Battered Boy

The other day while Catherine and I were talking in the kitchen, Ben slipped and took a tumble onto the kitchen floor (no, I did not drop him - this was a self inflicted wound). He was crying and at first I didn't think much of it, I just thought he'd bumped his head on the floor - no big deal. However, as I went to give him a little comfort hug I realized there was blood... lots of blood! So I snatched him up quickly and noticed that his lip was already swelling and that the blood just didn't want to stop flowing. So, this being the first real injury Ben's had I was a little panicked trying to comfort him, trying get a cold wash rag into his mouth, and trying to make sure he hadn't bitten through his lip or lost a tooth, etc. Thankfully, Catherine was there and reassured me that Maggie had done this very same thing more than once already (she's a real go-getter) and that even though it bleeds a lot it's nothing real serious. (Yes, it's official... I'm a first time paranoid mother!) After a while, we got the blood to stop, Brian got Ben to quit crying, I was covered in blood, and the injured boy was ready for bed. Here are a couple not so great shots of his nice, big, first, fat lip! 

Tasty Sweet Potato Souffle

This post is for my cousin Andrea who put in the request and for whoever else would like to try this souffle recipe. I'm not sure how different it really is from every other sweet potato souffle recipe (cause this is the only one I've made) but it is sure tasty! By the way... thank you, Andrea, for a very enjoyable and yummy Thanksgiving dinner!

Sweet Potato Souffle:

3 extra large sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, well beaten

3/4 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup melted butter

Combine all ingredients for souffle and pour into baking dish. Combine all topping ingredients and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. 

The Celebration

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving... Hard to believe it's already come and gone and now Christmas is right around the corner! Anyway, here are photos of some of the birthday celebrations we had for Benjamin. Grandpa and Grandma G came from Helena on Sunday to wish Ben a happy birthday and took us out to dinner for the occasion and on Monday we had a big birthday dinner here at the house. Just thought I'd share a bit of this exciting milestone. 

Sporting the new Griz hat.

Having fun at dinner!

The cake

Ben enjoying his cake!

Birthday Boy

That's right... today is Ben's 1st Birthday! We're having a birthday dinner with family on Monday to celebrate so today was a fairly mellow day aside from my being treated to a professional massage and Ben getting a few gifts and special visits and phone calls from family. He's just getting over a pretty nasty cold and isn't quite on top of his game yet but he had fun playing none the less. Here are a few photos and a video of him reeking havoc in the house! The lion he's walking around with in the video was a birthday gift from Grandpa and Grandma Schultz and he gets a real kick out of it. (We've christened him Lester!)

What a mess!

A Little Random Fun

There's nothing particularly special about this post except that it contains photos of our beautiful boy having a little random fun at home one day. I just couldn't resist sharing them with you because he's just so darn cute. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Looking at the drill.

Tasting the drill.

Showing the drill.

The Brewmaster(s)

So, Brian's recent brew creation is something we are all really excited about. It is called the "Rum Raisin Christmas Ale" and will be ready to drink around Christmas time. There were some extra steps in making this ale and here are some photos of the brewmasters busy at work. Ben just couldn't resist helping his Papa!

"Now this is what I think you should do, Papa..."

Bringing Home the Bacon... or Venison Rather

This last weekend Brian went hunting with his dad and a few other friends and I'm excited to report that he was able to bring us home some meat for the winter! He's hoping to get out plenty more before the season's over so we'll see what else is in store for us.