Pavlova

• This recipe is a family holiday favorite for Easter and Christmas!!
• (Recipe courtesy of Sally's Baking Addiction)
• 
  
• 4 large egg whites (use the yolks for lemon curd!)*
• 1 cup (200g) superfine sugar*
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar*
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. (Preliminary note: you will quickly reduce the oven to 200°F (93°C) in step 4.)
2. With a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar in 2 additions, beating for 30 seconds between, then continue beating on high speed until glossy stiff peaks form, about 2 more minutes. The peaks should be stiff enough that you can hold the whisk upright and the peaks won’t move. Add the vanilla extract and beat for 1 more minute. The peaks should still be very stiff. If not, keep on mixing on high speed. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the cream of tartar and cornstarch.
3. Spread the pavlova mixture into an 8-9-inch circle (see note for mini size). You can make decorative peaks with the back of a large spoon if desired. Make sure the edges are relatively tall and there is a nice dip in the center.
4. Place pavlova in the oven. As soon as you close the oven door, reduce heat to 200°F (93°C). The pavlova will stay in the oven as it cools down to 200°F (93°C). Bake until the pavlova is firm and dry, about 90 minutes total. Rotate the baking sheet if you notice some spots browning. Try to limit how many times you open the oven as the cool air will interrupt the baking.
5. Turn the oven off and let the pavlova cool inside the oven. Once the pavlova is cool, you can store it covered tightly at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or serve right away.
6. Once cool, top the pavlova with whipped cream and assorted toppings. Slice and serve.

Scratch Says the Darndest Things

Scratch makes us laugh so hard!  Every day he's got something funny to say - or do - or both, and most of the time it's completely unintentional!

He's nearly 4, but keeps telling us "I'm not getting bigger because I go poop every day!  So I eat lots of food but it all goes out of my body and doesn't get me bigger!"

In our hotel room one morning, he said "We can't leave until I do my workout!" and proceeded to spin the chair around and around.

When he couldn't go zip lining with the family due to weight restrictions, he told everyone there "I can't go because my pounds are too little."

Sioux Falls was recently hit by a tornado.  While driving through town, we were commenting on all of the damages we saw.  A minute later, Scratch asked "Are we still in South Dakota?"  I said "Yes, we haven't driven very far." And he said "But I don't see any more damage!"

When our house flooded a few months ago, he home with me when we first found the water pouring in through the windows.  He saw me worrying and said "Oh, that is not good! That is not supposed to do that!"  I said, "You're right, buddy. Mommy is going to go try to fix it."  He said "I want to help you!"  as I was running back and forth, hauling water, cutting ice, etc, I didn't want him underfoot so I said "You can help by saying a prayer. Say a prayer to Jesus to help us, ok?"  He said "OK, I will Mommy!"  When I came back a few minutes later he said "Mommy - I said a prayer to Jesus but he didn't come!  But then I remembered Jesus is a little baby so I said a prayer to Mary and Dofuf (Joseph) but they didn't come either!  No one is coming to help us!"  He was so traumatized by the flood, he asked every time he heard any sort of noise if it was flooding again.  And he insisted on wearing his rain boots every time he went downstairs for about 3 months following the flood. :)

Lately, we ask him to pray often, since we never know what his prayers will involve.  Some prayers of late: "Please bless Mommy and Kai Kai to be my best, best friends. Please bless that I can tell penis jokes and not get in trouble.  Please bless that we can eat mac and cheese all day long and it will be healthy for our bodies. Please bless that I don't have to eat this salad for dinner because I don't like salad."

Scratch the center of the family

The other day, Scratch fell and hit his head and began to cry.  In an instant, Angel, Grins, Wiggles and I all rushed to his side.  Jon laughed and snapped this photo as evidence of the love which surrounds this precious little dude of ours!

Elderberry syrup and other laughs

Today, while helping me make elderberry syrup, Scratch asked, "is this for the 'misher-aries' ?" (missionaries).  Confused, I said, "No, it's for us to drink to keep us healthy. Why?"  "Because it's called Elder-berry syrup. And they are Elders".  He was asking a sincere question and didn't realize he'd made a joke. :)

It reminds me of this past Christmas.  Santa brought the kids a helicopter drone and, upon opening it, Scratch exclaimed, "What the helicopter?!" to which we all immediately started laughing.  He couldn't understand what we found funny. :)

This kid keeps us in stitches every day! He is so much fun to have around!

80 in '18 - a year in review

One thing we love about Sioux Falls is their very robust Parks and Recreation department!  There are lots of parks and playgrounds, as well as organized playgroups throughout the week!  This year, Sioux Falls Parks and Rec issued a challenge called "80 in 18".  Each month throughout 2018 they listed 7-8 parks and we were to go find/play at each park and take a photo to prove it.  Each month they selected a winner from all who participated.  We ended up winning in February and won an annual membership to the Sioux Falls pools!  Winning was awesome, of course, but even more incredible was the opportunity we had to check out all the many diverse parks in our new city; some which we likely never would have found!  We had a blast and know we'll be visiting many of the parks over and over again for years to come!