Boo at the Zoo

Last night Jonathan and I took Navy to "Boo at the Zoo."

We met Nina, Reid, Christy and Jalal and had a great time.  Navy loves watching other kids, so she babbled and grinned while we walked around.  We got a lot of candy and coupons and pencils and even an Avon catalog :) 

She has a ladybug costume for Halloween, but I was afraid that she would be too cold at the zoo, so she wore her doggie coat instead.   



Navy did great until we were about to leave.  She didn't have a nap that afternoon, so around 7:00pm she started getting a little grumpy.  We let her run around for a bit before we headed home. 

 

Fall

Pumpkin Muffins

I had some leftover pumpkin from a pumpkin roll that I made earlier this week, so taking the advice of my sister-in-law, I made some muffins this morning.  This recipe was really simple and they tasted really good.  They aren't overly sweet, which is  nice.  Also...I probably wouldn't put as much cinnamon in the cinnamon/sugar mixture next time because it was a bit overpowering. 

Pumpkin Muffins
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin (from a 15 ounce can)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Put oven in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Put liners in muffin cups.
Whisk together pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, 1 1/4 cups sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl until smooth, then whisk in flour mixture until just combined.
Stir together cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in another bowl.
Divide batter among muffin cups (each should be about three-fourths full), then sprinkle tops with cinnamon-sugar mixture. Bake until puffed and golden brown and wooden pick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool in pan on a rack five minutes, then transfer muffins from pan to rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

Dancing

Florida

 This past week, we went to Florida for some rest and relaxation.  My dad lives down there, so it's nice to have a place to stay and family to visit as well.  Initially I was very worried about the 12 hour car ride down.  Navy does alright in the car on short trips, but sometimes will start crying when we are driving from Evansville to Henderson, so I wasn't sure how the trip was going to turn out. We borrowed my aunt and uncle's portable dvd player, and I am so glad we did.  When Navy started to get fussy, we would put a Yo Gabba Gabba DVD in and she would watch, mesmerized, throughout the entire video.  I think Navy only cried 15 minutes each leg of the trip, which is amazing considering that it was 12+ hours each way. 

Navy seems to have no fear at times, which fortunately right now just means that she isn't afraid of new experiences.  She doesn't cry when she falls or when someone pulls her hair either. So when we went to the beach that first evening, Navy had no problems getting her feet wet in the ocean.  She even took off running towards the ocean at one point!  She was fascinated by the sand and loved to pick it up and play with it.  She only tried to put it in her mouth once, thanks goodness! 

The beach near my dad's house is never crowded, which is very nice.  In years past, Jonathan spent his time chasing crabs on the beach, but this year he chased Navy.  She loved the beach, and we can't wait to go back again!