Drum Roll Please...

Taken in CA in April

 Some of you may already know, for those of you who don't, Kyle and I are expecting a Baby Stenersen in October!! We realized our shared hope for a baby last September and then found out we were pregnant on Kyle's birthday, February 11th!  We are so excited to say the least! And we are so thankful! I am now 19 weeks along and am nearly halfway into the pregnancy (which is crazy).  My belly is growing and we are looking forward to feeling the baby move and kick inside me!  We want to be surprised to know if we will have a son or daughter so we are waiting until he or she is born to find out! We are amazed at God's goodness, faithfulness, power and grace as we experience this baby growing inside me! In an amazing way we must lean on Him and trust in Him for He is in control and He knows just who He wants to create and give us as a child.  Please pray for us as we are in the beginning of this adventure of parenthood and as we continue to prepare for our child and continue in the pregnancy. Thank you!
WHOOO HOOOO!

We picked sour cherries from a tree in our yard last weekend
and plan to make a pie and some jam!

Baby Stenersen likes sour cherries too!

The fruit of our labor.  We picked 9 more pints yesterday too!
The tree is now empty.

Sorry Aunt Jemima

These aren't ours, but you get the idea!

For breakfast this morning I made homemade pancakes from the Joy of Cooking recipe for "Pancakes or Griddle Cakes" and they were amazing! I love pancakes and I love making pancakes and these were seriously the best pancakes I have ever tasted. They were for Kyle too! Now I believe everyone needs to make homemade pancakes and taste and enjoy the difference! I think it would be a great thing to make with kids too! So here's what you gotta do:

Whisk together in a large bowl:

     *1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

     *3 tablespoons sugar

     *1 3/4 tablespoons baking powder

     *1 teaspoon salt

Combine in another bowl:

     *1 1/2 cups milk

     *3 tablespoons melted butter

     *2 eggs

     *optional: 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (which I did include)

Mix the liquid ingredients quickly into the dry ingredients. And cook like you do every other pancake! This makes about 16 4-inch pancakes, it made 19 for us. 

***If you have a banana (slice thinly or to your own preference) or chocolate chips on hand they make a lovely addition to the plain pancake which is actually delectable on its own! I made some plain pancakes, a few chocolate chip ones, a few banana ones and a chocolate/banana one that we shared. We sliced some strawberries to put on top then dusted with powdered sugar (Kyle's brilliant idea) and maple syrup!! Sunday pancakes are now a tradition in the making.***