Book Worm

This is how I found little miss Allison the other day..."Reading" her book; sure does look like she knows what she's doing! She's too cute. We really are truly blessed.

TURBO FIRE!

Max left Saturday for 3 weeks. And soon after he gets back he will be deploying to Iraq for 1 year. So I have decided to make the best of my time; keep myself busy. I have started a very intense workout called Turbo Fire. I do it 2 times a day. My weight loss goal is around 70 pounds! I plan on losing those 70 pounds in the year that Max is gone or less. The workout was hard to do at first, and it is slowly getting easier. The lady who does the video has sooo much energy, and me....I have very little. The more I work out, the higher my energy levels will be, and the more I will love doing it. I already look forward to working out every day, even though I am almost miserable toward the end of the workout. I can't wait to get rid of the extra skin I got from being pregnant, and lose my pre-pregnancy weight. I can't wait to feel pretty again...to feel good about myself!

5 Months!

So Allison is now 5 months old!! Where has the time gone? She can now sit on her own for about a minute at a time. And she can hold her own bottle for about a minute at a time too. I am sooo PROUD of her. She can't roll over yet, but she is close. Her favorite food-applesauce. Go figure! She kinda likes carrots & sweet potatoes. She does not like peas. My love for her just grows and grows every day. She's a great sleeper. I just put her in her crib for a nap, and she doesn't need to be rocked to sleep anymore! Same thing for bedtime. She sleeps anywhere from 8-12 hours a night. So nice. I still can't believe she's mine!!

Too cute not to share

So these pictures are being posted very late because they were taken when my little princess was only 3 weeks old! She was so tiny. I have been waiting for what seems like forever for these pictures, and we finally have them, so here you go!! Enjoy. 

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust:

• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 22 crackers)
• 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup sugar

Filling:

• 4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 eggs

Topping:

• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
• 1 1/2 pounds (about 3 large) Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan tightly with foil to prevent moisture from the water bath from seeping into the cheesecake

Crust:
In a food processor, mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Press the mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then remove it from the oven to cool completely.

Filling:
In a food processor or with an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Add the sour cream, orange juice, and vanilla and blend until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, blending until just combined. *Cook's Note: It's important to blend well with no clumps as this will make the filling a smoother consistency when baked.
Pour the filling into the crust. Put a roasting pan on a rack in the center of the oven and transfer the cheesecake to the pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan and cover it loosely with foil. Bake until the center moves only slightly when the cake pan is shaken, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Check the water level about 1 hour into the baking, adding more water, if needed. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and transfer the cake pan to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate overnight.

Topping:
Melt the butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add the apples and pecans and cook, stirring, until they are coated with butter, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves and the liquid comes to a boil, about 3 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples and pecans to a bowl. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the remaining liquid, stirring often, until it turns a deep amber, about 6 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat to stop the cooking and add the cream. Be careful, as the cream may splatter. Return the skillet to the heat and bring it to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the apples and pecans. Allow to cool until lukewarm.

Spread the caramel-apple mixture evenly over the top of the cheesecake. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Use a knife dipped in hot water to cut through the cheesecake.

Allison Complaining

Allison's first experience with baby food

So I started giving Allison some baby food a couple weeks ago. At first she wasn't too sure about it, and had a hard time learning how to eat it. She still sometimes does. She sticks her tongue out as soon as the food hits her mouth. And other times, she's REALLY good about it. She seems to have liked pretty much every food I have given her. But I have found that she really does not like the Beech Nut brand of baby food. She likes Gerber.

She is so messy when she eats!!

Daddy and Allie

Just wanted to share a picture of Max and Allie at the Aquatic Center. They are my life.

Free!

So I got a FREE 20 page photo album from Picaboo for becoming a new member! I got to add pictures and design the pages myself, and they will send it to me in the mail! I only had to pay the shipping. This lasts until August 31. Get yours!!!

Allie Update

Allison has been doing great! She has been starting to sit on her own for a brief time. She is better when other people hold her. She used to really hate others holding her, but we are so glad she is growing out of that. She is probably a little over 13lbs by now. 

Much to my dismay, a lot of her hair has fallen out and gotten lighter since she was born.

2 days old

Now