Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Growing up in Utah, you grow up around a lot of stereotypes pertaining to Mormons. One of these stereotypes is that Mormons are fantastic cooks. Now, I don't know about all of the other's, but my mother-in-law, Kathy, is definitely a fantastic cook. Whether the recipe has been handed down in her family (think: orange rolls at Thanksgiving) or something that she found on the Internet (Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana) it always tastes incredible when she serves it up (yes, Kathy, even when you burn the garlic bread!)


I've always thought that there was an important difference between cooking and baking, and I still believe this. I am a great cook. I can throw recipes together like it's nothing, and I enjoy doing it! Baking, on the other hand, is something that is a lot of work for me. You'd think that my type-A personality would lend itself well to the meticulous process of baking as it calls for precision, attention to detail, and I'm sure some of my CDO (aka OCD) tendencies should come in handy for this kind of thing. I don't know what the reason for it is, but I generally do not enjoy baking. I do, however, enjoy eating baked goods! :)


Luckily for me, I was given an awesome recipe for chewy gingerbread cookies this past winter by Kathy. She had made a batch for Sunday dinner once and they were, of course, amazing. I had to have the recipe! Matt has a bit of a sweet tooth and craves cookies quite often and after having exhausted my family's chocolate chip cookie recipe, we've been branching out to brownies, his childhood recipe for oatmeal cookies, and now, to these chewy gingerbread bites of heaven.


I wanted to share the recipe here on my blog. They are super easy to make, and it hardly feels like I'm baking when I make them. 


If anyone tries them out, let me know how you liked them! I can't imagine anyone wouldn't!


Chewy Gingerbread Cookies


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup molasses (Grandma's tastes best)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
4 cups flour
4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp ground cloves + 1 tsp ground ginger)


Directions: Combine oil, molasses, and sugar. Beat in eggs. Mix flour with spices. Add flour mixture and beat to form a stiff dough (I used my hands to mix it all together). Chill well. Roll into walnut shaped balls of dough and roll in sugar. Bake on un-greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let cool on cooling rack for several minutes. Enjoy!


Yield: approx. 55 cookies (I know, right?!)


Here are some photos from my endeavor...

It's just not baking without using something from my pampered chef collection

I loved these photos of the cookies baking in the oven...they look dreamy!

The girls were napping while I did all of this. They are still a bit young, I think, to help me bake, but maybe soon they'll be able to pour the sugar or stir the dough for me. I really do look forward to teaching them how to cook and bake--I loved watching my dad do it when I was growing up, and I think that the girls will really like being a part of what is going on in the kitchen. 

18 Month Check Up

The girls turned 18 months last Thursday (March 29th) and they saw their new pediatrician for their check up on Monday this week. Their new doctor was referred to us by Joni as she was Linus' doctor while they lived in Somerville. This is the first time that we had met her. I was a bit nervous about meeting a new doctor since my entire family has a deeply rooted history with our previous pediatrician, and I  knew that that relationship would be absent with this new provider. 

I've always known that having David Hurley as my girls' pediatrician was a very special thing. He was, in fact, my pediatrician as well. My mom always told me, "He saw you when you were born before I did, you know", referring to David being present at my delivery. I can say the same thing to both Sophie and Olivia--"You know, Dr. Hurley saw you when you were born before mommy did". There are lots of things about their birth that are blurry to me now, and lots of things that are still crystal clear, and one of those crystal clear memories is how many people were actually in the delivery room when my girls were born. Since they were premature, there were teams from the NICU for each baby, nurses, aids, my mother, a resident and a medical student even. David was among the masses that day and checked each baby out just moments after they were born. Of course, our history goes deeper than just being a 2-generation pediatrician. Our families have worshiped together for decades, first at Southside (even pre-Southside, I'm told) and then at Murray Park. It was wonderful to be at church with David because I always felt like my girls were being checked on on a regular basis, and that they were receiving a much more personal degree of attention, as opposed to the occasional office visit from a near-stranger. I remember being babysat by Jerri at times in my childhood and have memories of babysitting her children during my adolescence. David officiated at my wedding with Sean, and was there with me when he died. Both are two of the most powerful memories I have in my life. We've had countless family get-togethers, Wednesday night small groups, and 4th of July parades with the Hurley family. Somehow, even if we stay with the new pediatrician for 18+ years, I doubt that the relationship I'll have with her will scratch the surface of what I have with the Hurley family. 

The meeting with the new pediatrician went just fine. She was very nice and friendly. She wasn't terribly warm, but was very clinical, which is what I expected. I suppose I appreciate the fact that she was professional, as I was absolutely looking for a medical provider for my children and not a friend in this woman. She warmed to the girls easily (who doesn't?), and they seemed to be comfortable around her, which helped the fact that I had them there on my own. 

Here's the part where I get all sentimental about how I can't believe that my little babies are so grown up already! 18 months! How has that time gone by so quickly? Auuuuuugh!

Okay, that's out of my system, for now at least. 

My sweet little Sophie, who was born a mere 9 minutes before her sissy and weighed 3 lbs 15 oz at birth has grown to a powerful 22lbs 14 oz! I think that this number is actually lower than her 15 month weight, but she hadn't started fully walking at that point, and this kid is all over the place now! She's a tall one too--she's 33" now, which is 3 whole inches taller than Olivia, who measures 30" tall and 19 lbs 6.5 oz. This little bug used to be about 5" shorter and about 5 lbs lighter than her sissy, but she's been eating like crazy (and walking like crazy too), so she seems to have closed the gap slightly. I fear though, that she's destined to follow in her mommy's shrimpy footsteps whereas Sophie is displaying indicators of treading along the path of her 6'3" father. Twins indeed.

The girls are great at throwing tantrums now--we're talking full-on flops to the ground, kicking and screaming and rolling around, and all that good stuff. Luckily that happens at home usually, and doesn't in public. Thankfully these tantrums seem manageable (I can usually ward them off if I know that it's around nap time or lunch time or if they're becoming interested in a toy we only have one of, etc), and overall, they are still little sweethearts. Even when they are little monsters, I can't help but love on them...maybe I'll outgrow that by the time they are teenagers? I warn Matt that he may be the only one of us to survive their teenage years.  ;)

They are doing things like drinking from a straw, drinking from an open-rimmed cup on their own (with mommy's supervision), pretending to cook in their little ikea kitchen, feeding themselves with utensils, making the correct animal noises when asked about them or when they see pictures in books, walking everywhere, talking with each other in their "secret twin language", and singing along to songs that they know (VeggieTales, the ABC's, Itsy-Bitsy Spider). They're a lot of fun right now, and I'm glad that they are happy and healthy little kiddos.

My little monsters watching Monsters, Inc. 

This was yesterday after the doctors appointment. It was right during nap time, and I knew that by the time we got home they'd either be asleep or incredibly fussy. 

 They both got ice cream stickers at the doctors office and that's what's on their hands

They're getting better at stabbing food with a fork

She would stab her noodles then pull them off with her hands instead of putting them in her mouth. Silly girl.

These silly ones love having pillows dropped on them. Matt was playing with them on the bed last night and they just couldn't stop giggling! It wore them out quite nicely for bed!

A Week of Snuggles

This week has been the first time since we moved to Boston that Matt has been away on business. He's been in Dallas this week (comes home Thursday), and he's been missed. Since I'm normally home with the girls by myself during the day anyway, I'm most affected in the evenings. First of all, don't worry everyone, I'm doing fine, I promise. I'm not entirely starved for adult conversation as he and I do call each other in the evening before bed...and there's always Facebook to keep me entertained. I'm not going crazy, actually quite the opposite. This week has been a great opportunity for me to spend some more meaningful time with the girls than what I feel I normally get in with them during the week. Maybe it's because I feel I'm loving them enough for both of their parents this week while Matt's gone, but really when are these girls ever not loved to full capacity? Whatever the reasoning behind it, I've felt like I've gotten to know my daughters just a little bit better this week.


I hear this a lot: "Oh! Twins? Oh wow, but they don't look anything alike! Well I guess they are two different people." And I hear it from complete strangers everywhere I go. So yes, strange people, I do have to separate daughters who are separate people, and this is apparent to me (and anyone else who spends 30 seconds with them) even at their young age. They turn 18 months on Thursday and I can't even believe how time has gone by so quickly. They grow so much each day--I could talk about my maternal sentiments for ever and ever. But instead of going on and on possibly forcing myself into a fit of joyous tears that I've so often made fun of my mother for doing ("mom, are you crying again?", I'll share tidbits about my daughters and try to scratch the surface of what I love about them. 


I would say that Olivia is typically my cuddle bug, barring illness in either one of them (that's when they both get extra snugly), but this past week, maybe 10 days or so, it has been Sophie who has claimed that role. 

Here, we are cuddling on the couch watching an episode of VeggieTales. Up until this past week, this photo could have existed by me simply picking her up, placing her in my lap, and getting out my phone to snap a quick picture. Except that this photo didn't compose itself that way. Much to my delight, Sophie crawled closer to me, laid her head down in my lap and looked up at me and smiled. I couldn't resist nabbing a hug and when I was done, she sat up and leaned on me, grabbed her blankie and snuggled up. *melt* During our snuggle session I was able to just hold her and be still for a moment. I caught whiffs of her hair, which smells like baby shampoo or yogurt depending on whether she's had a bath yet or not. I was taken back to when she was a newborn and how I'd sit and hold her and soak up that new baby smell...which is something like baby shampoo mixed with old breast milk, and is still somehow the best scent I've ever experienced. It really hit me how much she has grown since then. Here she is, mobile on her own, physically able to snuggle up with mommy by choice. And my heart loves that she chose to do that.

Here she is laying with her head in my lap

I could sit here all day long with her. How is it that she fits so perfectly?

Here's a shot from the front--still in mommy's lap, and she looks so settled

A snuggle with her blankie--and she looks just like her Granny (my mom) when she was this age

I get lots of comments about her beautiful long, fine, light hair, and I think it's gorgeous--such a contrast from my darker, coarser mane.

I just want to keep her this age forever and ever.

I've mentioned in other posts that Olivia has been fighting bedtime and sleep. This has been going on for about 6 weeks, and we've tried everything. One of the things that we've been working on is a better, more indicative bedtime routine. Part of that routine is having the girls brush their teeth after they've had their jammies put on. Sophie has 12 teeth that I've counted, 6 on top and 6 on bottom, and I believe Olivia has 10 at this point although I think I see some more at the top on their way through. Right now, brushing their teeth consists of putting water on a very soft-bristled toothbrush and letting them essentially chew on it for about 3 minutes. These toothbrushes were a stocking-stuffer gift from Nana and Pop-Pop (Sean's parents) this past Christmas, and came with tubes of fluoride-free toothpaste. I've held off on that part since they're already so adamant and demanding about getting their toothbrushes as it is...I'll introduce the sweet stuff later.

Speaking of sweet stuff, get a load of these cheeks! And that chinny-chin-chin. It's a constant struggle to restrain myself from kissing their faces all the time, and I'm honestly quite horrible at executing that restraint. Olivia gets the green toothbrush, just as she gets green whenever there's a color distinction being made between the girls. 

Sophie gets the purple toothbrush (and everything else) because that's just the fun-loving type of girl she is.

Part of what I've realized during my quality time with them this week is how independent and capable they are. No mom, I'm not surprised and yes I know where they get it from, but it's just so amazing to see it actually happening. I come from a long line of independent and headstrong women so I've always known that my children (at least one of them) would take after me in that regard. But, instead of being a displeasing quality, like I had feared for most of my life, I find it endearing, amazing, and so much fun to watch. They take so much pride in doing things on their own, like brushing their teeth or drinking from a straw. It's very rewarding to see their happiness. 


The last tidbit I'll share about this week with my girls is about Olivia. Lately, her toy of choice has been her baby-doll. She doesn't ask for it by name, but if I ask her to "show me" she can always point and grunt her way to wherever it is, and as soon as I see it and as, "is it your baby that you want?", she kicks her legs and giggles and squirms until its in her arms. 


And then she does this with it:

She's not as snugly with mommy as she has been in weeks past, but she is definitely snugly with her baby doll. When she first gets her baby in the morning, she'll usually say "meme bay-me" which I used to think was "give me baby", but after having a few conversations with her, I now think that she is saying "mommy's baby". I think that she is pretending to be mommy with her baby, so I ask her, "what does mommy do with baby?" and she immediately kisses her doll with a big, open-mouthed smack. I say, "that's right! Lots of kisses!" and then I usually attack her with a storm of my own, which makes her giggle and snuggle her baby closer. She's still my baby (and yes mom, always will be) but I have a feeling she'll be an amazing mommy for real someday. But I'm in no hurry to get to that point yet--I think I'll keep her at this stage for just a while more while I still can. 




I'm sorry that Matt is missing out on all of this while he's out of town, but hopefully they'll still feel snugly and independent after he's home too. All I know is that I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be able to stay home with them during the day to witness these subtle, yet astounding changes in them firsthand. 




p.s. I know Olivia has "piggies" in her hair in all of her pictures lately, but she really does ask for them to be done, and I think they're just about the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Instagram-ification

One of my favorite things about owning a smart phone, namely the iPhone 4, is all of the photography apps that are available at the App Store. I won't get into all of the other things that I love about my iPhone...and all of my other Apple products, to boot, in this post. I'll save that for another time. My favorite photography app by far is Instagram. I don't take advantage of the app to its fullest--I don't share my Instagram photos through the app, as I tend to upload them to Facebook most of the time, but I love the filters and editing features that it offers for the photos I have on my phone. The feel that it gives is very different than my personal editing style when it comes to my photography, but I like the way the app can help tell a story with the photos that I've taken, which is my aim in the first place. So, naturally, this post will feature pictures that I've taken with my iPhone and have edited using the Instagram app. Enjoy!

The four of us found ourselves at the park again this afternoon. It wasn't as warm today as it has been, but it was nice enough to be outside, at least for a while. 

How did Sophie's face end up like this?

From stuffing her face with fishies like this, and this & this.

We started off by having a snack out on the baseball field.

Even with a face-full of goldfish crackers, her daddy still couldn't resist stealing a kiss!

Olivia decided that Mommy should have a snack too!

It was so sweet of her to share with me!

I asked Matt to take some pictures of me with the girls on my phone, since I rarely ever get to be in photos with them! It seems like I'm always behind the camera, which is usually where I prefer to be, but every now and then I'll wish I had a good shot with the three of us together. So...he obliged. 

And after many, many shots (although only a few are posted here), I'd had enough!

I wanted to get a good picture with me and Sophie, but she wouldn't hold still so I decided that a smother-from-mother would just have to do!

Later, after we had moved on from the baseball field, Olivia decided she wanted to be particularly particular about where she had her next bite of goldfish. She walked all the way around the park to an empty table and made herself comfortable, where she then demanded that I give her more of her snack! Luckily she gave me some cheese in return for those cheesy goldfish crackers she was getting...

The girls soon discovered a sand-pit that had buckets and shovels all ready to go! Many of you know that one of the things I dislike the most is grittiness and I could feel my blood pressure and heart rate increasing as I watched the girls dump bucket after bucket of sand on themselves and each other. My feet took a pretty serious hit too, but I got these darlings shots and it made the whole thing worth it!

They really enjoyed themselves today, and that's what we had been hoping for. Matt and I were treated to an afternoon of giggles and cheesy-goldfish smiles!

Here are some other photographs from last weekend that I processed using Instagram as well. I could have added these to the sippy-cup post, but we were at a park on the Charles River near the Boston Science Museum. And, since this was a post about my Instagram photos (although the ones that show in this post don't even scratch the surface of the collection I have), and involved referencing our day at the park again, I figured I'd add these photos with this post as well. 

Here's Matt with the girls along the river's edge. Don't worry, my children can't fit through the railing...although their sippy-cups can. We discovered this tragically as Sophie dropped hers with a satisfying "splash!" into the Charles River. Lucky for her (or more for us), we had an extra one at home that looked just like it!

Sophie raced to the bottom of this hill, and so I followed her. Matt stayed behind with the family slow-poke. 

 A couple hours and minus-one sippy-cup later, it was time to head back home, and the girls who normally make silly faces for me when I pull out my phone to take their pictures, didn't even notice that I was snapping away.