Keeping Up is Hard to Do

Wow. Three months since the last post. This, after declaring that I was restarting the blog out of fairness to Mali. I feel badly, but life has been CRAZY these past few months. Things are finally starting to slow down now, as fall begins.

A quick recap of the past three months:

• Matt and several of his colleagues planned a series of events/rallies to generate awareness of the teacher layoffs that happened in MPS in June. For a few weeks, CeCe could be found nearly regularly on the news. She was such an active participant in the events that, for days, she would walk around the house chanting, "MPS teachers - care about the kids!" Here's a shot from the Journal Sentinel (the one that wrongly listed Matt as a laid-off district mentor):
• We spent the summer doing fun things like:

Attending concerts in the our neighborhood park (above) and Alterra for Musica del Lago (below, CeCe with her good friend Declan - isn't he cute?)


Going to Brewers games:

Painting in the backyard:

Going to the pool:


Swinging on the girls' playset:


Taking short road trips, including a jaunt "Up North:"

(This is how CeCe entertains us from the back seat)


(Posing with bears made by my dad. Aren't they cool? Check out Sawyer Stump.)

Seeing CeCe's FAVORITE movie by the river (it was a mommy/daughter date and oh-so-fun):

We even held our first annual Firefly Party ("Night of Light") at which more than 20 kids and plenty of fireflies came out to play in our backyard:

And, of course, there was all the usual summer festivities, like Fourth of July fireworks and parades:

(Above, at the Tosa parade and below, waiting for the Lakefront fireworks to begin.)

• As usual, CeCe has done plenty to keep life interesting (and us laughing). Here she is after painting a picture for Kari, our friend and her old daycare provider:

She's also developed an obsession with shoes:

• Meanwhile, I've become friends with my sewing machine and have learned that I LOVE making clothes for the girls. Here's my first project - a skirt for CeCe, which she was all too happy to model. This is her go-to face, lately, if there's a camera around:

• She also learned to use chopsticks, courtesy of a visit to PF Chang's. All that work for one measly noodle . . .
  

• As for Ms. Mali, she's as sweet as ever. She still hasn't slept through the night (well, there was that one time but it turned out to be a fluke); instead choosing to wake every three hours to eat. Can you tell? She's the size of an eight months old. (She's currently almost five months old.)
  

She's the happiest and sweetest little girl. Simply smile at her and she pays you back with the biggest grin. Here's one of her first smiles. We've eaten up each one up since.


She was baptized in July on the heels of the entire family coming down with the flu. It was a beautiful ceremony presided over by my cousin, Fr. Erich Weiss. CeCe's godparents are my cousin Nick Weiss and his wife, Laura.


Don't you want to eat her? I love that baby!


CeCe got a poofy flower headband, too:


By the way - Mali's baptism cake was out of this world delicious, not to mention beautiful. (Few people got to eat it since the post-baptism party was canceled, thanks to our family being on the mend.) If you're ever looking for a baker, I suggest you call Sweetness by Alice.

• Finally, we got some happy news at the dermatologist last week. It looks as though Mali's hemangiomas on her toe are fading pretty quickly, while the one on her forehead is showing the early signs of involution (the process of going away). Yay! We've become so used to them that we hardly notice their presence anymore. In fact, I've become fond of her unique "mark." However, Matt and I agreed that we want to intervene if they haven't gone away by the time she goes to school. Our amazing dermatologist, Dr. Drolet, has assured us that there's a lot we can do to fast-track involution closer to that time, if necessary.

So, that's the past few months in a nutshell. Until next time, I thought I'd share the recipe that has become a favorite in the Stark household within the past few weeks. Yes, these did indeed turn CeCe into a monster. One who repeatedly asks, "can I have another cookie, mom?," "MOM! Can I have another cookie?!?"

Paula Deen's Monster Cookies

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 12-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup raisins, optional
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.