Prepare to SMILE!

Cinnamon Rolls

I've been doing a lot of baking recently...specifically, cinnamon rolls. One of these days, I want to give my Grandma's pecan/caramel yeast rolls recipe a try, but I don't think I'm quite ready yet!

 Here's a few pics from my first go at cinnamon rolls. 

The final product...Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing....absolutely DELICIOUS!

We have a TWO year old!

Brielle still has a nurse (Jane) who comes and stays with her on Sundays and Wednesdays but the past couple times, Jane hasn't been able to make it....so, Brielle came to church with us! 

 Cody's Mom, "Meme", is staying with us for a while and Brielle is LOVING it!

     
                                      

Cody's Fantasy Football League had their draft party a few weeks ago and Brielle 

dressed up for the occasion. 

 "TOUCHDOWN!"

 Brielle's 2nd birthday was last Friday, the 14th. Her big party isn't for another week, 

but she's received a few gifts already. 

 

A few weeks back, Brielle had tubes put in her ears. The surgery went well and she recovered quickly!

Brielle likes to spend special time outside with daddy.

New pics

Here are some current pics of our garden. Cody does a great job tending to it!

Bottom to Top: Yellow onion, carrots, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers.

Lettuce and Spinach

Tomatoes

Red, yellow and green bell peppers

Sweet Corn

Left Row: Russet Potatoes
Right Row: Red Potatoes
Far Right Side: Mint Plant

I can't believe it's already May! The weather has been great lately, which has been helpful to the garden. We had a little struggle with our tomato plants. The birds seemed to love munching on them in the mornings before we woke up! But, they seem to be growing back nicely.

Brielle has had a rough month. In the last 3 weeks or so, she's had a stomach bug twice! We believe her "fundo" has either loosened up or come undone completely. One of the surgeries she had was called a nissen fundoplication, which made it so she couldn't vomit. They took the upper part of her stomach and wrapped it around the lower part of her esophagus. One of her big issues as a newborn was GERD, then after she'd vomit her meals, she would aspirate a lot of it back into her lungs, causing pneumonia a few times. Anyways, she isn't supposed to be able to throw up, even if she is sick. But the past 2 times she was sick, she would vomit. She handles her feedings fine as long as she's healthy, so we don't think it's going to be a big deal. We may be making a trip to St. Louis for a check up with her surgeon, but haven't heard anything for sure yet.

Brielle is blossoming in so many ways. She crawled for the first time last week. It was amazing to witness! We're so proud of her and her determination. Even though her stubbornness can be frustrating at times, I believe it is what pushes her to keep going and growing.

Here's some recent pics of our incredible and silly little girl!