Happy Birthday Grandpa!

August birthdays continue with Grandpa Ernst today. We wish you a very happy birthday! My goal was to get a cute picture of Kaylee holding up her finger painting that she made, but no such luck. I tried for almost 2 weeks and well, this is the best picture I got. I guess there will be times that Kaylee chooses not to be cute for me. Although, Eric showed me some cool features on the camera and I feel like I'm becoming a better photographer. Maybe I will want the camera lens he has been wanting for 3 years now. On a side note, today was the first day we went to get Kaylee out of bed and she was standing up in her crib waiting for us! We've lowered the crib as low as it goes, but she is sooo tall I'm scared she can maneuver her way out! Oh, Kaylee!

Anyways, Kaylee sends you birthday wishes! :)

Old Friends, New Boys

Last night was a great time. Eric and I went out again, it may sound like we do this often, but we really don't. Becky is in town and she can get anyone to go out. And Kaylee is at the age where we feel really comfortable leaving her with family (My folks babysat..Thanks!). Anyways, we started the night with a couple drinks down Congress on our way to the Congress Bridge to watch the bats. We dropped in Elephant Room, which is where Eric and I went on our very first date. It is a dark bar that is sort of a basement and has great jazz music. We hadn't been there in years and so nice to see where it all began. Then, we finally made it to the bridge and just in time. August is the best month to see the bats...there was sooo many. It looked like black smoke in the sky! It was cool, but pretty anti-climatic....the bats leave the bridge and that is about it. Then, we are off to Kenichi for sushi. We met up with another old friend and her date, so 6 in all. We got to our table with a bottle of champagne waiting for us, we are kind of a big deal (j/k!). We went to make a toast, but we weren't celebrating anything really. So we decided to toast to "Old Friends, New Boys". It was a shout out to our long girl friendship and the great guys in our life...we've come a long way from our middle school crushes. Several waiters would stop by and ask what we were celebrating (I think we may have been a bit loud) and well that was our answer. Eric proceeded to show everyone the PROPER way to do Sake Bombs, boy did we have fun. Then, Becky's date asked the waiter what rolls went well with sake bombs...the waiter's face was priceless! Unfortunately, they don't pair sake bombs with anything! We ate lots of awesome sushi and when we asked for our check the waiter said it was taken care of! We were puzzled and the waiter replied to "Old Friends, New Boys". It was awesome.

And the Oscar goes to.....

KAYLEE! Our little girl has been the little actress. She has been into making fake coughing noises, ALL the time. She has always thought is has been funny when someones coughs or sneezes, so now she does it on purpose and cracks up at herself. It is pretty funny, so now I find myself clearing my throat and fake coughing all day long. Oh, I almost forgot...burping too. She burps on purpose and laughs at herself. Wonder where she gets that sense of humor, Eric??? On another note, Kaylee has been achieving several bumps, scraps, and bruises now that she is on the move. I got a phone call on Friday from school to tell me she had bumped her head (they are require to call anytime there has been an incident to the head). The school was amazed because she only cried for less than 60 seconds, but then a bright red mark was left in the middle of her head. It didn't affect her at all, but sure left a mark. Then, yesterday she was climbing all over the place and lost her balance and fell. But the funny things was she slid clear across the room on our wood floor and in true actress fashion she proceeded to roll a couple more times on purpose. A bit dramatic and she is only 9 months old. Can't wait for middle school!

Still sleeping...

It is 10:30am and everyone is asleep....even Kaylee is taking a nap. I've always been a sleeper but not as a working mom I wake up early! I'm just waiting for all the out of towners to wake up to start the Saturday fun, but I will start blogging until then. We were very fortunate to have Eric's sister Melissa to babysit last night...love having family near by. Thanks Melissa! Kaylee did well, but Friday nights have been hard for her....she is soo exhausted from the week as I am too! I don't know how to repay the family babysitters...so I got the Wii, 2 Netflix, made cookies, Bourbon Slush, and Baked Ziti. Since most of the night Kaylee is asleep, I TRY to provide the most entertainment in our house possible. Did I mention how hot it is? Last night, we went to places with patio, because you think nice summer nights right? No, it is HOT. Lived in Texas my whole life and I have never been able to handle the heat....I was even a lifeguard through my high school years! I can't wait for the fall....which really isn't fall, but it is nice and cool...well, cool-er. On another side note....my mom told me 15% of Moms Blog!! I believe their is a new generation of moms and I'm one of them! Check out the article on blogging - http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/other/08/09/0809raisingaustin.html

Tear-Jerker

For some reason, I was very emotional yesterday when Kaylee turned 9 Months Old. It was kind of the first time she wasn't attached to me, as in pregnant, breastfeeding, or the newborn extreme dependency. Now she still needs me and Eric, but she can go from point A to B just fine by herself. It was mixed emotion of her growing up into a little person and me feeling more independent. Yes, I know this will be the first of many emotional days about my kids growing up, but the weirdest non-traditional days affect me the most. Anyways, the school went out of their to take several pictures of Kaylee, printed them, and glued them in a little book out of construction paper with nice notes in it for me and Eric. When we went to pick her up and they gave to us, well I about lost it. It was so sweet and exactly what I needed. Our school is awesome.

08.08.08

I have been waiting for this day for a LONG time, because my oldest sister Lindsey turns 28 on 08-08-08! How cool is that?! I've always been secretly jealous of her birthday and may have pretended to celebrated a couple of her birthdays under her name, but we won't go into that. My favorite birthday of hers was her Crazy Eight Birthday Party, where she turned 8 on 08-08-88. Again, how cool is that!? So, Happy Birthday Lindsey!!! I think they are having a huge party for you in Beijing.

Queso Filled Weekend

This weekend will be filled with queso thanks to Becky coming to visit! Becky has to load up on all the Tex-Mex and great food Austin has to offer, so I've been preparing my stomach for a couple weeks now. I'm ready. Becky is my oldest friend and our friendship really hasn't changed much since we met at 8 years old....we are crazy. Eric knew when he married me that Becky was part of the deal as well. She just started her Master's Degree in Physician Studies at University of Florida in June and she just aced her anatomy test (she's kind of a big deal)....I believe it is all the ER she has watched over her lifetime. We are very proud of her! It should be a fun weekend filled with fun, drinks, shopping, and of course queso! I'm very excited!

Miso Cute at 9 Months Old

Oh, my. Kaylee is 9 Months old today and man is she fun. She is pulling up/down, sitting up/down, wanting to walk, clapping, waving, pointing, saying da-da and ma-ma, rambling with baby gibberish and of course she is a little giggle box. She is working on her top teeth right now, which has disturbed our sleep here and there...but not bad. She still pops blueberries in her mouth like popcorn...she will eat a whole pint if we don't stop here. She also likes cheerios, broccoli, and edamane. All you hear as a soon-to-be parent is how fast kids grow and well, that is an understatement. I don't know where the time went. I didn't realize how emotional I was going to get today. So many new Moms swear by the "9 Months In and 9 Months Out" philosophy and I couldn't agree more. I haven't felt this strong and healthy in a long time. So, today has been quite the monumental day for us. The toddlers at school love singing "Happy Birthday", really they sing it to the geckos outside, so they can't wait to celebrate with K. Check out more pictures/videos on her website link Baby Kaylee off to the side on this page. Proud Mama, Kristen.

Fisher-Price House Party Playdate

OMG!! Just got selected to be a Host for the Fisher-Price House Party. Over 20,000+ applicants and I was one out of the 1,000 chosen! I'm so excited. Basically, Fisher-Price will send some of their NEW EXCLUSIVE toys to us and we throw a party for kids to test them out. Then, we get to keep the toys and their suppose to send party favors for the guests! How fun is that?!? Check out the link http://houseparty.com/fisherpriceplaydate You can also apply for other House Parties...what a great marketing tool! Party will be in September...stay tuned.

Pecans Galore

We have the luxury having enough pecans to lasts us through the year, thanks to Eric's dad Glen and Julia's Farm in New Mexico! I need them for our favorite Chocolate Chip Recipe (see below), so I put Eric to work last night...he must really want the cookies! They've also given us amazing Green Chilies, which we put in everything....eggs/migas, turkey burgers, green chile casserole (which I just made the other night), or just grilled over meat. It is a wonderful staple to have in the house....this San Antonio girl is in heaven! The Farm sounds like it is flourish with all sorts of yummy things.....acorn squash, cantaloupe, pumpkins, chilies, and of course pecans! We hope to take Kaylee there soon! Until then, here is our favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie...well, at the moment.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
1 1/2 cups walnuts
1 1/2 cups pecans
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 scant teaspoon salt
3 cups chocolate chips (Chocolatier Dark Chocolate are the Best!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Arrange the nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer and toast them for 7 to 9 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Cool the nuts and then coarsely chop. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, or grease generously with butter or cooking spray. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl on medium speed about 1 minute, until fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix on medium-low speed until incorporated. Stir in walnuts, pecans, and chocolate chips. The dough is relatively stiff, so don't be surprised if this takes some muscle (your triceps will thank you later.

Drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets using a 1 3/4-inch-diameter ice cream scoop (this will make mounds of dough about the size of a golf ball). Space the cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart as they will spread. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are medium brown around the edges. (As long as the edges are brown, don't worry about a little bit of raw-looking dough in the middle. It will disappear as the cookies cool.) The cookies will spread to about 3 1/2 inches in diameter.

The August Birthdays begin....

To start off the many May/Ernst August Birthdays....we have Miss Caitlin turing 23! I can't believe how much she is growing up...she will always be my little sister. She has achieved a lot this year with graduating from North Texas, starting her first career, and moving into her FIRST apartment in Dallas which I'm sure is oh so stylish. We are very proud of her! Happy Birthday Caitlin! We love ya! Treat yourself to some salmon!

Bye Bye

Yesterday, Kaylee waved goodbye to us for the first time when we dropped her off at school. Now, she does wave at everything, but this was intentional. She looked at us like "I'm going to play with my friends, you can leave." We couldn't believe, so we just walked out. But then we peeked through the window to see her play and one of the boys went up to her and kiss her (more of a slobber)! Then, he proceeded to pet her head...like a dog. It was hilarious and she love it! We are so lucky to have found a great school that K loves!

Jellybeans

I was planning to have Kaylee's website through the years as our family grows, but we've reached out capacity for space on Baby Jellybeans already! We can continue to add/pay for extra space, but at this rate we could be spending a lot quick...she is only 9 Months old! We will keep it up until she turns 1! But for the future, the Ernst family is moving to a blog. Well, until the next big Internet thing comes about. We will see how it goes...but it seems cool and you can upload pictures and videos! So, happy blogging!