So, what have we been up to??

Well, we have been busy as can be around here! Since my last post these two girls have started their school year....

They both LOVE their classes and have enjoyed being back into a routine. And of course I sent them a note in their lunch to remind them how special they are to me.

After the excitement of the first week of school we were paid a unwelcome visit by Irene....Maybe you've met her??

These pictures were taken from my husband's patrol car the day after Hurricane Irene made landfall...

Thank the Lord, we only had minor damage to our home and property. And most importantly we all came through safely.



And something else that has come since my last post...September 1st, which to me equals 'time to put up my fall decorations':):) If you can not tell, I do not procrastinate when it comes to celebrating the change of seasons!

Bella's 1 year pictures

Around each of my children's 1st birthday, I have always had "1 year shots" taken. For Bella, she had just had some beautiful pictures made at 9 months and with our very busy summer, I decided to take some of my own outside our home. She is at a phase right now where it is very hard to get her to sit still for pictures, but I was still able to catch a few cute ones before she grew to bored/hot/hounded by knats. The white dress in the photos was originally Hailey's and each one of the girls have worn it in their one year pictures.

This last picture is my absolute favorite. It shows so much of her sweet little personality. We have so enjoyed Bella's first year of life and are having so much fun watching her grow into a toddler.

~Picture catch up~

While going through the 12 month pictures I took of Bella, I found these random few taken recently of the girls. There is no running theme, but I just couldn't let these go without being saved to our blog to look back on:) Tomorrow's post is a collection of pictures I took of Bella outside to serve as her "1 year pics". Far from professional, but they will do! Check back tomorrow for those:)

~Sisterly Love~

This is one sweet pile of sugar:)...

Just another bookworm! All the girls in this house love to read. Bella is definitely "just one of the girls" in that respect. Her current favorite is a glittery book about fairys. She even says "fairy" when she points at the fairy pictures :)

Big sister, littlest sister

And just in case you are thinking we are all smiles around here, this is a little behind the scenes picture to relieve you of that idea!LOL:)
Both of their faces are priceless.

Mary~Kathryn

Check out this sneaky Bella making her way up the steps as fast as she can!

This last picture just tickles me. Mary Kathryn made this pyramid with her babies. She sees plenty of this every week so it shouldn't have come as a surprise to me!

In other news, Hailey is starting 4th grade tomorrow and Mary Kathryn is starting the 1st grade. They both love school and have missed both the schoolwork and friends. We are all excited for their first day! Update on that to follow soon:)

Melba's Southern Fried Chicken and Eggnog Waffles Recipe

Melba's Southern Fried Chicken and Eggnog Waffles

I absolutely have to try this recipe soon. It doesn't look healthy at all, but it does look ridiculously delicious. And just in case I'm not the only one who is dying to try this, I have included the recipe below. Enjoy! And please let me know if you try it. I would love to know how it tastes, though I will be trying it soon!

serves 4


For the chicken:

1 (3-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon brown mustard

2 cups buttermilk

Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons Sazonador seasoning

For the eggnog waffles:

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground nutmeg

2 cups eggnog

2 large eggs, separated

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Cooking spray, for the waffle iron

Strawberry Butter (recipe follows), for serving

Maple syrup, for serving

Strawberry Butter:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

4 ounces strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 3/4 cup)

A few drops of grenadine syrup

Directions

1

To cook the chicken, put the chicken pieces in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, paprika, poultry seasoning, and garlic powder. Add the mustard and use your hands to work everything into the chicken. Pour in the butter­milk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 hours.



2

Heat 3 inches of oil to 325ºF in a deep cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Combine the flour and Sazonador seasoning in a brown paper bag. Add a few pieces of chicken at a time and shake it like you mean it! Working in batches, fry the chicken until it is beauti-fully brown and crispy on one side, about 15 minutes. Turn and cook until a meat thermometer inserted into the meat registers 160ºF, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels.



3

To make the waffles, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk the eggnog, egg yolks, and butter in another bowl. Stir the wet ingredi­ents into the dry until combined; you don’t want the batter to be lumpy or too smooth— just right.



4

Whisk the egg whites until almost stiff; fold them into the batter.



5

Heat a waffle iron. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour some of the batter into the middle of the iron, following the manu­facturer’s instructions. Close and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.



6

Top the waffles with fried chicken, Straw­berry Butter, and maple syrup.



7

For the Strawberry Butter, put the butter in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and blend until smooth. Add the berries and grenadine and pulse until combined, but with small pieces of berry still visible.

I'm probably getting calories just from reading this recipe but from the looks of it, it will be well worth it!!

Bella 12 month update: Part II...

So, after our 12 month checkup we came away with the following information.... Bella now weighs 19lbs 10.5 ounces and is 31 inches long!! Her pediatrician recommended that we continue her on the lactose free milk since it seems to be working for the time being. We are now avoiding other dairy products because even yogurt causes rash and severe diarrhea. I am praying that she does not have a dairy allergy because that will be so limiting to her diet. She is still not completely weaned yet since the milk issue held that up a bit. But she is drinking the lactose free milk throughout the day, so we are headed in the right direction! Other than that, Bella had a great checkup and is doing wonderfully!:)

I am such a softie for sweet videos like the one below. I saw this on another blog and thought it was just the sweetest:)

Look who's walking!!

Look who's on the move now....:)

~Bella's 12 month update~

                                                 
Isabella Faith Trevathan ~ 1 year


It is hard to believe that a full year has passed since Bella was born. We just can't imagine our life without her now! It has been so much fun watching her go from a little newborn to an outgoing, funloving, energetic one year old. And I have so enjoyed watching Hailey and Mary Kathryn develop into such devoted, loving older sisters. How much fun for them to grow up having each other to love and depend on. Just look at this display of sisterly love.....

                                      4th of July 2011

Now for Bella's 12 month update!~

Weight and length this month~ To be announced after her 12 month check next week. I'm pretty sure it's very close to 20 pounds.


Feedings~ Bella is making the transition from breastmilk to lactose free vitamin D milk. Not long after gradually starting her during the day on vitamin D whole milk, she began having horrible diarrhea. At first I just thought she had a virus. But it went on for 2 weeks, getting worse and worse the more whole milk we added to her diet. I mean it got so bad that she was waking several times during the night COVERED in stool from her hair to her feet. The last few nights she had THREE baths from the time she layed down at night till morning. At that point I realized that it had to be the milk. At the recommendation of a PA I work with, I switched her to lactose free milk (Thanks Denise!). And the turn around was amazing. Not only did we not have to fight her to get her to drink the milk, but the diarrhea stopped and she began having regular stools again! So at this point, Bella is down to nursing at bedtime and in the mornings and is finally able to take lactose free vitamin D milk during the day. Thank the Lord! I look forward to her one year check up next week when I can discuss this lactose intolerance with her pediatrician. She is also at the point where she prefers table food to baby food. Some of her favorites are pancakes, potatoes, cereal, whole grain puffs, and she likes green beans. I wouldn't say love but definitely likes:)

I just love this picture! Bella taking a bite of her smashcake at her 1st birthday party. This cake was extra special because it was made by her Aunt Abby:)



Sleep~ Things are getting better on this front. I would say she sleeps through the night (10 straight hours) 3 out of 7 nights a week. I'm happy with this progress in the right direction! (She slept wonderfully until almost 5 months and, well, all down hill from there). She also takes a 2 hour morning nap and a 1-1 1/2 hour afternoon nap.


Play~ She loves playing with baby dolls, pushing cars and trucks, climbing and "making " her sisters push her around in her play baby stroller. In fact, she gets upset if she sees a baby doll in the stroller and will throw it out and climb in herself. Then she will wait, not so patiently, to be pushed around. And of course her sisters love having a REAL baby doll to push!:)

Development~ Look how much we have learned in our 1st year!~
•Pulls self up to stand
•Walks holding on to furniture
•Stands momentarily without support
•Uses pincer grasp
•Bangs two cubes together
•Puts objects into container
•Takes objects out of container
•Lets objects go voluntarily
•Pokes with index finger
•Tries to imitate scribbling
•Responds to simple verbal requests
•Responds to “no”
•Uses simple gestures, such as shaking head for “no”
•Babbles with inflection
•Says “dada” and “mama”
•Uses exclamations, such as “oh-oh!”
•Tries to imitate words
•Finds hidden objects easily
•Looks at correct picture when the image is named
•Imitates gestures
•Begins to use objects correctly( ie. She loves to pretend to talk on the phone by holding it up to her ear and babbling!)
•Shows specific preferences for certain people and toys
•Repeats sounds or gestures for attention
•Finger-feeds herself
•Extends arm or leg to help when being dressed


Favorite things to do this month~ Cuddle and snuggle, ride in her play baby stroller, chase her sissies around, and explore!

And here is a picture of Bella's 1st birthday cake with her FAV charachter on it.....

And coincidentally Bella was born on our 9th wedding anniversary. So not only did we celebrate Bella's 1st birthday....but we also celebrated another very important milestone....
Our 10th wedding anniversary!!!

Happy 1st Birthday to my Bellabee!!!