So far on Dine & Dish I’ve shared with you some great hostess gift ideas from HMK as well as some great gift ideas for friends, but I haven’t shared with you some of my favorite selections of kids gifts from HMK! As a mom, aunt and friend of people who seem to be always having babies, I’m always on the lookout for great gifts geared towards kids. Here is a list of a few of my favorite kids items from HMK.

Customized Books for Kids

My kids get a kick out of anything that has their name or likeness in them. I think most kids do… I remember growing up looking all over for pencils with the name “Kristen” on them. Every one else had a pencil with their name on it, but since my name at the time wasn’t all that popular, I could never find any personalized things for me! Well, HMK has solved the “I can’t find my name anywhere” problem by creating these amazing customized hard cover story books! Customize the lead character’s name and likeness to a kid you love and the story is transformed to make them the hero. The best news is, you can have the book printed and bound while you wait!…

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When the kids woke up this morning, I said “make sure you tell Leah Happy Birthday! She’s 4 months old today!” The older two ran over and started smothering Leah with love. Ella, my 3 year old, looked at me kind of disgusted and said, “Mama… I think Leah has had more than enough birthdays already!” It has taken awhile, but I think the jealousy monster has finally reared its ugly head around here.

Anyway, it took 4 months to finally capture Leah’s smile on camera, but here it is! Of course, we couldn’t do smiles without showing off her more serious side too. Happy 4 month “birthday”, Leah!

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So, in the sake of wanting to remember this one, I’m writing a quick Ella post.

Ella’s newest thing that she started this week is to ask, 10+ times a day… “Mama, when baby get here?” I respond, “In May, right before your birthday.” She then says, “My birthday? Yay! I love baby come on my birthday.”

I know, nothing hilarious, but I just think it is so cute that she keeps asking and then gets excited about it. Little does she know how much this little baby is going to rock her precious world!

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The funny thing about being pregnant, for me, is that it doesn’t really feel real. That is, until you sit in that dark room, anticipating the sonogram, and the second that wand hits your tummy you see the outline of the little human moving around. Moving, kicking, double flipping. It is always such a neat moment and one that I know I am very blessed to experience.

Today we found out that our baby, who will be joining our family in May, is a little girl. I know that we were all a little shocked because I would have bet money that I was having a boy this time around, but we are thrilled none the less.

The good news is that our little Leah Katherine (I *think* that is going to be her name, anyway) is an active little thing. I was so relieved to see all of her activty because on the way to the doctors appointment I was telling Nick how nervous I was because I hadn’t really felt her move lately.  Either there was something wrong with the baby or we had a lazy kid on our hands. Turns out I was wrong!

The bad news is that the doctor told us she has a possible obstruction on her heart. My doctor didn’t seem overly concerned. She said it could be something or it could be just a shadow or something. My placenta is also low lying and they couldn’t see her kidneys, but that is probably because she was moving around so much.

Anyway, I have a level 3 sonogram scheduled for the 31st and will keep you all posted. I’ve always wanted to have one of those, so I guess this is my chance!

And to tie in a recipe, one of the reasons I thought I was having a boy is because I have been craving a lot of the same things I did with our oldest. Breakfast food, tortillas and cheese and carbs. Banana Bread has been a favorite of mine this pregnancy as well. I have had the chance to try out a bunch of different recipes, even though I still have one recipe that is my absolute favorite.

The recipe I’m sharing today is from a Taste of Home Cookbook. It is a lighter version of the other banana bread recipes I try. It isn’t my all time favorite, but for a lighter version it is pretty darn good! I hope you enjoy it.

Banana Nut Bread from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in bananas and sour cream. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir into banana mixture just until moistened. Fold in nuts.
Transfer to a greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices).

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