hard to believe that our little Treye would be three years old today. In so many ways, the time has flown. And in so many ways we are still in that moment three years ago. We still miss him so very much...it's surprising sometimes.

We were standing in the kitchen last night watching Lizzie play in "Disneyland" (the excersaucer) and talking at the top of her lungs, and we were struck once again by what a precious treasure she is. Her beauty and joy pierces the heart sometimes. I almost felt like I was knocked backward as I looked at her tonight. And as I fed her at bedtime, I had the clearest vision of Treye's little head on my knee. Lizzie's presence makes the wistfulness of Treye's absence stronger and his absence makes the joy of her presence deeper. May it always be so.

We miss our little boy, and treasure our little girl. The Lord is good and sovereign, and so merciful to give us such a strong testament in this juxtaposition of joy and sadness.

We planted bulbs in Treye's memory, again this year. Lizzie was fascinated by the flowers that were already blooming...I think she is a girl after my own heart! :)

And just to end in joy...a couple more bonus shots.

Lizzie loves her blankie and monkey that Auntie Jeana gave her! Naptime and bedtime jsut aren't the same if she can't cuddle into them as she drifts off. Precious.

Yup, that's right. We tried rice cereal. I think we'll wait a bit. She's interested, but not voracious! :) And sweet potatoes might be the thing next time.

And, my personal favorite...Danny called while I was at the store.
"Um, she fell asleep on the changing table. We were about to go on a walk. What do I do?"

With all our hearts,
Danny and Amy (and Lizzie)

Growing and Growing!

How big is Lizzie? Sooooo big!

Well, I guess it is to be expected...Lizzie is growing like a weed (of the wild and beautiful variety). Her pediatrician appointment this week showed her to be 8lbs and 1/2 an ounce and 20.5 inches long. My goodness! Suffice it to say that she is such a good eater that I have to slow her down by stopping to burp her every 3 minutes or so. This causes much grunting and groaning of displeasure, I might add.

Doting Ama, Papa and Great Ama

Lizzie has captivated her Ama and Papa and Great Ama (Danny's mom, dad and grandmother) these past two weeks as we were blessed to have them here for a visit. Between cooing and snuggling and smiling, Lizzie has been a lovely hostess and has sweetly welcomed her grandparents and great grandmother. What a joy to have them here...wish we lived closer together. The leaving part is hard these days.

We are enjoying Lizzie with all our hearts! She smiled at each of us for the first time this week, and even had a smile for her Ama (Don't worry, Grandma Nancy, she is saving a special one for you when you come back in December!).

Other Milestones:
* Sleeping in her bed at night!
* Enjoying her nightly walk around Greenlake (I really think if we tied Mishka to the BOB, he would pull her like a sled...he gets right out in front and does his part to pull while I push.)
* Perfecting the art of putting Daddy to sleep while she snuggles into his chest
* Staring intently at my face while she eats (what is she thinking...I would dearly love to know!)
* Causing everyone who sees her to stop us and coo at her. She is quite the attraction. :)
* Rolling onto her side while we change her so she can see herself in the mirror (should we encourage this, I wonder?). Truly, we have only to put her down in front of the mirror during a fussy time and she instantly quiets!

Well, I hear some Lizzie noises from the general direction of the nursery. Better hustle in there and see if I still have time for a shower.

With all our hearts!