Another 2019 Review

It would be weird to look back at 2019 and only note one kid, right? Even if the other kid has "aged out" of being blog fodder?

It would definitely be weird.

I've been asked about that a few times, by the way. There seems to be a perception that I favor one kid? Which, I DO. It's just that which kid I favor changes minute-by-minute. Right now I like Alexis best because she made me brownies. Mila will win me over any minute now because she's ridiculously cute and it's hard to stay annoyed at her non-stop talking.

ANYWAY.

Alexis had a most excellent 2019. She kicked it off with a birthday celebration.

Six days, by the way. That kid turns 14 years old in six days. (You're welcome that now you feel SUPER old.)

In February she continued her mission to convert her baby sister into her clone. It's going entirely too well, for the record.

And Mila loves every second of it.

There's a theme developing as we move to April ...

In May, seventh grade came to an end.

And the dancer starting looking entirely too grown up.

In July, we went to Orlando. While Mila will tell you we did it to go to Universal Studios, the truth is the world revolves around Alexis.

But Alexis' world seems to maybe revolve around someone else.

I mean ...

There really isn't much Alexis won't do for her sister.

Seriously.

2019 was a good year for the best sister ever. I have the photos to prove it.

A 2019 Review

I realize we're basically three weeks into 2020, but I have a lingering need to look back at 2019. There's something to be said for how fast the years go by with, particularly with Mila. She's an odd phenomenon, that child. She simultaneously makes the hours feel soooooo long as she makes the years feel like they pass by in a blink. She's always been here, and yet she's still new. I don't know if it's because of the huge age difference between the girls or what, but time definitely passes by differently with her than it did Alexis.

Case in point, January 2019.

She looks the same. Exactly the same. It's a year ago, and yet THE SAME.

But then there's February.

Wait. STILL THE SAME. By the way, February was when I gave the kid a giant pile of glitter. It made her endlessly happy.

In March she was still endlessly happy, but this time it was because she's so good at amusing herself.

I mean, the kid is clearly miserable. She can't even have fun wearing a sun dress in April.

Honest to goodness, the kid is always happy. Here's May.

In June, Mila performed in her first dance recital. It won't be her last. ::sigh::

She also graduated from preschool. And finally *FINALLY* the kid shows signs of having an emotion other than happy.

It didn't last.

In July, we went to Universal and Mila discovered a new kind of happy.

In August, she made a different sort of fuzzy new friend.

And then this happened.

::sigh::

In September, the kid slept in her own bed for a whole night. It happened once and only once, but she got Jojo out of the experience.

In October, she turned into a dragon.

Then in November she turned into a kid who smiles like a wackadoo.

AND I TAKE IT BACK. WHAT HAPPENED TO MEH BABBBBY?

That's when it happened. December. December is when Mila suddenly started to look all grown up. UGH.

White Bean and Spinach Soup

I think maybe winter is going to show up? Eventually? Regardless, I'm busy making my favorite cold weather soups for dinner a couple of nights per week. They are an easy way to cram a lot of nutrition into a simple belly-filling meal. And, bonus! Since we're eating all of those healthy meals, we're clear to keep snacking on those leftover Christmas cookies in the freezer!

That's how it works, right? Balance and such?

Anyway, this is a simple soup that leaves a lot of room for improvisation. Want less vegetables? Fine. Want to toss some acini de pepe in? Go ahead. Feel like adding some ground turkey, sausage, or chicken? I won't stop you.

Soup is supposed to make people happy. So, do what makes you happy.

White Bean and Spinach Soup

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cups broth (vegetable is my preferred broth, but chicken would also work)
2 cans Great Northern Beans
12-14 ounces fresh spinach (I use a bag of prewashed spinach, which I wash again because I'm paranoid)
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
salt
black pepper

1. In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Add the red pepper and garlic and sauté lightly for 4-5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté for another 4-5 minutes.

2. Add the broth, beans, rosemary, thyme, and basil to the pot and simmer on medium heat for 10-12 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3. Add the spinach. It will look like it's entirely too much spinach, but hold tight. It only takes a few minutes for it to shrink considerably.

4. Continue to simmer until the spinach wilts completely, approximately 5 minutes.

5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve this soup immediately or leave it on low heat for as long as you need to. It holds up REALLY well.

An aside: If you decide to add acini de pepe, do it after the spinach has wilted and cook according to the instructions on the box. If you add it too soon, it turns mushy.