And She Said (Favorite Part of the Day)!

I tried to have a conversation with Alivia at dinnertime the other day. I asked her "what her favorite part of the day was". She said "ummmmmm, AIDA" I asked her again and she repeated "Aida". She sure knows how to make me laugh, we definitely didn't see Aida that day, but I am so glad she already has such a good friend that she loves to hang out with and can answer without fail what her favorite part of the day is even when they don't see each other!

Update: No dairy!

So, last time I wrote about my adventurous new eating plan for Nolan. I have been eating gluten-free, limited dairy for 4 weeks now. And, I have to say it isn't all that bad. As of last Wednesday, I did have to change my limited dairy to dairy-free though. I took Nolan to get allergy tested with a chiropractor who completed muscle testing on me and him. He stated that he was indeed sensitive to gluten and dairy. So I went home and fished out all our dairy products and passed then on to friends. Ben is trying his hardest to stay away from dairy too (he wasn't successful with the gluten-free journey, but he knows he is sensitive to dairy). Thursday morning, Ben was feeding Alivia and taking care of Nolan and I was sleeping in, sick in bed, and he confirmed the dairy allergy by accident. He gave Nolan the spoon Alivia had use after eating Greek yogurt. Nolan played around with it and got it all over his face (with only a small film of yogurt left on the spoon). Ben put him down on the ground to go to the restroom, and when he returned to Nolan, he was crying and itching his face. His entire face and neck where the spoon had touched him was broken out in hives and welts from the dairy product. Poor kid! We had wondered why some days he would wake up looking better and some days he would wake up and his rash was awful again... It was because I was still seldom eating dairy. Now we know and we are hopeful that with a gluten-free, dairy-free diet, Nolan can finally be rash-free!!

Dealing with Sickness!

Ugh, I was soooo sick this past week, like lay around in bed, eat nothing, want to sleep/but can't sleep sick. No fun. It started with congestion/respiratory yuckiness. After going a chiropractor, he thought it could be a detox from going gluten free. Made sense to me! I had an awful itchy throat and dry cough combined with an enormous headache. I handle that with ease. But then Wednesday night came and I developed a fever and chills among other not so fun things. So I had flu-like/cold-like symptoms that last for days. I was sick for like 6 days. I was planning on updating the blog but I was just out of it. Ben did great with the kiddos. Kuddos to him for helping out so much while I was feeling miserable. I can count how much I ate in the last 6 days. But now I am feeling better, much better and I haven't missed a meal in a 1 and 1/2. :) Happy face!

And She Said (More Babies)

After playing with Nolan earlier this morning, Alivia came up to me and asked me "more babies, mama" I said "what, you want me to have another baby, like another brother or sister" And she replied with a simple "yes"! Hmmm, that's a big request little darling. Ben and I explained to her that it takes a lot of work to have another baby and that we would have to wait until she gets bigger. She told us that she needed to "get taller" before we think about having another baby. Exactly sweetie-pie! :)

And She Said (Aida's Mommy?)

Me: Alivia, do you know what Aida's mommy's name is?
Alivia: Mommy!

You're right, that makes total sense to me. :) haha, I love her!!

First Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Baking Attempt!

We decided to try a gluten-free, limited dairy lifestyle for a while. Why? We know that Alivia and Ben are sensitive to dairy, so we are cutting down on dairy. We plan to still eat Greek yogurt (Livie loves this stuff) and a little cheese here and there. Let's face it, some recipes just need cheese! :) We have been using rice milk for over a year now and just added almond milk to the mix, because its yummy. Both are great choices for dairy free and offer a different taste as well and different baking and health benefits! We are using coconut oil instead of butter. The gluten-free adventure, and yes it is an adventure, is due to Nolan's skin issues. We decided to rule out some things and after doing research we decided that going gluten-free was one of the first things to do. Ben and Alivia are going along with it because I don't want to have to make several meals for mealtime to accommodate for every one's dietary needs. I know that I am actually sensitive to wheat, so whether it helps Nolan or not, it is a good change for our family. Last night I had a gluten-free baking session with Alivia and it went well. I was nervous because I wasn't sure how they were going to turn out. After Alivia bit into our banana chocolate chip muffins and proudly said "yummy", and asked for a 2nd, I knew it passed the test. And, if I must say so, they were yummy indeed.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins
Recipe from adapted from Cooking for Isaiah
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (combination of rice flour, tapioca flour, potato starch, salt, and xanthum gum)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs- room temperature
1 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup sugar)
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas (about 3 ripe bananas)
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
hand full of mini chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand)

Give it a try, "it's yummy"- from the mouth of Alivia :)

Livie's 2nd Birthday Party!

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We have a 2-Year-Old in the House!

Alivia had a rocking, chaotic (but in control) party! She enjoyed herself so much and really loved opening presents, eating her brownies, and hanging out with all those who love her. I can’t believe that she is 2 sometimes still. She is growing into such a beautiful girl with a wonderful personality. She has such a lovely spirit- kind and loving. She cares for others and puts others before her already. She kisses Nolan when he is crying and is already looking out for him! She asks to pray for others without being asked! When we get hurt, she asks if we are okay (mama, ok? daddy, ok?)! She often gets worried if she see’s others are in distress. She just has such a caring, loving, and kind personality. And, she loves to have fun, read books, and play music. We look forward to seeing her grow and seeing what God has is store for her.

Happy 2 year old birthday darling girl, we love you so much!