Second Breakfast

"Mama, since Emma made French Toast the last time do you think I could make French Toast today?!" She prepared the ingredients and then I showed her how to cook the first piece, after that the rest was all her. In total, she cooked four pieces and I didn't have to do anything more than take pictures.

It seems to me that this year - her ninth-  is full of all sorts of amazingness, and this French Toast making is just the latest skill added to the list. It's truly incredible the independence that's coming for both girls lately. I'm pretty sure it's not just that they are the ages they are, but also (and perhaps even more so) because they have been there watching, helping, taking it all in their entire lives. To watch Grace cook so confidently this second breakfast of ours gave me pause. No matter how many times I beg and plead with them to "stop the growing" it's to no avail. Grow they will, but with that growth comes so much goodness, so much pride, so much confidence that I truly cannot wait to see what each day, each week, each month and each trip around the sun brings for our sweet girls. xo

Sous Chefs

Since yesterday was a fabulously snowy day we decided it would be the perfect night to have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. We also decided it would be a good night to make meatballs from scratch. I had seen a post on People.com about some spaghetti and meatballs that Drew Barrymore had made and they looked amazing. The recipe that she used was shared there as well (it's the recipe from The Meatball Shop cookbook) and it sounded like one that would be super yummy. I mixed the ingredients and the girls came to help roll. It was their first time rolling meatballs, though it easily looked like they had been doing this for years already! The meatballs turned out great (we left out the fennel and I think next time we'd use less Red Pepper Flakes, or even leave then out all together)! We'll surely be making them for years to come!