Maia Loves Snow!!

Maia...wondering what all of this white stuff is. She is so fascinated by the snow, it's so funny! She got so excited when I took her out in the middle of it all.

This snowsuit is great for keeping warm, not so great for walking in--her big snow boots don't help much either. She kept falling over and then getting stuck. We were laughing so hard because she was getting so frustrated! I got the snowsuit at a garage sale this summer, so it's definitely not the most fashionable, but hey, you can't beat a couple of bucks! Especially for things they only wear a couple of times! This was the first time I have put it on her and it is already too short...sad, sad....she is growing up too fast!
Doesn't she look like an astronaut? I can't get over the outfit! But she stayed warm so that's all that matters, right?
Playing out on the porch....Maia loves the snow! She tries to eat it off of our shoes after we come in from outside-gross!! She is very curious about how cold it is when she touches it. She is at such a fun age where she is so interested in EVERYTHING! Sometimes, not such a good thing I guess! No, she is sooo much fun and keeps me BUSY, BUSY!

Too Much Snow!!

A huge snow storm has hit us! We already have about 12-14 inches, and the sad part is, I don't think we're done yet! And so it begins, right? I'm looking forward to spring already.....no, I haven't minded the snow yet--it is actually really pretty, as long as I don't have to drive anywhere in it and as long as it doesn't knock out the power!
On a happier note, Maia got a new Christmas dress from Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Jeff so she wore it to church today (we only had sacrament meeting and then the rest of church was canceled due to the weather, that's how wonderful it has been in our neck of the woods!). Afterwards, we had to have a photo shoot, of course!

A look out of our front door....not such a pretty sight huh?
Maia in her new Christmas dress....cute as ever! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa Marchant!

Posing with the presents--she really wanted to open it!
Whew! Posing for all of these pictures is HARD work! I thought this picture was so funny--look at how sprawled out she is!

My EXTREMELY Late Recipe

I know that it is way past Monday, but I still wanted to post my recipe for the week. This recipe is fast, easy and very tasty....and even has a little bit less fat than the regular stuff! Can't beat that right?

Low Fat Lemon Cheesecake

2 graham cracker crusts (make your own or just buy the pre-made ones)
3 packages (8 oz) Neufchatel cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 cup egg product (like Egg Beaters, or you can use real eggs, probably about 3)
8 oz. low fat lemon yogurt
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. grated lemon peel.

Beat cream cheese until smooth, add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared crusts. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until center is almost set. (Put a glass pan of water on the bottom rack during baking to minimize cracking on the tops of the cheesecakes.) Cool completely (about 1-2 hours). Refrigerate 3-4 hours or overnight before serving.

Random Cute Pictures

Getting all dressed up for our 5 minute play time outside on the porch...
Playing with Dada outside

Posing in front of the Christmas tree in her fancy new dress and her bow that Megan made

I know I haven't been very good at keeping up with my blog lately! Sorry! I guess I haven't been taking as many pictures or our life hasn't been that interesting....not like it ever REALLY is huh? Maia is growing up so fast I can hardly believe it! We went and got her Christmas pictures taken last week--she hammed it up really good for all of them! There was this other little black boy there (he was probably about 18 months old)--they were so cute together. He held out an ornament to share with her and she signed "thank you," gave him a winning smile, then kept following him around everywhere. They kept reaching out to touch each others faces and smiling, it was so funny. What else? She still loves to be outside, even though the temps have dropped into the 30's here. I have to really gear up for our outdoor treks and then limit them to, like, 5 minutes or so! She cries when we have to go inside, but it is FREEZING!! I don't think that kids get the concept of being cold. Anyway, she also LOVES to play with her dad right when he comes home from school. She knows that it will be all fun and games the minute dada walks in the door. David loves that Maia is finally at the age where he can wrestle her around and she just loves every minute of it. Oh, and she loves to "talk" on the cell phone too....she puts it right up to her ear (she holds it backwards, it's so cute) and she will just talk away... I wonder where she learned that from? She surely doesn't see me ever do it right?
On another note, the first semester of dental school is almost over!! I can't believe how fast it has gone! David has taken one final already, has another one this coming Tuesday, and then has a whole week of them the following week. Then it's off to the white, sandy beaches of Corpus Christi, Texas for us!! We are dreaming of 75 degree weather and wearing t-shirts and flip-flops....what does 75 degrees feel like anyway??? I've already forgotten. Well that's the quick update I guess. Enjoy the pictures!

The Weather Outside is Frightful!

And so it begins...the snow and the cold, cold Buffalo winters that everyone talks about. We had our first real snow storm on Saturday night, but it only put down about 3 inches and was pretty much gone the next day (seeing how the next night it rained and melted most of it--but rain?? It was really weird). I haven't felt like the temperatures have been any colder to what we are used to in Utah...the only thing I'm not liking at ALL is the wind! I guess that winter time is kind of the time where the wind picks up here--add a little snow to the mix and the picture just isn't pretty, especially when I'm hauling Maia around. I took a few pictures of snow falling in our backyard, one of them is kind of blurry...sorry.

And one more thing...my weekly recipe:

Banana Bran Muffins

In large bowl, mix:

1 cup flour (may add 2 Tbl more per recipe if runny)

1 cup wheat bran

1 tsp. soda

½ tsp. salt

½ cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans), optional

In separate bowl, mix:

1 cup mashed bananas

½ cup oil

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg (or can use Egg Beaters)

Mix dry and wet ingredients. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes (check at 13 minutes). Cool in tins for 5 minutes, then remove to wire cooling rack. Yield: 1 dozen muffins.

I love these muffins so much! They are healthy, very tasty, and a perfect way to use up over-ripe bananas.