Just a few pictures...slideshow will follow!

We've had some great weather, and we've been taking advantage of it with lots of visits to the park and other outdoor venues. Wade loves swinging on the baby swings (so he can put both hands up, and also so he can have me sing "Alphabet of Nations" from They Might Be Giants "Here come the ABC's" album) and sliding down the slide. This particular day, he was climbing up one slide and running to slide down another. All in all a very happy time. The bloodied lip photos are from a spill he took at Fit n Fun (not fit or fun that day). We ended up going to the emergency room, but left before we got seen as we realized that it was not that serious. Grisley. Nothing a little pants on the head couldn't fix. :) Oh, and the picture of the bedroom is the re-do I did for our room. We're trying to neutralize our house for selling it next year. I like the way this turned out!

Turkey Tenderloin with Red Potatoes

I made this for dinner last night and it was lovely. Just lovely. I bought a Perdue package of two turkey tenderlions, so this yielded leftovers for us.

Ingredients

* 1 package turkey tenderloin (or however much you want to make)
* Salt and pepper
* 1 tsp. canola oil
* 2 T. butter, mixed with 1/4 t. salt and 1/4 t. ground pepper
* about 1/4 cup maple syrup
* about 1/4 cup dijon mustard
* 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, stripped and chopped

* 1 smallish sack red potatoes/new potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices
* 1 t. canola oil
* salt and pepper
* 1 - 2 cups chicken broth
* 1 t. dried tarragon

Directions

1. Set rack to center position and preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Set a roasting rack or oven safe cooling rack in a pan with sides (13x9 or jellyroll pan).
2. Heat 1 t. oil in large skillet pan over med/high heat until just smoking. Season tenderloins all over with salt and pepper. Brown turkey in oil, about 3 minutes per side.
3. Transfer turkey to roasting rack and poke a few slits in the top. Dot with butter mixture and place in oven. Pour enough water into pan to cover bottom.
4. Mix dijon and syrup together and chop rosemary. After 20 minutes of roasting, baste tenderloins with syrup mixture and sprinkle with rosemary. Return to oven. Roast 20 minutes more, basting every 5 minutes or so to create a glaze on top of the turkey, until meat registers 160 degrees F.
5. Tent meat with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut crossways and serve hot!

1. While turkey is in oven, heat 1 tsp. oil in same pan used to brown the turkey. Add sliced potatoes and allow to cook until browned and crispy. Flip and stir for even browning. After about 5 minutes, salt generously and pepper.
2. At about 15 minutes add 1-2 cups broth to pan. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for about 8 minutes or until potatoes are fork-tender. In the last minutes of cooking, season with tarragon. Serve hot with turkey.

These dishes pair well with steamed asparagus! Enjoy. :)

"Never compare your kids..."

So....let's compare these little suckers, shall we? Here, we have Wade, Wade, Lucy, Wade, Lucy. All at the same age for comparison's sake. Pretty cool, huh? I have more Lucy pictures on my camera, so I will post more comparison quizzes soon - maybe without the clues/names next time...tricky.

Lately, Lucy has been very good - lots of "whaas" and "aahhs" in a nice conversational tone. She is getting better at taking a pacifier (thanks to Kevin's efforts), which makes it easier for her and her caregiver who can't provide a boob. Wade is also doing great - and is protective of Lucy around "strangers." We saw a friend of mine at Target, and when she touched Lucy's foot, Wade was piping right up (with a big scowl) "Don't touch Lucy, don't touch My sister!" Charming.