Clip of the Day

Woops! Sorry I missed yesterday's photo... so you get a VIDEO clip today!

To life... full of messing with Dora!

Eleven Months Old!

Ezekiel, you are eleven months old today! 

Your physical development has really leaped ahead this past month! Here's what you've been up to: 

- You still weigh about 18 lbs. and are nearly 29 inches long! 

- On Sunday, December 2 we got our Christmas tree. I put you in your pack-n-play to work on it and when I turned back around you had pulled yourself up to standing! Now you're pulling up everywhere and doing some cruising. 

- You started saying "ma ma" this month! 

- You have learned how to give '5's and will do it with most people. 

- You have started giving Mommy kisses! You'll sometimes give kisses to others too, but not too often. 

- You are wearing mostly 9-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. 

- You are still nursing! Usually 3 - 4 times a day. 

- We went to the Kansas City Zoo a few days before Christmas. You seemed to see more of the animals then when we took you in Fort Worth. You also took your first carousel ride! 

 - We celebrated Christmas Part I with Aunt Teresa and her family and Papa Glen. This is your first experience with the Farming Game.

December 23, 2012 

 - You got your first pair of Toms from Aunt Teresa and her family for Christmas.

 - You met your great-Grandpa Davis in Marion, IA.

- We celebrated Christmas Part II in Iowa with Daddy's family.

-You enjoyed putting together your new farm animal legos with Daddy on Christmas morning.

Family Photo on Christmas Day! 

Your new motorcycle from great-Grandpa and great-Grandma! 

 - We finally bought a baby gate so we could make you a "play room". Papa Glen bought us a nice big rug so you don't have to crawl around on the hard wood floors all the time. You seem to really enjoy your area because you have all your toys, can move around as much as you want, and still see me working in the kitchen and around the house. Dora sometimes joins you near the doorway :0)

- Your hair has grown a lot this month and turned quite curly.

- You are up on your knees crawling now (not just army crawling anymore)! So you are pretty fast and I have to check on you OFTEN! ... like right now...

- You met a lot of new family this month and they commented that you are a good baby. You are pretty quiet when you talk and play (of course you scream some, but not often) and warm up to new people pretty fast. You let them hold you and feed you and even gave out a few '5's.

Daddy and I love you so much and can't believe we'll be planning your first birthday party over the next few weeks! Every day is an adventure with you and I love being your Mommy, guiding you as you grow into a little boy and eventually a young man.

To life... full of a little busy-body!

Remember Why We Celebrate

The Birth of Jesus Christ

2 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should beregistered. ² This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be registered, each to his own town. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem,because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. ⁷ And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

⁸ And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. ¹⁷ And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. ¹⁸ And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Luke 2:1-20

Merry Christmas! 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!
With Love, The Davis Family 

Let it Snow!

I've been hoping for snow for Christmas... especially for Zeke. And last night, it arrived! Yippee! Skippy! Hooray! I was so excited when I woke up this morning and saw the ground covered with the beautiful white stuff! 

Getting bundled up... 

Walking carefully down the stairs.  

His new snow suit! 

Family Photo ! 

Daddy getting ready to leave for work

Watching Papa shovel the snow

In on the action! 

Papa and Zeke working in the snow

I love this adorable face!

To life... full of Zeke's first snow day! 

Friday's Foto

The Autumn we met -- November 20, 2005. SEVEN years already!

P.S. -- I still have, and wear those pants and that jacket :o) 

Friday's Foto

Christmas baking with Mommy 

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes

Last night when I opened the fridge, there wasn't much to see, so I had to be creative. I had planned on making some scrambled eggs and corn for Zeke and I; a little veggie and some easy-to-eat protein. I thought about finishing up the cornbread I had made a couple days ago, but then decided, maybe I'll make waffles. I opened up my "Taste of Home" cookbook and checked out the waffle recipes. I wasn't entirely sold on the idea, then I turned to the previous page and saw Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes. I felt a little better about choosing them as part of Zeke's dinner because they called for oats and whole wheat flour. I had made them once before in November 2010 and rated them as 'Good.' I think I liked them even better this time. They are more hearty than your run-of-the-mill pancake and are a nice twist. You might enjoy them for breakfast (or dinner!) too! 

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Pancakes

 - From my "The Taste of Home Cookbook" 

   *Yield: about 10 pancakes

1/2 c. plus 2 T. quick-cooking oats (ummm, just saw that + 2T. oats as I typed this :o)) 

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

1 egg

2 T. vegetable oil

1 c. buttermilk (I don't know who keeps buttermilk on hand, but I don't. So I always add 1 T. of white vinegar to a glass pyrex mixing cup, then add milk in the rest of the way to fill it to the 1 cup line. I usually do this at the very beginning of working on a recipe then stir it up when I'm ready to use it.)

In a small bowl, combine the oats, flours, baking soda, salt, and sugar. In another small bowl, beat the egg, oil, and buttermilk. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour batter by 1/3  cupful onto a greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until the second side is golden brown. 

I enjoy breakfast for dinner from time to time. The only thing that would have made this dinner better was adding bacon or sausage! 

To life... full of pancake variations! 

Oven Enchiladas

As some of you know, Jeremiah has been able to add in provolone cheese (occasionally) to some of the things he eats. I was pretty excited to finally make a meal that included cheese again, so I chose Oven Enchiladas! I thought they were tasty as well as quick and easy. Here's the scoop:

Oven Enchiladas 
*From 5-Ingredient Recipes
    - Makes 8 servings 

1 lb. ground beef
2 medium-sized yellow onions, chopped
16 corn tortillas
2 c. shredded Mexican cheese (I used provolone slices on one half)
2 16-oz. cans green chili or red enchilada sauce (I used one big red can and half a small "hot" can)

In a skillet, brown ground beef. Drain off drippings. Heat tortillas in nonstick pan to make them flexible. Fill each tortilla with browned beef, topped with onion. Roll up, tuck in sides, and continue rolling. Place side by side on a baking sheet with sides. Sprinkle cheese over top of filled enchiladas. Pour sauce over top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 375* for 30 minutes. **I did things a bit differently. I browned the ground beef and onion together. My corn tortillas were still a bit frozen, so I attempted to roll up one enchilada, but it split, so instead I made one layer of tortillas on the bottom of the 9x13" pan, then I poured the beef and onion mixture over the top. Then I made another layer of tortillas, followed by cheese and sauce. I thought it was strange to do the cheese first and then the sauce, but I did it anyway. Next time I will pour the sauce over the top, then add the cheese. Because when done in the reverse order, the sauce moved the cheese around and therefore, it did not cover the casserole evenly. 

Whew! I usually don't change things up much, but I made it work for us and we liked the result. I will make these again.

To life... full of yummy enchiladas!

P.S. You should try typing 'enchiladas' several times, it is a surprisingly hard word to type repeatedly.