This is the way we bake our bread (while keeping Bubba busy)

It's no secret that the girls and I love to bake. It's an addiction and comfort for me, all in one. I have cherished memories from when I was a little girl of spending my summer days at my grandparents and watching my Grandma bake. I don't remember if I helped at all or not, but I do remember her constantly in her kitchen and the sweet smells that were always lingering in her home (thanks to all of her baking). Now that I think back to it, it seems as if baking was the thing to do on her street. I can remember going to visit any of her neighbors and all of them would welcome me in their homes with fresh baked goods to offer. Oh I miss that. Such a different time back then. Nowadays neighbors barely acknowledge each other, let alone have deep and lasting friendships.

Sorry, getting all nostalgic there. Back to baking - It seems like at the most chaotic and trying times I find myself with the sudden urge to bake something. Who knows, maybe that's something I picked up from Grandma. This usually just adds to the chaos with the mess baking brings but it also brings my girls and I close, which makes it all worth it. Bread baking, especially, is a favorite around here. I enjoy that it involves my girls working with their hands by kneading and forming the dough. C and I make bread dough every Thursday at our parent/child class. They don't have an oven to bake it there so we bring it home to finish up. As soon as we park our van in the garage the girls are gone in a flash bringing the bread dough to the kitchen to knead. They spend a good half hour kneading and forming the dough into shapes (last week they had snowman bread) and then we bake it and have it with dinner.

Today they had a little helper, and by helper I mean Baby L reaching and screaming for their dough. They try to be patient with him but they can only take so much, so I redirect him. As you know he loves food and these brown rice puffsare a particular favorite of his (We have used these with all three of our children in lieu of Cheerios or other finger foods). They kept him happy and busy long enough for the girls to get their bread in the oven, and for me to snap an excessive amount of pictures to remember his cute eating habits. He loves to stand and eat when he has snacks. Maybe he's doing his own form of strength training.



He seems to love food more than my girls did as babies, yet he is the smallest of my children. Both girls reached twenty pounds by about four months in age but this little guy still hasn't gone past eighteen pounds at a year old. He seems to be taking after me in that regard, I was a teeny baby too (while the girls were more like Kevin as a baby - cute round, roly polies). He's such a little peanut, I love it. It feels as if he is staying my little baby even longer.

Have a great weekend everyone. I have some good news to share with you this upcoming week and I can not wait!

This is the way we bake our bread (while keeping Bubba busy)