Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

My two year old boy is a banana addict.  It's an addiction I am willing to support because every once in a while, we end up with a few extra bananas.  In the past, when those bananas got too ripe to eat, I'd bake them into some banana bread and give it to the family for breakfast (or, worse, I'd throw them into the freezer to make banana bread later and end up with twenty or thirty black frozen bananas).  

But, come on.  Let's be real.  If you're going to bake a couple of bananas into a "bread" that has sugar, flour, eggs, butter, and nuts...then, you smoother it with more butter when it comes out...you might as well take the next step and add a few chocolate chips and call it what it really is: awesome.

Don't get me wrong.  This recipe is not banana bread with chocolate chips.  Instead, it is more like the perfect cross between a chocolate chip cookie and banana cake.  

Mucho thanks goes to my best friend Angela for this recipe.  And, a big "no thank you" to that same awesome bestie for my new addiction.

Let me just say...

Now, I'll get to the actual recipe...

Chocolate Chip Banana Cake

2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium sized bananas, mashed
1 large egg
12 - 16 oz chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a jelly roll pan (I use a 13 x 9 inch glass pan).
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Beat in bananas and egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.
Spread into your pan.
Bake for 20-30 min.

{Enjoy!}

Hiiiii-chah!

My friends, the moment we knew was coming is finally here: Merrick's inner Karate Kid has awakened.  

I don't know what started this fascination with Karate.  And I don't know who first started all the "hi-yahing" and prancing around, Marcos or Merrick.  All I know is the spirit of Jackie Chan has taken over my house.  Even the twins get into the karate action.

For his first lesson, the thing Merrick was most excited about was getting his little white karate outfit (ok, he's officially taking tai-kwon-do, but for future reference, I'm just going to call everything martial-artsie "karate"...it's just easier).  He was ecstatic.  Marcos helped him put on his outfit right before class, all the while encouraging him to work hard and do his best (and have fun, of course).  I'm so thankful my children have such a wonderful daddy.  

Once the class started, Merrick was incredibly intense and enthusiastic.  You can tell he's taking the lessons because he wants to and not because his parents want him to.  My favorite part is how he kept saluting the teacher and saying, "Yes Sir!" really, really loudly as if he had just enlisted in the Army.

In his first class, Merrick got a green stripe on his belt for doing the punches well.  After about 4 more stripes like that, he becomes a Tiger Cub Yellow Belt.

Here are a few pics from Merrick's first official Tai-Kwon-Do lesson.  I'm probably spelling that completely wrong.  The martial arts world is a complete mystery to me.  All I know is that Jack Black is the Dragon Warrior and that Mr. Miyagi is the man.  

This was right after the class:

How does he even come up with these moves?

Hi-cha! (Yes, he says hi-cha a lot instead of hi-yah.)

This was the following week in front of the house.

Jackie Chan, eat your heart out.

Our First Family Play!

A few weeks ago, Mama and I got to take the kids to see their first play.  Since Marcos and I met as Theater majors in college, this was a very special day for me.  Naturally, I assume that the kiddos have theater in their blood, and I couldn't wait to see how they would fall in love with the stage like their daddy and I did when we were little.

Since we are such huge Tangled fans here, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take the kiddos to see Rapunzel.  Of course, it was nothing like the movie.  It actually stuck closer to the original story, which I had completely forgotten until I saw it acted out.  Later, Merrick said, "Mommy, I think that was Tangled 2."

My mama is the best mom and grandmother in the entire world.  I am so grateful that she lives nearby and can go to me with special events like this.  I love that she is going to be in so many of the kids' childhood memories.

We dressed Scoutie Girl in her Rapunzel dress (pajamas actually...shhh....don't tell!) to see the play.  She's only two and she already loves to dress up.  I definitely see a closet full of princess dresses in our future.

The twins and I went down to the stage to check things out before the show started.

I was incredibly surprised that the kids paid attention during the entire show.  Typically, when we see a movie, I am chasing them all over the theater.  Not the case here.

Dee lovin' up on Merrick.  :)

Woo-hoo!  What a great family field trip.  I can't wait to take them to their next show.  After the show, my mom was already talking about taking them to auditions.  Once a stage mother, always a stage mother, I guess.  

Avia Triathlon 2011

I could not be more proud of my husband today.  Today, he completed his first sprint triathlon.  A few months ago, he completed Austin's Capitol Texas First Tri.  It is a triathlon for first timers, so the distance is just a bit shorter.  In today triathlon, he swam 700 meters, rode approximately 16 miles on his bike, then ran a 5K (a little more than 3 miles).

My mom watched the twins so that I could more easily navigate the spectator sport with Merrick.  Here are a couple of pics from the big race:

Daddy and Merrick before the race begins

I love this pic.  Out of his entire age group, Marcos was the only one that turned around and waved to his family.  I love how aware of us he was.  I know it made him so proud to have his son and wife see him accomplish something so great.  If you watch the video (below), you'll see him wave to us again as he gets in to the water.  It melts my heart.

Merrick was so funny.  As soon as Marcos got into the water, Merrick turned to me and said, "Mommy, can we go home now?"  :)  We made the sign above several days prior.  On the right side of the word Daddy (which Merrick traced), Merrick insisted that I draw a picture of our entire family.  The stick figure of Merrick (yes, I'm an awesome stick figure artist) has a mo-hawk and is giving a karate kick.  He loved that.

It was awesome watching the race take place with downtown Austin as the backdrop.  And, what a beautiful day!  The temp was in the low 90's, which was a miracle considering we've had record breaking triple digit weather up until this very day.

While we were waiting to see Marcos ride by on his bike, Merrick sat on the bridge and held on to the rail.  At one point he said, "Mommy, this is my favorite part."  (We often ask him at the dinner table what his favorite part of the day was.)  :)

Sadly, we missed seeing Marcos ride his bike.  I thought I saw him...several times.  I yelled, "Gooooo Marcos!!!!" really, really loudly as this one dude rode by.  I even videotaped him.  It wasn't until we got home and I showed Marcos the video of him that he said, "That's not me."  

Here's a picture of the warrior man and his very proud family.

Marcos was very blessed to have Corbin, a great friend and neighbor, as a training buddy over the summer.  I love this pic of them.  They are both on top of the world with the greatest city in the world behind them.

I am so very proud of Marcos.  I am not just proud of the fact that he completed the triathlon, but also for how he went about training for it.  He was up almost every morning this summer at 5:45am to get into the lake for a swim or to go for a ride/run.  He is so disciplined and focused.  He is such an inspiration. 

After Marcos got home that afternoon and took a shower, he went out to help with the wildfire that has burned down many houses nearby.  He has been so concerned about the families affected by the fires.  

Am I married to a hero or what?!?

64th Anniversary: An Interview with the Augestines

Today, Don and Patty Augestine celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary.  

Let me just share with you my train of thought upon hearing this news at lunch yesterday:  What in the world?  Is that even possible?  How old are these folks?  They don't look a day over 75...did they get married when they were 11 years old?

Once I was able to suck in some air and get my thoughts together, my next thought was: I am going to break out some pen and paper and take notes!  You don't get through 64 years of married without learning some tricks.  Or, as Patty says, "If you've been married 64 years and haven't learned something, you haven't been listening to God."

To get the right advice, you gotta ask the right question.  So, in all my eloquence of speech, I asked the Augestine's, "Is there some blanket, general, all-purpose advice that you can give as to how to be happily married for 64 years?"  Without hesitation, Patty said, "Well, first, you gotta know the Lord."  That melted my heart.  

They went on to tell story after story about how God had worked in their life together.  Don told us about the first time he remembered seeing Patty.  They were in junior high school.  Patty's mom put her long blond hair in ringlets just like Shirley Temple's.  Don said that Patty had the biggest brown eyes and that whenever they parted all he could see were her big brown eyes.  Patty went with Don to his senior prom, which, according to Don was her big mistake.  That was the night he fell in love with Patty.  

When I asked him what it was exactly that made him fall in love, he folded his napkin, wiped some taco chili off his face and said, "You know, lots of people have asked me that, and I used to say, 'I don't know.'  It wasn't sexual.  I feel sheepish saying that.  But, that's what most people expect.  Now, looking back, I just realize that Patty had the Holy Spirit in her.  She had Jesus in her." 

Don and Patty went on to tell many, many more stories and a total of 3 keys to a happy marriage:

1) You gotta know the Lord.

2) Take time to talk together.

3) If and when you have a disagreement, you should hold hands.

Marcos looked at me as Don mentioned the third step.  "You might have a little trouble with that last one, Les."  (Thanks for calling me out, Marcos.)  What in the world?  Why, or rather, how could you hold hands when you're angry?  In my head, I imagined being in a row with Marcos and him holding my hands just so I wouldn't take a swing at him.  When I confessed to Don and Patty that, sadly, I was born with a genetic mutation that made me do and say crazy things when I got angry (a genetic disposition I blame completely and entirely on my mother), Don simply said, "You should still hold hands.  You'd be surprised how it bleeds the anger."  

One last pearl of wisdom that Ms. Patty gave us is that we have to be aware of how Satan is just looking for the tiniest little crack where he can "stick his nose".  Most people, she thinks, aren't even aware of how Satan is working in their lives.  And even the Christians that are aware of Satan, don't do any thing about it.

When I asked how old they were when they got married (because I thought that was more polite than asking their age!), Don said, "What do you mean?  We've been married all our lives."  

Knuckle Bump

Dear Sawyer,

I have to share with you the sweetest thing you just did.  It is almost 10pm.  I went into your bedroom to check on you and your sister before going to bed myself.  When I walked in, I heard you make a little noise in your crib.  When I walked over, your little eyes were barely open, but you had the biggest smile on your face.  I could see your sweet face by the light of the hallway coming into your room.  When you saw me, you put your arm through the bars of your crib in order to give me a knuckle bump.  I about died.

After I gave you the first knuckle bump, you put both arms out in front of you.  I thought for a moment that you wanted me to pick you up.  You were still smiling like crazy.  Then, I realized that you had both arms out and were wanting two more knuckles bumps.  You are the knuckle bump king.

You just melt my heart, little man.

I love you like crazy.
Love,
Mommy
(or, as you so enthusiastically call me sometimes, "Daddy!")

PS - This is how you eat a cupcake...no hands!

How To Do a Daddy Push-Up

How to burn a few extra calories in the Esparza household:

Step 1: When attempting a push-up, add a 34 pound child to your back.

Step 2: Not enough?  Add another 40ish pound 5 year old.

Step 3:  If you are a total hoss, add another 30ish pound 2 year old.

Step 4:  Attempt to raise yourself (and the extra load) a few inches off the ground.  "Uncool" points are given for every child that falls off and knocks himself unconscious on the tile floor.

Step 5:  Feel free to modify your push-up to the "lady's version" if needed.  There's no shame in that (you wimp).  

Step 6:  If you are a real man (see model), you will raise yourself and the extra 100 pounds completely off the floor.  Now...repeat 20 times (hahaha).

If everyone is smiling (and alive and conscious) at the end of the push-up, you have earned the

"Complete Stud of a Daddy Award"

Now, moving onto abs...

I love my studly Baby Daddy.  :)