Banana Bread Recipe

If you're like me, you're constantly buying fruits and veggies. We are so lucky that Tinley has such a good appetite, and eats pretty much everything. She's always willing to try new things too. I can only hope Crew is as good of an eater as his sister. 

When I was pregnant, all I wanted to eat were fruits and veggies. And salads. And a few sweets here and there, especially at the end. So when my girlfriend made banana bread, it satisfied my cravings for fruits and something sweet. I knew I had to get that recipe! 

After all, I always have at least 2 bananas that end up getting a little too ripe; which make them perfect for bread!

So, here's the quick and easy recipe for delicious homemade banana bread. Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cups brown sugar

2 eggs (beaten)

2 1/3 cups mashed over-ripe bananas (I have used 2 and 3. It just depends on how strong you want the banana flavor!)

cinnamon sugar

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x5 loaf pan

In a large bowl, combing the flour, baking soda, and salt

In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar 

Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well-blended

Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until it's just moistened

Pour loaf into pan and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top

Bake 60-65 minutes, let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan

And there you have it! You can also add chopped pecans or walnuts for added flavor and crunch. I most recently made a loaf and added chocolate chips. Talk about sinful!

Even T approves! :o)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Crew's Newborn Session

The Saturday after Crew was born, we had a photo session with my friend, Jenae of A Perfect Pixel. I've mentioned her before, as she's done lot's of pictures for us in the past. But, I was super excited for this newborn session. She's amazing with kids, especially babies. I call her the "Baby Whisperer." The way she gets them to sleep and poses them is absolutely incredible; truly a work of art. It really takes a special and patient person to do newborn photography, and I'm so lucky to be able to call her not only our photographer, but also a friend! 

Here's a look at some of my favorites from our session. Thank you again Jenae! :o)

Of course, we had to get some with big sister. I had Tinley's dress made just for the occasion. I ordered it from Robella Boutique on Etsy. She has done several dresses for me in the past, including T's First Birthday Dress and Second Birthday Dress. She's the best to work with, and gets your product to you very fast! I'd definitely recommend her for your next special occasion! 

Crew man had a matching bowtie, but we couldn't get it to stay on with big sissy near by... 

these are still some of my favorites, and I'm thinking I'm going to need a 16x20 canvas!

Okay, really, these are some of my favorites! Did I already say that? It's so hard to decide! I was so, so excited for these! As soon as I saw the idea on Pinterest, I knew we had to do something like this, considering Daddy's love for the outdoors and fishing. 

I ordered the crochet fishing outfit from Etsy, and wish I could say had the same positive experience as I've had in the past with other shop owners. I order from Etsy A LOT, but this is the first time I've had an issue. In fact, we didn't even receive the outfit until the DAY OF the session. Luckily, I checked the mail on the way to Jenae's house, and it had come! I was going to be really disappointed if it hadn't, because I knew how cute the photos would be. 
Jenae's wooden crate and our camo crochet blanket a co-worker made for us were the perfect finishing touches. 

      

Okay, seriously, is this not the cutest little Mickey Mouse you've ever seen?! Once again, his little crochet outfit was an Etsy find. I might have a slight obsession... 

T's Mouse Ruffle Bubble is from Smocked Auctions. Don't the two just look simply adorable together?! And the black and white background, aghh, I just love it all!

Of course, we had to do some nakey pics; classic with every newborn. How fab is the one on the left? I mean, I love them both, but that one is one of my faves. It's just so different. I love that little tushy! (He's going to kill me when he's in high school!)

Okay, these are super special. So, Justin's mom preserved the outfit they brought Justin home from the hospital in, and gave it to us as a gift at the hospital after Crew was born, along with a double photo frame. Thirty years later, and this outfit was like brand spankin' new. It was the sweetest little outfit you'd ever seen! Inside the frame on the left is a picture of Justin the day he came home from the hospital in the outfit. The other side is empty. We brought our own little man home in the exact same outfit. And now, we have the perfect picture to put next to Daddy's picture; in the same outfit. Tears!

Sibling Love

 

Happy Hump Day!

 I've been so off with my days lately. Probably because I haven't left the house since Sunday. (It is Wednesday right?) Don't worry, I have at least managed to take a shower every day, and I have to brag a little... I've made dinner every night, done a load of laundry every day, made our bed every morning, and have even had a successful nap time every day this week. I have to say, that so far, this staying home with 2 kids thing isn't as hard as I thought. But, I just don't think I'm quite ready to take a newborn and a toddler out by myself. Maybe tomorrow. :o) 

In the meantime, I'm linking up for "It's The Little Things." Thanks to the fabulous co-hosts, Ashley from Words About Waverly and Jess from Sadie Sky Boutique. I have certainly missed linking up for this the past few weeks, but I have enjoyed reading everyone's posts! And, I've been snapping lot's of pics in preparation for today's post. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you've probably already seen most of them, but I can't resist sharing them on here. After all, I've come to find that sibling love is one of the sweetest little things there is. I can't believe I was ever in doubt about giving Tinley a sibling. Growing up as an only child, I never got to experience sibling love, but I am so glad Tinley has that now, and I can not wait to watch them grow up together. Tinley constantly asks what "Baby Crew" is doing. She wants to kiss his head, tickle his toes, and hold his hands all the time. She brings me diapers and wipes when I need them, and loves to push him in his swing. Although Crew is only 2 weeks old as of yesterday, it feels like he's been here all along, and we are all adjusting to life amazingly. :o)

Here are just a few of my favorite pictures of Tinley and Crew. Seriously. They melt my heart.

 

Trendy Tot Tuesday

It's been a while since I did a TTT post, and I'm glad to be back! Want to join the link up? We'd love to have you! Follow Kelly and Megan, and link up your post! 
 

I've been wanting to do a post like this for a while now, but never got around to it. OOps! 

When we found out we were having a boy, I was so excited to start shopping for little boy clothes. Don't get me wrong, little girl stuff is totally adorable, but I already had a little girl, and had gone through that once before. And, had WAY too much fun, might I add! I was anxious to see what was out there for the little guys. And, to my surprise, I found out that some of my favorite online boutiques that I get Tinley's smocked dresses and bubbles from also make outfits for the little men in our life! And, not just any outfits; matching outfits! I had died and gone to Heaven. Yes, I'm that mama that can't wait to dress her kiddos in matchy-matchy outfits for family pictures, a day at the beach, a trip to the zoo... you name it. I think the matching look is as cute as it gets. Go ahead and judge me. 

Here's a look at just a few of the outfits I have so far for Tinley and Crew to sport together:

Alligator Swimsuits from Smocked Auctions

Crab Swimsuits from Smocked Auctions

Whale Swimsuits from Smocked Auctions

These white and navy anchor outfits from Southern Tots might be my faves.  We're having their names put on them under the anchors. 

Anchor Jon-Jon and dress from Southern Tots 

Anchor Jon-Jon and monogrammed dress from Southern Tots. I'm loving the nautical look right now, can you tell?

Okay, so these don't match perfectly, but they still look super cute together! T's monogrammed dress is from Smocked Auctions and we found Crew's outfit at Target!

I can't wait to start dressing them up and taking pictures. Stay tuned. :o)

Happy Trendy Tot Tuesday!

I'm back!

Oh, hey there blogging world, I'm back after a 12 day hiatus. What's been going on around the Slater house lately? Oh, you know, just having a baby! But, most of you follow me on Facebook and Instagram, so you already knew that. For those of you that don't, let me bring you up to speed...

On May 3rd, I was 39 weeks. I know. Holy basketball, right?!

We spent our final Saturday evening as a family of 3 bowling with some friends. Apparently it's tradition to go bowling the Saturday night before I'm induced because we did the exact same thing with Tinley! We had to have a re-do of a picture we took back in 2012. So funny!

I went to my checkup Monday morning and got the green light from my doctor that we would be able to be induced that night, which was a good thing, because Justin's family was already in town! After a big dinner out with all of our family and a Sonic milkshake run, we headed to the hospital. 

Basically it's like checking into a hotel room for the night. They get you comfortable, and hook you up to all kinds of machines to monitor your vitals and the baby's vitals, along with your contractions. And then, they proceed to come into your room at what seems like every hour, poking you with IV's, taking your blood pressure, and making sure you're comfortable and getting some sleep; which the answer is obviously "no." But, you are preparing to have a baby, so lack of sleep is something you might as well get used to now. 

Yes, I took a hospital selfie. No judging. Yes, the hospital lights made me look fantastic at 11 pm. No, I did not look this good after giving birth. Don't I wish?!

So, I got the best sleep I could get. Mind you, my dear husband was on the pull out couch, snoozing away, oblivious to the nurses visits. Around 7:30 am, my doctor came in to break my water. Weirdest feeling ever. I received my epidural, AKA- the best thing ever invented at 8:30 am, and around 10 minutes later, was dilated completely to a 10. I was ready! However, my doctor was in surgery, so I had to wait over an hour for him to come to our room! He finally arrived, and after a few quick pushes, Mr. Crew Michael entered the world!

He weighed 7 lbs even and was 20 1/2 inches long. He couldn't be more perfect!

Tinley is the best big sister already. She is absolutely smitten with her little brother, and is constantly saying "I wanna see baby." She drags her stool over to wherever we are with him and just stares, trying to kiss his head or tickle his feet. It really is the cutest thing. 

She's being such a good helper too. She brings me a diaper or wipes when I need them, throws diapers away, and last night, she even helped feed him for the first time. Our transition from 1 to 2 so far can't possibly get any better. 

This past Sunday, I enjoyed my first Mother's Day as a mommy of 2. And, it was even more special because my own mom was in town, and we haven't spent Mother's Day together in years. We enjoyed a delicious lunch out, and spent the afternoon relaxing. It couldn't have been a more perfect day with my perfect family. 

So, that's what's been going on lately around here. I'm going to apologize for any future absences up front, but I'll try not to let it happen again. I hope you all have been doing well and enjoyed your Mother's Day with your own families!