Look at that smile

How do you say it nicely... the metal mouth is gone! The braces are off. Chelsea was sooo excited to get her braces yesterday.

Here is a pic of her before braces. We didn't take a good before picture.

Here are the before and after from yesterday.

I made buns!

I love the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog, and check it often for dinner ideas. Today honey bran buns were posted. I have never made buns before, aside from rolling buns for my mom when I was a kid. I felt like I should try this, so I did. Watching my mom take all day Saturday to make a batch of bread (and then cinnamon buns), I knew it would take some time, but it was surprisingly easier than I thought.

And they turned out great. They don't look the best (I need to learn to roll buns better), but they tasted surprisingly good. They are 2/3 white and 1/3 whole wheat flour, with bran cereal and honey. I wasn't sure if they'd be heavy, given the bran and whole wheat, but they are nice and light and tasty.

Depak was glad (and surprised) to come home to fresh baked bread. I have to admit, the house smelled good. So, I think I'll make buns more often. There's something satisfying about home baking, although I didn't appreciate it much as a kid.

Its a big girl bed for our big little girl!

We got the big bed up in Nat's room over the Christmas break. She wasn't sure about it right away, and slept in her crib for a night, but then on the Sunday she had a nap on the bed, and hasn't wanted to sleep in the crib since. I think she really likes the fact that I can snuggle with her in bed, as she makes a spot for me to lay down.

We put Chelsea's old bedding on the bed, but that's going to change soon. There is pilling on the sheet, and she does not like that at all. Also, there is a tear in the comforter, and she's pulling out all the batting... so a new bed set is in order. They don't last forever, and Chelsea's had this set since she was too.

We've kept the crib up in her room, as she's going to be sharing a room with the new little one. Hopefully we will be able to introduce the baby idea a little more over the next 6 months (or less, hopefully).

Pretty girl off to a birthday party

Nat got to attend her first birthday party at a friend's this weekend. Our friends live just down the street, so we got to walk on the nice Saturday. Nat insisted on the umbrella, made for a pretty cute little trip down the road. And the cute clothes: compliments of uncle Walter. She now refers to the jacket as uncle Walter jacket (its new name). He treats our girls well!

Nat is getting used to playing with other kids, and isn't quite good at it. She plays independently at home, or we're playing with her, so she isn't used to sharing. Hopefully a few more play dates and some more time in kids church will help as she grows. Since she's the size (or bigger) than her three year-old friends, sometimes I just expect her to play as well as they do, but I have to remember, she's a year behind them. She does so well for her age, we're more than proud.

After the party we had some wind down time before nap, hence us cuddling on the couch. My preggo belly is already showing. I should expect my body to respond quicker, as this is the third. I have been very cold this pregnancy, so I found the cute sweater at Thyme. When Chelsea saw it, she asked for one. It is nice it is not distinctly "maternity" wear. I do like it!

Expressions and bubbles

Natalie gets the majority of our picture spotlight for several reasons, one of which is her ability to say cheese. Its so cute it cracks us up every time. I love capturing her other faces too, as her face tell so much.

And thanks to Chacha ji and Chachi ji, bubble blowing is so much easier. Nat can be outside everyday blowing bubbles, and now she can blow her own bubbles. We love the bubble blower!