"Another Bagel, Please!"

My first attempt at making, shaping and baking bagels

DH, raised in upstate NY (read: bagel country), loves bagels. He could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When Brueggers Bagels opened up in Fairbanks, he had me buy a baker's dozen once week or more! I even bought a bagel slicer and nearly wore the thing out!

I've been keeping an eye out for bagels since arriving in Portugal. The NEX sells them in the freezer section. I forget the brand. Unfortunately, they have high fructose corn syrup or artificial this or that in them. Wait, maybe it was hydrogenated fat. Whatever the case, I won't buy them. Somehow, I happened upon a food blog and the current topic was bagels - how easy they are to make at home, etc. So, for a few days, here and there, I browsed recipes and, yesterday, settled on this one here.

Of course, I decided to take on bagel making as Lila was getting up from her nap yesterday afternoon. For the past week, Lila wakes up from her nap and cries and eats nonstop (growth spurt?) until bedtime. Who knows why I decided to torture myself. Attacking a new recipe along side a crying, hungry toddler is not wise.

However, they didn't come out half-bad. I used bread flour that I believe moved here with us nearly a year ago and I don't think I let the dough rise long enough. And, by the time it came to boiling them and putting them in the oven, Olivia was up and begging (read, kicking and screaming on the floor, drool coming down her chin) to eat a boiled (not baked) bagel.

Matt came home as the second batch was coming out of the oven and the first batch was just about swallowed up. Despite the second batch being a little, let's just say, flat, DH was in heaven! Though, he didn't mention how much he enjoyed them, and how much better they are than frozen, store bought bagels, until he came home from work today, begging for more. He may have also said something about changing our "marriage contract" to state that homemade bagels must be made available to him on a daily basis.

And Olivia...well, this morning went something like this:

"More bagels, please! Why aren't there more bagels! Mom, you need to make more! I want a bagel...please!"

If any of you have a great bagel recipe, please pass it on! I'm going to try experimenting with different recipes. I just know I can get an even better tasting and rising bagel!

What They're Doing Now - Olivia

It's been a while since I've written about what the girls are saying and doing. So, here's a quick update on Olivia:

Olivia

• "I'm smoke'n hot!"
• "What's your name?" (Asking in Portuguese)
• "That is inappropriate!"
• "Daddy is my best friend." or "Lila is my best friend."
• "When is Lila going to get up?"
• "Bang your head!" (Singing to Quiet Riot)
• "I want to do a project."
• "It's not dark out anymore; we can get up now!"
• "Why is he/she naked?" (In response to the bikini or Speedo clad locals).
• "What are we going to do in the morning?" (Repeated OVER and OVER at bedtime)
• "Never mind."
• "Why aren't you listening to me!"

Olivia has been getting up earlier than in the past. She was rising around 8:00-8:30am. The past month, she's been waking up at 7:00 on the dot. A few times, recently, she has woken up around 6:15am. I do not allow this. I allow my girls up at 7:00 with a 15-minute window. Since they go to bed at 8:00pm, waking up earlier than 7:00am results in hysterical crying and behavioral issues by 11:00am. When she rises earlier than we allow, Matt and I explain to her that just because it's light outside, it doesn't mean it's time to get up and we put her back to bed. This has resulted in kicking, screaming and hysterical crying. Always resulting in falling back asleep until, at least, 7:30-7:45am.

I've been worried that Olivia would give up a nap around this age. It hasn't happened...yet. Though, we do struggle from time to time for a week here or there. I've mentioned, in the past, that Matt and I never truly gave up naps. Since infancy, Matt and I have cherished a nap whenever we have a chance! So, I'm hoping the same will be for our children.

Olivia spends most days naked, jumping in out of the baby pool or sprinkler. She appreciates long talks with her many babies, reading books, listening to books on CD, doing projects, playing with her sister (read: telling her sister what to do), wearing Lila's clothes, putting Lila's clothes on her dolls, going to the park and beach, talking to grandparents and her cousin on the phone, watching home videos and, as always, snacks.

Her favorite color is pink.

What They are Doing Now - Lila

Lila is now 19-months. She recently gave up nursing in the middle of the night and now sleeps through the night, often for 13-hours straight. Though, last night, for the first time in two weeks, she awoke at 4:10am, screaming for me. Matt and I put her back to bed (she did not nurse) and she fell asleep until 8:30am. I'm hoping that was the "test" a lot of children do after they've been sleeping through the night for a couple of weeks. For the first time since I got pregnant with Olivia (I do not sleep well when pregnant), I've been getting a good night's sleep! Though, I've been staying up late and rising exhausted anyway!

Lila has started talking up a storm. Here's what she's saying:

• Poop
• Pee (English an Portuguese)
• Ouch
• Bye (English and Portuguese)
• Hello (English and Portuguese)
• Hi
• Yeah
• No
• Mine
• Violet
• Taggie
• More
• Night-night
• Thank you (English and Portuguese)
• 7-8-9
• Jump (English and Portuguese)
• Car
• Noodles
• TV
• Cheese
• Snack
• Eye
• Nose
• Boo-boo
• Eat
• Pretty
• Hot
• Bath
• Stinky
• Swimsuit
• Nemo (We do not have the movie. Liv told her about Nemo the fish).
• Shoe
• mmmmuh (giving kisses)
• Paint
• Here
• Help

Lila does not like to be without her sister. If she wakes up before her, she calls for Olivia incessantly. She loves to hug and kiss her sister. She enjoys doing whatever her sister is doing. Including, begging for snacks and playing in the water. We are sure Olivia is Lila's best friend. She's truly sad when Olivia is not around.

Lila is still at that age where she begs for naps. Often, asking to be picked up and resting her head on my shoulder until I bring her upstairs and put her to bed. She is still a hugger and kisser and loves to rub backs and snuggle.

Camping Portugal: Test Run

DH bought a tent for the family several weeks ago. I don't remember how the conversation went, exactly, but I agreed that we should get out and explore Portugal by tent camping.

Last summer, we camped in Alaska, and it was quite an adventure with the girls! After seeing what a great time the family who joined us on our camping trip were having in their trailer (we started the trip off in a rented, molded and broken pop-up and ended the trip in a decent, large trailer), we decided to buy a Trailmanor when we returned to the continental US. It's gas mileage-friendly, folds down compactly (looks similar to a pop-up when folded down) and we can tow it to visit family and have a place to stay along the way and, if needed, when we get there. However, we have no idea when we'll back in the US. So, tent camping it is for now!

We decided to embark on our test run of tent camping at the last minute. In fact, we left yesterday afternoon after the girls naps and, after a stop at a store, arrived at a nearby campground (remember, this was a test run). It was labeled a four star campground in our camping Portugal book and, at some point in the past, I'm sure it was a four-star campground. It is no longer; as it is in obvious need of renovations. However, the pool was gorgeous and that's all the girls really cared about!

As we stood in line for dinner at the camp restaurant (again, trial run. Therefore, knowing the campground had a restaurant, we had planned on a light Portuguese meal. Instead we got an American-type pasta meal catering to the racers), Olivia noticed a man in front of us wearing only a tight Speedo swimsuit. She proclaimed, very loudly, "Daddy, why is that man in front of us naked?" There were several English speakers around us and we surely stood out as American because outfits (swimsuits) like the one the "man" was wearing, are fairly commonplace. That was not the first time Olivia had asked that question in public.

Much to our surprise, there was a bike race taking place at the campground this weekend. Not a big deal - until a concert began around 9:00 or 10:00!! A lot of Queen, REM and Portuguese music. LOUD. The girls, not used to sleeping together (Our tent has two rooms. One for the girls, one for DH and I), had a hard enough time falling asleep, let alone the music. DH and I tried hard not to get frustrated and around 11:30 (around the time the concert ended) the girls fell asleep. DH and I, exhausted ourselves, joined them a half or later.

By 6:30am, Olivia proclaimed, "It's not dark out anymore, Lila. We can get up now!" Our children, used to 11-13 hours of sleep each night, were ready for naps by 8:30am. We pushed through grumpiness until the pool opened at 10:00, swam and after a stop for lunch and a few groceries, got them home where we all took nice, long naps!

DH and I will plan our next trip a little better. Even if it is a short camping trip. I think we should plan to arrive early at the campground, skip naps, have an early dinner at the campsite and start the bedtime process early. Say around 6:30. Even if it takes two hours for them to fall asleep, at least, if they sleep until sunrise, they'll get much more sleep than they did on this trip. Every parent knows how well trips go when their toddlers aren't sleeping well...

Sorry I don't have any pictures to share of this trip, I brought my camera - but neglected to put my memory card back in it! Next time...