marshmallow popcorn balls

brooklin and i have been singing the song "popcorn popping" alot lately, partially because scott's mom sent brooklin a really fun children's cd in the mail a few weeks ago. it's called popcorn bopping, check it out! anyway, the question came up, "what is a popcorn ball?" well, after explaining that it was quite clear that we were going to have to make some popcorn balls so that brooklin could experience their deliciousness. i found the perfect recipe, so good and so simple, i just have to share it.

start out by popping 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn. we have an airpopper, but if you don't you could pop it in a pan with some oil over the stove .



set the popcorn aside. next melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a medium sauce pan over low heat.




measure out 5 cups of miniature marshmallows, and stir them in with the melted butter, still on low heat. make sure to stir constantly 'til the mixture is nice and smooth.





pour the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn and mix with a spoon to coat evenly.




next, you can add candies if you'd like. our favorite is jelly bellies. so good!



let the popcorn cool a minute or two while you line a cookie sheet with parchment paper



and then grease your hands up. i use pam cooking spray, but you could also use butter.



now it's time to dig in and start forming your popcorn balls. make 'em as big or little as you'd like. i make smaller ones for brooklin, otherwise she'd be eating it for an hour. she's kind of a slow eater.




next, see how long you're able to let them set before you just can't control yourself anymore and you start munching on one. it's best to let them set at least 1/2 hour, but i know how tempting it can be. :)

lo's tricks

it seems like lauren has been learning a lot of new things lately. she can sit up unassisted for quite a while now. she has been scooting around for about 2 months or so, and boy can she move fast now. i really feel like i have to keep my eye on her. she tries (sometimes succeeds) to get into the kitty food at least 4 times a day. she has got herself stuck between the tub and the toilet, and she has tried to crawl out onto the porch if ever the sliding door is left open. she has recently been trying to move around on all fours, but if she's really after something she realizes she's much faster at scooting, so she drops back down to her tummy and goes for it. she has also taken up brake dancing, well, that's what i call it. she'll push up onto her tippy toes and kinda of go into down dog position, then either go back down to her kneees or roll over on to her bum and push her legs out. it's quite entertaining. she's also been drinking from a sippy cup, which she picked up very easliy. she doesn't really like the water that she sucks out of it, most of the time it's streaming down her face and neck.



we've also moved her in to share a room with brooklin, finally. we probably would have held off a little longer, except miss lauren decided to throw herself out of her bassinett in our room. i'm sure this is mostly my fault, i knew she was getting too big and strong to be in it anymore, but i wasn't looking forward to the transition of the girls sharing a room. but, it needed to be done sooner or later, right? so, lauren's very fist nap in her crib she managed to pull herself up to a standing position. i was completely shocked when i went in to check on her and found her standing, hanging on, and smiling. i don't think she could've thrown herself out of the crib, but just to be safe the mattress was lowered just as soon as scott came home from work. the girls have been sleeping very well, so far. brooklin is taking her duties as big sister very seriously, and is sure to go right to sleep at night and stay quiet while her sister is sleeping. i often wonder how long this will last, but i'll definitely take it as long as she's willing to give it. :) lauren is definitely picking things up faster than her sister did, and she is giving us a run for our money. i should've known, with how active she was in the womb, that we'd have quite a crazy kid on our hands. but we love her so, and she adds so much to our family. she's our little ray of sunshine.

overwhelmed

i feel like i am so far behind on my blog. there's so much i want to record, but everytime i think about it i stress out. i know, silly, right? please bear with me, i will get it done, sooner or later.

another little diddy from brooklin