Ice Cream Cookie Brownies

I tried a delicious new brownie recipe this weekend that I found over on Kevin & Amanda's Blog. All the recipes that I've tried from her blog have turned out delicious and this was no exception. It's brownies that have ice cream mixed into the batter and layered over oreo cookies. It's very rich. Greg and I will not be able to eat like this after all our family has left. Pretty soon I'll have to get out my Weight Watcher cookbooks, but for now, I'm enjoying all this yummy food we've been able to enjoy with our families while they're helping us with the boys.

This recipe is a twist on a recipe from Picky Palate that just adds the ice cream and hot fudge, not the cookies. Feel free to experiment with it. There's all types of oreos out now, like Chocolate Mint and Peanut Butter filled oreos, which I think would be just as delicous and you could use different types of ice cream as well.

Ice Cream Cookie Brownies

* 1 box of brownie mix and the eggs and oil that is called for on the back of the box, omit the water
* 1 heaping half cup of ice cream (I used Cookies and Cream like I saw on Kevin & Amanda's blog)
* 1/4 cup hot fudge topping, chilled or room temperature
* enough oreos to line an 8x8 pan



Preheat oven & spray an 8×8 baking dish generously with cooking spray. Combine brownie mix, eggs, and oil as directed on the back of the box, but do not add the water. Add ice cream and hot fudge to the brownie batter and stir to combine. Pour half of the brownie batter into the baking dish, layer with Oreos, then top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes or as directed on the back of the box.

Fall

I'm so happy the weather is finally cooling off. I love fall, it's hands down my favorite time of the year. We've been taking advantage of the cooler weather and taking walks almost every evening with the boys. These walks got me thinking of all the things that I love and am looking forward to about fall.

Cooler Weather

Changing Leaves


College Football


Halloween


Thanksgiving


Pumpkin Patches


Pumpkin Spice Frappachinos from Starbucks


Pumpkin Pie flavored Hershey Kisses (so yummy!)


Bonfires

And new fall shows.

Coffee Break

On Sunday Greg and I decided that we were going to go out with the boys. We wanted to get out of the house and decided to go out for coffee. It's definitely not as easy to go out now that we have twins. We decided to go to Starbucks and thought we could sit outside, after we got the boys out of the car and into the stroller, Greg decided it was too hot to sit outside. So, we decided to go to Panera since their outdoor tables have umbrellas that provide shade. We didn't want to load the stroller back up, so I walked across the shopping center parking lot to Panera, taking the long way since I couldn't go up stairs with the stroller and I had to use the ramp. When we got there, we found out their patio was closed for some reason, so we decided we'd just go in and have coffee, but we thought the stroller was too big to try and get around tables, so we took both carseats out and went in and found a table. I sat with the boys while Greg took the stroller to the car and put it up. When he got back, he sat with the boys and I went up and ordered our frozen mochas and a cookie. They were out of the frozen mochas and had to make some more which took about 15 minutes. By the time we finally got our coffee, we only had about 10-15 minutes before the boys started stirring a little. We wanted to get home before they started fussing, so we finished out coffee on our drive home. It was quite a different experience going out for coffee with twins than it was when it was just the two of us. It wasn't bad at all, it was really nice to get out of the house and do something normal. It'll take us a little while to get things figured out, but pretty soon I think it'll be no big deal to hop in the car with the boys and go places.

Here's some pictures from our little outing.





Carter looks like he's crying here, but he wasn't. It's weird, sometimes he'll make a face like he's about to start crying or screaming and then he'll just go back to sleep.

Birth Announcements

It only took me a month. I promise I'll do a post soon that is more than just a picture or two.

Photo Shoot

Greg's friend and coworker, Kris, came by to take some pictures of the boys. We took off their clothes so we could get some cute, naked baby pictures but the boys did not like that one bit. We put them in diapers and tried to get some pictures, but they were still cold and weren't feeling it. Plus, Evan got hungry, so the shoot didn't last long at all. I was worried that we didn't get any good pictures, but Kris just e-mailed us these. I think they turned out great. I'm going to use these pictures for the birth announcement that we're sending out.

Family Time

Last night my dad and sister, Caroline, came up from Augusta to visit for Labor Day weekend. They came in and met the boys and spent some time with them before going to bed. This morning my dad cooked us all biscuits & gravy and eggs. Then him and Greg ran a couple of errands and worked in the yard for a little bit while me, my mom and Caroline hung out with Carter and Evan. Caroline is going to be a great aunt, she had so much fun holding them today--she was a natural. After Greg and my dad got done working in the yard, him and I left the boys with my family for about an hour and ran some errands. We had to go to Lowe's and the bank and then went to Dunkin' Donuts to get a coffee and sat and talked for awhile. Our little "mini-date" was nice and we have to take advantage of having family here while we can. When we got home, my dad started on dinner. He brought ribs with him that had been marinating since Thursday and he grilled those up for dinner. They were so delicious! They were seriously the best ribs I've ever had. The weather was so nice today, the high was 78! So, after dinner we decided to take the boys on their first walk. We've been wanted to do this sooner, but it's been so hot. Hopefully, the cooler weather is here to stay. I am so ready for fall. The boys did great on their walk, they slept the whole time.

Unfortunately my dad and sister have to go back to Georgia tomorrow. My mom is staying until Thursday. I have absolutely no idea how we would have been able to survive without her. She's been here since we got home from the hospital and she's been such a huge help. She does everything. Besides doing so much for the boys, she cleans, cooks, and makes sure Greg and I are well rested. We've been spoiled rotten these past couple of weeks. Greg's parents are coming on Wednesday night and they'll be out here for 2 weeks, so that'll be great. My mom has offered to come back out when his parents leave, but we're going to see how things are going.

Here's some pictures from today.

Evan and his Aunt Caroline



Carter in the swing for the first time. He's wearing a shirt from Aunt Caroline that says "Auntie Said I Could"



Not the best picture, but the four of us (even though you can't see Evan and Carter) before our first family walk

Lots of Firsts

Over the past two weeks, the boys have experienced lots of firsts. First car trip, first doctor's appointment, first shopping trip, first bath, etc.

The boys are great car riders. They've slept during every car ride we've made with them. Here's some pics on the day they came home from the hospital and had their first car ride.

The boys first doctor's appointment went very well, but the boys had not gained any weight since leaving the hospital, so we had to go back one week later for a weight check and the boys had gained weight and are now back on track. As of Tuesday, Carter weighed 6lbs 6oz and Evan weighed 6lbs 4oz.





Last Wednesday, when the boys were 1 week old, Greg and I decided it was time for their first shopping trip. We went to Target, Babies R Us and Walmart. Then since the boys were being so good the entire time, I ran them by my work to show them off to everybody. They were so good! My mom and I took them out this week to their weight check and to Target and they did just as good.



I was so excited to give the boys their first bath. I have a ton of baby soap, shampoo, lotions, hooded towels, etc. Evan did really well, he cried a little when we got him undressed, before he got in the warm water and when we got him out, before we got him dressed. Carter, on the other hand, hated his bath! He hates having his diaper or clothes changed, so we were prepared that he wouldn't like getting naked and taking a bath. Hopefully, he'll come around.

Carter hating his first bath. :(

Evan not minding his first bath.

Both boys all clean!


The boys also had their first play date last Thursday. There were 3 of us pregnant at the same time-Elena, Robyn and me. Elena had her baby girl at the beginning of June and Robyn actually gave birth on the same day as I did to her baby girl, Aubrey. It was neat being in the hospital at the same time and that our babies all have the same birthday. Aubrey, Robyn, and Robyn's mom came by to bring us some delicious food from an amish run grocery store called Yoders. It was so much fun to compare stories and swap the babies around. Aubrey is super cute and I'm looking forward to many more play dates. We're hoping to have a playdate with Elena's baby girl, Kylie, soon.

Getting 3 one week olds to pose is not easy.



I thought this was such a cute idea for a picture.