London Fog Drink

I found my new favourite drink and it is a great alternative to cappucino and lattes. With this pregnancy in particular, I haven't always been able to drink coffee, so I have had to find alternatives for a *special drink*. I was at a local coffee house with a friend awhile back and ordered a London Fog which is essentially a cappucino with tea instead of coffee. I thought I would give it a try and it was really good! When I went to Starbucks a couple of weeks later, I found out that this is more common of a drink than I thought. I ordered one and took my first sip and it tasted nothing like the drink I had at the other place. I just had to figure out how to make this at home - so I did. I had to do some experimenting before I got it just right. When it came to the tea, I found no name brand the best. Organic Earl Grey tea was too strong of a flavour, and there was no difference taste wise between no name and the more expensive brands. Here is the recipe in case you want to try it (and so that I don't forget how).

London Fog Recipe
1 Earl Grey tea bag
2-3 tbsp. of vanilla syrup depending on taste
1/4 c. of steamed/frothed milk -I use 2%

Directions:

1. Steep one bag of Earl Grey tea for approximately 5 minutes, or as long as it takes you to prepare the rest of the drink.

2. While the tea is steeping, heat the milk for 45 seconds. When it is heated, froth the milk until there is a nice layer or foam on top.


3. When the tea is steeped to your liking, put it 2-3 tbsp. of vanilla syrup. 3 tbsp. is very sweet, so start with less and add more if you need to.


4. Pour in the heated milk. When there is about 1/4" of space left in the cup, stop pouring the liquid milk in and just spoon the foam on top. Voila! Your drink is done. Now find a relaxing chair to sit down and enjoy your little cup of tea!

Adventures at the Park

Packed up and ready to go!

Kaley and I got up on Saturday morning, packed some snacks and her favourite outside toy now (the red wagon) and headed to the park with Baracus. It was a beautiful morning out and we had a great time together. There weren't very many kids at the park which was nice because Kaley was able to wander around and play with whatever she wanted to. We learned our lesson from the last time and brought sand toys for her to play with, so back and forth we all went from the playground to the sand box. When all of the kids were gone, Kaley wanted to *play* with Baracus instead of him just watching her play. This poor dog! She had him doing things that I'm sure he was never intending to do. We had a great time and headed back to the house for a nice picnic lunch on the front porch and then inside for an afternoon nap. Great Saturday afternoon!

Taking some time to stop and smell the flowers

Kaley *playing* with Baracus

Wherever Kaley goes...Baracus has to go as well

That means up the stairs...

...all the way to the top...

...And you guessed it, down the slide!

I really didn't think that she was going to get him to do it the first time, so when it looked like she was going to try it again, I had the video camera ready.

And believe it or not, he did it again 2 more times! He is such a trooper.

Kaley pulling the wagon home...

...but only after some *off roading* first. She is always looking for an adventure!

The Little Mother

This is her *smiling* for the camera!

Our dearest little girl has shown no interest in babies up until about a month ago, which didn't really make any difference to use, it was just interesting. She had a cradle and a couple of dolls and she loved taking them for a ride, but that was where it ended. We have been talking a bit more about babies and her being a big sister to prepare her for the upcoming baby, but it was only recently that she started taking interest in *caring* for her babies.

Grandma and Grandpa Matters brought my old doll bunk bed and a couple of doll blankets up with them the last time they visited and she latched onto those with great interest. Now, she is taking her babies with her to church, in the car, to bed and even wanted to take them in her bath last night. She is so loving and caring towards her dolls. We got a video a couple of weeks back of her putting them to bed and it was adorable! Then she found the carrier that I used to wear with her before I got pregnant. She wanted to wear it with her baby around the house. At least it is still getting some use. I always put her in the front carry position and never really got comfortable in the back carry position, so it will have to be put to good use from Kaley until the baby is born. She is doing a wonderful job of being mommy to her little babies.

Kaley putting her baby to sleep

I put this one in just because it makes me laugh:-)

Six Months and Kickin'!

5 months

6 months

Our precious little baby is already 25 weeks along! It is amazing the change that happens in one month. One of the highlights that I have enjoyed this past month has been the use of a fetal scope which my good friend has lent me for this pregnancy. I have been able to hear the heartbeat everyday and it has been such a comfort and a neat experience. I love the fact that is a natural way of being connected to our baby without having to use something battery operated as most things are with babies.

The other highlight this month happened on Friday. I had to go get another ultra sound done because they weren't able to get a good picture of the heart when they did the first one. So, I was fortunate to get a second glimpse at our little baby. I saw again the tiny little hands and feet, and the mouth moving and of course the little heart beating. What a blessing!

It is hard to believe that in what might be a little more than 12 weeks we will see this little one face to face. We are all getting a little more excited as the time goes on. But, in the meantime I am treasuring this precious time to bond with this little one in our own special way. Happy six months little one!

Doing Some Yardwork

We had a beautiful day a couple of weeks ago for the first time in a long time. Mark decided to do some raking out in the front and back yard. When Kaley saw this happening, she just had to help daddy out. Kaley and I were given the job of collecting and putting all of the dead grass into buckets and then into a trash bag. Kaley just thought this was too much fun. She went right away and got a broom that she used as her rake to help her daddy out. Then when it was time to collect it all, she was very resourceful and went and got her shovel. It was a fun spring morning spent in the yard. I love having a little girl who enjoys being outside!

Gradma Matter's Video

We made little videos for Grandma M & C for Mother's Day and the one I sent to my mom didn't work, so we are going this route. So mom, this is for you. Happy Mother's Day from Kaley:-)

My Mother's Day

(As you can tell, Kaley wasn't really in the mood for pictures.
This was the *best* one we could get!)

I had such a lovely mother's day weekend! It began on Saturday morning with a brunch at the church with Kaley. The brunch was entitled "Celebrate Mother's" and it was exactly that! I always enjoy being able to do these special events with Kaley and making special memories while she is young. After the brunch, we came home, had lunch and then had a nap together for the afternoon. I optimistically set out to have some quiet time as she slept, but hearing her softly fall asleep beside me lulled me into a nice afternoon nap! We both woke up and discovered that the dog had joined us as well. Talk about a family bed:-) That night, Mark made chopped pizza for dinner and homemade cherry cheesecake...my favourite!

I woke up on Sunday morning and took some time in the quiet of the morning to listen to our baby girl's heartbeat and feel the little movements as she woke up. Shortly after that I heard a little voice calling my name ready to get up and greet the day. Kaley and I made blueberry muffins together (and coffee) and then got ready to go to church. At church when Mark was giving his invocation prayer, Kaley very distinctly said in the middle with a very loud voice "AMEN!" to which she had quite a few chuckles from the people sitting around us. What a funny little girl:-) I received a loving card from Mark and Kaley and we all went on a very cold, but fun walk together in the evening. Kaley pulled her wagon the whole way and tried her best to keep up with Baracus.

The most important part of the weekend was the time spent with the people that I love the most- my family. I am blessed to have an amazing husband and a sweet little girl.