Easy Fall Apple Crisp

I had the opportunity to go with Madelyn on a field trip to Pleasant View Orchard last week. She was so proud of the apples she picked, it was really sweet!

The day before the field trip I went to the grocery store and in a tired fog forgot we were going to be picking apples. So naturally I bought the largest bag they had!  Needless to say I needed to use some apples and decided to experiment with apple crisp.  My second attempt was the best so I thought I would share the recipe. It's super easy!!!

You will need: 

8" baking dish

6-8 large apples of your choice (I used Gala and Johnathan)

Cinnamon and/ or apple pie spice

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup quick baking oats

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 stick cold unsalted butter

1/4 tsp salt

Steps:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

Peel, core and slice your apples. Place them evenly in two layers in your dish and sprinkle with a little cinnamon and apple pie spice (optional).

In a seperate bowl combine your flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar and salt. Cut in your cold butter.  

This is the fun part, begin mixing with your hands until all ingredients are combined, it should be crumbly.  Cover the apples with the crumb mixture. 

Bake at 375 for 40 mins, the top should be slightly brown. 

Enjoy!!

Are You Surviving?

Are you surviving?  It's a question I get A LOT!  I know what people mean when they ask me this, but I also won't lie when I say "what did you expect me to do"?  Do people honestly think that I may not survive?  I hope not!! And dare I say that not only are we surving but I think we are doing it quite well!!  Now don't get me wrong, it can be hard sometimes but I can't help but think that this is the easy part, wait until they are mobile. 

In all seriousness I thought it would be fun to give a little insight into our "new" life with twins and a family of five.  What has really changed? 

We have tons of laundry these days, I didn't realize two babies could create so much more laundry but there is rarely a day where you won't find laundry in the washer and/ or dryer. We wash and sanitize on average 14-16 bottles a day, it feels like there are bottles in the sink to be washed constantly.  The amount of formula we go through is insane, we go through two 48 oz. containers every 11 days. Thank goodness for SAMS Club, we're regulars!   Diapers are a whole other story, we use approximately 16 diapers a day.  That means we use a typical box of 108 diapers in less than a week.

Loading up the car is another adventure, of course we had to buy a new vehicle.  Everyone says "did you get a mini-van"?  NO, I refused!  Would it make my life easier? Yes, probably.  I have always said I would NEVER drive a mini-van. I have nothing against them, it's just one of those things I never saw myself doing. Honestly we were already preparing for so many changes that a mini-van wasn't another change I was ready to make.  So, I settled for a third row SUV. I LOVE it and I still feel like "Me"!  Going anywhere takes a little more preparation and organization but we are taking it in stride.  Adam and I have never been a couple to sit at home so we figure we might as well break them in sooner rather then later.  The other night as I was laying in bed (exhausted), I realized I had loaded the boys in and out of the car 16 times that day...that's times TWO! The stroller was an additional 8 times in and out of the back of the vehicle.  I figure if nothing else I will have awesome arms after a few months of all this lifting.  Right now I can still carry them both in and out of the house at the same time but as they grow bigger I can tell that will be short lived.

Restaurants? Let's just say we chose them wisely and you become very friendly with the hostess.  When they see us coming with the bus that's my stroller they're usually more than happy to find us a spot we can all fit.  I am certain the other night at a local eatery the hostess cut us in line, the people before and after us were both told a 40 minute wait. It has it's perks I guess!  It only occurred to me the other night that as the boys grow we will no longer be able to sit in a booth or a regular 4 top table.

Another part that has been a major change is my job, I am no longer working full time.  The amount of money we would have been spending for three kids in childcare was insane, I mean we are talking $20-25K a year.  It was a hard decision but in the end it wasn't worth it to us.  Fortunately I have worked for my employer for over 6 years and they were willing to work with me, so I now work 2-3 days a week, approximately 18 hours a week.  It's perfect because I get to be a stay at home mommy and still fit in a little adult time at work, a paycheck isn't bad either.

Madelyn is adjusting fairly well, we have had a few bumps in the road but that's to be expected.  She seems super old to me some days and other days still feels like a baby.  She has become very independent and plays well by herself, I hope this will prepare her later in life.  I do find it a struggle to make sure she gets enough "mommy" time but I think we are finding a good balance.  She has gone from being in school 5 days a week to 3 days now, she will go to kindergarten next year so I am enjoying some extra time with her.  Maddy does very well with the boys, I can tell the newness is starting to wear off.  She enjoys holding, feeding and playing with them. The more responsive they become the more interested she is in trying to make them smile and laugh.

I am sure I could think of other changes and of course you have the typical "my house is a mess right now" kind of stuff, but all in all I think we are adjusting fairly well.  It all comes down to the preparation and organization!!!

What are the main changes you noticed after having a baby? Or two? Or three?

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Well it's no secret that I love Fall and all things pumpkin. It didn't take long for me to make my first batch of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, only this year I changed it up a bit and added in oats as well!

They turned out yummy so I thought I would share.

Ingredients: makes 3 dozen cookies

1 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2  large eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 15 oz can pure pumpkin

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon

2 cups flour

1 cup oats

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation:

Combine room temp butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until creamy. Continue to add vegetable oil and pumpkin. In seperate bowl combine all dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and oats. Gently mix in the dry ingredients with the wet. Once combined fold in the chocolate chips.

The batter!

These are drop cookies, no need for them to be perfect. (Disregard my yucky looking cookie sheet, it's been through a lot)

Final product, they make a great breakfast cookie bar as well.

Enjoy!!

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Friends & Football!

Football season is back y'all and that makes this family pretty happy. We love to cheer on our Colts and Hoosiers!  This past weekend we went 1-1. The Colts won over the Raiders but our Hoosiers fell to Navy.  I guess if you have to lose it might as well be to Navy, it's not like you can root against our military.

We enjoyed going to Bloomington on Saturday to cheer on the Hoosiers with friends.  My dad and step-mom were kind enough to watch the boys while we tailgated and went to the game.  Madelyn  went with us, it was her first college football game.  She was mostly excited to see the cheerleaders and her little "boyfriend" Ben!   Ben is my best friend Kara's little boy. He and Madelyn are smitten with each other and so stinkin cute!  They are like a little married couple, constantly looking out for each other and Maddy does an excellent job of bossing Ben around. Poor guy! Kara and I are already planning the wedding!

What teams do you love to cheer on? Here is to a great football season and who knows...maybe a Colts Superbowl appearance!!

1st Day Pre-K 2013

This is the LAST first day of pre-school for my baby girl. I can't believe this time next year she will be in Kindergarten. Time really does fly, and my house is a little quieter this morning!

Madelyn at 4 years old:

Grade: Pre-k

Teacher: Mrs. Ferguson

Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Food: Gummies & Mini Muffins

Favorite Song: Cruise by Florida Georgia Line

Something You Do Well: Color

When I Grow Up I Want To Be: Singer & Teacher

Labor Day Weekend 2013

Labor Day weekend is always a little bitter sweet as we say goodbye to Summer, but in this family we love and embrace Fall.   

We spent the weekend in true McCord style...busy!  Adam made it a four day weekend so we took the opportunity to tour and check out a new pre-school for Madelyn.  We loved it and she will start this week! Madelyn has been home with me everyday since the end of May, we could tell she was becoming bored and needed something else. Lets face it, giving her what she needs with two newborns at home is virtually impossible. Going back to school will be a blessing for all of us.  We took her to buy a new backpack and lunch box on Friday, she is very excited!

Saturday morning we headed to Ohio to celebrate my best friends little boys birthdays, it was our first out of state trip with the boys. Kara has two boys, Ben just turned 4 and Matthew 2. The birthdays are a a few days apart so she does a combo party and she does it well! It has actually given me a few tips on how to throw a party for my twin boys when the day comes.

On Sunday we headed to Adam's parents house for some lake time and a cook-out. We got in a little boating,   fishing, relaxing and family time. We decided to make it our first over night with the boys and it went great. Carter and Colten slept for 7 1/2 hours before waking to eat. It was awesome!! Madelyn got to swim and fish, two things she has become very good at.

   The boys helping me cook on Sunday

On Monday we headed home to rest up a bit and plant some Fall flowers. We are ready for football, tailgating, crisp nights, and all things Fall!!