Birthday Week!

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday dear Gabi, Happy 30th Birthday to ME!

As I enter into a new decade in my life, I can't help but reflect on the last one. A lot of great things happened in my 20's. I graduated from college, I met and married my best friend, I swam with whales and sea lions, I bought my first house, I had two amazing kiddos... the list goes on and on. But, regardless of how much I enjoyed the 20's, the 30's are here to stay (for a while, anyway!) So, I'm just gonna be excited about it - woo hoo - I'm 30!

Brian went out of his way to make this birthday a special one. I'm a HUGE fan of birthdays, which always made me feel a little silly, until I met Melissa. She introduced me to the concept of BIRTHDAY WEEK (which I think I always secretly tried to weasel out of my loved ones, though I never verbalized it). Thank you, Melissa, for validating my love of all things birthday. And thank you, Brian, for indulging me. You will be rewarded - your big day (week) is just around the corner!

So, what does birthday week look like, you ask? Well, the week started out with Brian being off with us on a Monday (it was the last day of the vacation time he took) so we had pictures taken of Gracie and went out to lunch. It was just a special treat to have him home with us an extra day. Brian also made the meal plan and grocery list for the week and we went shopping together (much nicer than going alone with the two kids). He cooked dinner that night and cleaned the kitchen. In fact, he released me from kitchen duty for the rest of the week... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

On Tuesday, after dinner, Brian loaded us up in the van and drove us to Freddy's where we shared the world's most perfect food: The Brownie Sundae! I don't know what was more fun, eating the Sundae, or watching Ben eat the Sundae. He matched us bite for bite and when it was all gone asked, "Can we get some more ice cream?" The child is a bottomless pit. Anyway, yay for brownie sundaes (without nuts - not an easy find). HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

On Wednesday, Brian took my van to get washed. This was a delightful surprise that I wouldn't have thought to ask for - but I was very grateful! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

On Thursday, I had to work most of the day. However, the wonderful women that I work with took me out for... wait for it... a brownie sundae after lunch! It was fun to sneak away from the office for a little bit! Thursday night was our turn in the rotation for date night (we trade off with our neighbors every other week) so Brian took me out on the town. First, we went to the Container Store, which is my own little piece of heaven here on Earth. I have just about had it with my tiny little pantry, so I wanted to look into an Elfa build (we've already done our closet, Ben's closet, the utility room, and the garage). I LOVE Elfa - but I have to say they failed me this time around. Essentially I would have to spend about $250 to get one more shelf than I already have. I was hoping to be able to do drawers or baskets or something, but the door opening is too small. Oh well, it was nice to say hello to all the containers. Then we went to Babies R Us to pick up a new bottle for Grace in the hopes that she will use it and stop screaming at Brian all day when I'm at work. (Isn't it weird how, once you become a parent, running errands WITHOUT the kids becomes a fun date night activity?) Our last stop was Cheesecake Factory. Yummy, yummy! That's all I have to say about that! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

That brings us to Friday - the big day! Grace decided she wanted to be the first to wish me happy birthday, so she woke up starving at 5am. (She does this once every 3 or 4 days now - the rest of the time she sleeps until 7:30 or 8). I went back to sleep after I fed her and slept in until 8:30. (Brian got up with Ben for me - thanks, Babe!). After I fed Grace again, the boys brought me a card and a present (a fun stamp with our address on it - look for it on our Christmas cards!). Then, we loaded up in the car and Brian took us to a little bakery called "Cupcake Couture" for a birthday cupcake. Once again, I think Ben had more fun than anybody. He picked out his own little mini cupcake from the platter, wolfed it down, and then tried to talk us out of our cupcakes. "But I'm sooooo hungry!" he says. I wasn't buying it. At noon, Missy came by to take me out to lunch (which I knew about) and a pedicure (which I did not know about). Thanks, Miss, you're such a blessing and an amazing friend! Aubrey, you will be thrilled to know that my toes would now pass inspection ;). When I got home from our girls outing, it was time for naps, so I enjoyed the quiet house for a little while. When Brian got up, he informed me that I needed to be ready to go at 5:20. What?! We're going out again? I thought last night was my birthday dinner. Nope - he had a baby-sitter all lined up and off we went. Once we were in the car, he said that I can never decide whether I want Cheesecake Factory or Pappadeaux's for my birthday, so because I'm turning 30 I get both! What a great husband! And the icing on the (birthday) cake was that he invited some of our friends to join us. We had a great dinner with Aaron & Liz, Caleb & Abby, and Seth & Melissa (my birthday week partner in crime). The food was great (did you know they have REAL whipped butter - hee hee), and we laughed a lot. It was the perfect end to a great week. If the rest of my 30's are half as great as this week was, I'll be a very blessed woman! Anyway - here we are dinner - thanks, guys, for sharing my special day with me!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Update on Grace

Our sweet Gracie Belle is growing and is a new baby almost every day! When she was born, she was 6 lbs, 11oz. At her 1 month visit she was 7 lbs, 15 oz, and most recently, at her 2 month visit, she was 9 lbs, 7 oz. She's not growing quite as fast as Ben did - he started out at 6lbs, 1 oz and was 11 lbs, 4 oz at 2 months - but I guess that's just because she's going to be a dainty girl! We weigh her at home on our scale (not sure how accurate that is) and we were excited last week when she finally made it over 10 pounds! She'll be 12 weeks this Friday... it makes me laugh to think that some of my friends brought home newborns that are the same size that she is now.



It's hard to say whether or not Grace is an easy or hard baby. She's a homebody. She definitely does not prefer to be out and about. This makes things like church, grocery shopping, and going out to dinner a little challenging. On the other hand, she is a great sleeper. If we're home, she's very predictable. Wakes up at 7am, eats, plays, naps. Repeat 5 more times. She started sleeping through the night (10pm - 7am) consistently between 7 and 8 weeks. For this, I am eternally grateful!


One thing that she has really enjoyed is meeting new friends. She's normally not very happy laying on the floor (though that is changing a bit just this week), but if she has a little buddy with her, it's an entirely different story. In the first picture, she's practicing her dance moves with her bestie, Lyla. I loved to dance, and Lyla's Mommy is a dance team coach, so we think these girls are going to be getting their grooves on before we know it!







This is Grace's other best good friend (and potential husband), Grant. Grant's mommy is Melissa, and Melissa and I have synchronized uteruses. (Is that too much information... sorry). Anyway, Grant's big sister Emily is two days older than Ben, and Grace is 3 weeks older than Grant. So, we are perfectly matched up for play dates. Emily & Ben have been great friends for the past 18 months, and it looks like Grant and Grace are off to a pretty good start!





Lots of people have asked about how Ben has handled having a new sibling in the house, and I have to say that I couldn't be more proud of him. He obviously gets much less attention, and often has to wait to have his needs met, but for the most part, he has been very patient. I notice him getting restless and antsy sometimes because we haven't done as many outings since Grace has arrived, but I've never seen him take any of it out on his little sister. He brings me diapers and burp cloths and is very concerned about doing things himself (like going to the potty, getting water, picking out clothes.) Brian even taught him how to sort laundry! (Can you hear the Hallelujah chorus?!) Here are a couple pictures of Ben loving on his sister and playing with her on the floor:

Grace reserves lots of smiles for Ben, and she follows him around the room when she hears his voice... makes nursing her a bit challenging when she's so concerned with what her Bubba is doing.

OK, sorry for the super long post. I'm almost done, I promise! Just this week, Grace has started "talking". All you have to do is prop her up and start talking to her, and she really gets going. She oohs and aahs, and makes this crazy little squealing noise. It's pretty cute. She LOVES talking to Brian... when he holds her and makes faces at her, she will go on forever! I managed to get her new noises on video this morning - enjoy!

Translation, please

I am bilingual. I know English, and I know "Ben". One of my favorite things about raising kids is being privy to their little world and understanding things that "outsiders" don't. When Ben was learning to talk, he had tons of words, most of which were indistinguishable to anyone who didn't spend every day with him. If he said "bye" in a high pitched voice, he meant "bye". If he said it in a low, growling tone, he meant "bite". "Dugga-dugga-dugga" translated to the word "stuck", and "NNNNN-na" was what he called his best friend Tanner.

Over time, Ben's words have gotten much clearer, and from what his teachers at school and church tell me, he is incredibly verbal. The need for translation doesn't have as much to do with unrecognizable words as it does his phrasing. Here are some examples:

Simon Peter (Peter Pan)
Missa Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
Mountain Goat Store (Bass Pro Shop)
Cereal with the mushrooms in it (Lucky Charms)
Vitamin Gummy (Flintstone vitamin)
Prize Gummy (He means surprise gummy, which is what he calls starburst, skittles, etc - instrumental in potty training!)
Yum Yum (M&M - another potty training neccessity)
Juicy water (Juice cut with water)
Water water (Water without the juice in it)
Body (his bottom)
I'm gonna go in my foots (I'm going barefoot)
I'msorryIdidn'tmeanto (Oops, I got caught, and hopefully apologizing right away will keep me from getting a Time Out)

You get the idea - can you imagine him asking a baby-sitter for "the cereal with the mushrooms in it". I wonder what he would end up with.

Ben also can't say his "L's". He acts "siwwy", he "woves" me, he likes "Sea Whoad", "Bible Cwass" and "Baby Wyla". I don't know why, but I think this is the cutest thing (for now... I guess it won't be so cute when he's 16 and goes to apply for his "dwivers wicense"). I'm sure he'll get those "L's" under control by then! In the meantime, the funny things he says all day are made even funnier by his creative phrases and pronunciation.

Bartholemew

We have a new resident at our house. His name is Bartholemew, and he is Ben's sort of evil twin. Your first guess might be that Ben made him up. Nope. He is Brian's creation... let me explain!

Whenever Ben gets out of the shower, he curls up in a ball on the floor and covers himself with one of our big towels. For those of you with toddlers, you know this is code for "I am no longer visible to the naked eye." So each night, Brian "looks" for Ben, calling his name, checking under the bed and behind doors, etc. Last night, Brian decided to spice it up. While Ben was hiding on the bathroom floor, Brian "found" him in our closet. This is what Ben overheard from under his towel:

"Hey Ben! What are you doing in our closet? I thought you were under the towel. What? That kid under the towel isn't Ben? Then who is he? Bartholemew?! Where did he come from? I have to get him out of here!"

At this point, Brian walked over to Ben under the towel and started talking to him as though he were the fictional Bartholemew. He explained that we didn't have any more room and that he could stay the night, but he would have to leave in the morning. Ben was so confused! He kept saying, "No, I'm Ben!" Then he ran out to find me. "Mommy, I'm Ben!" To which I said, "hey Barty - have you seen Ben?"

So, next time you come over, look closely. You may be talking to Ben, or you may have to hang out with that shifty little fella, Bartholemew. I've included some pictures to help you distinguish.

Ben:

Barty:

Cakes

I have a love/hate relationship with making cakes. My fascination started right before Ben turned 1. I really wanted to make his birthday cakes myself. Luckily, two of my neighbors were well-versed in cake decorating. I asked lots of questions, bought a little starter guide book that Wilton publishes, and set out to make the cakes for Ben's birthday.

The theme was "bugs", and I made a big sheet cake and a 6-inch round smash cake, both covered with bugs and primary colors. I remember my biggest challenge was getting the icing smooth. I picked up a couple tips from Liz and Destiny... put you can see that I still had a lot to learn!
My next project was for Ben's friend, Elise, who lives across the street. Her mom found this cupcake cake at Wal-mart and took a picture, and we just made it ourselves. I think it came out really cute!

Just a few months later, the Ivankovich twins were turning 1 and Missy wanted a survivor themed party - so I offered to make the cakes for her. I researched different ways of getting the pattern onto the cake (because I am definitely not talented enough to draw something like this freehand.) What I ended up doing was taking a piece of plexi glass out of a cheap picture frame from the dollar store. I made a batch of royal icing and traced the survivor emblem on the glass in reverse. Once it hardened, I use the glass as a "stamp" to put the picture on the cake. Then I just had to fill it in with the different colors. I made a smash cake for each of the boys. Aaron's cake was very similar to Josh's, but it was covered in stars....

Then came Ben's 2nd birthday, and he wanted a Pooh Bear party. I didn't like the current Pooh Bear pan that Wilton had in stores, so I found this vintage one on Ebay!

I remember this cake was a group effort - I was piping stars on one side of Pooh Bear while Mom was doing the other side. I wanted to give people the option of yellow or chocolate cake, so I turned these chocolate cupcakes into honey bees. I used the Wilton grass tip to make them look "fuzzy". The wings are fondant. I used a heart cookie cutter to cut them out and then let them sit out to harden overnight. The eyes are mini marshmallows cut in half, with a dot of icing on them. They were so cute and a big hit with the kiddos!

In August, we drove to Mississippi to visit the Krutz Family! It was going to be Abby's birthday while we were there, so I bought this pan on our way over there and made the cake as a gift! Abby was having a pancakes & pedicures party (which I think was the cutest thing ever) and she loved her butterfly cake! It was a very girly day! :)

I made this one just for fun... I wanted to see if I could use a cream cheese icing to pipe decorations the same way I used buttercream. I found a recipe for a "crusting cream cheese icing". It was yummy and worked just as well. I think I brought this one to a potluck with our church small group.
Here we are at Ben's 3rd birthday party. In January, I asked him what kind of cake he wanted for his party and he said he wanted a "Horton" cake. It just so happens that Wilton does not make a Horton pan, or any sort of elephant pan for that matter... So I had 6 months to stress about how to make a Horton cake. Brian said I should use the internets to gaggle it - hee hee - he's such a dork. I did, however, find instructions for this cake on a "coolest cakes" website. I made the ears a few days ahead of time - they are made from marshmallow fondant and wrapped around two pieces of cardboard. Looking back, I should have wrapped the fondant around sugar cookies instead. It would have been cool to say the entire cake was edible... oh well! The head was made from the Wilton mini-ball pan, and I carved the body, feet, and trunk out of a 9 x 13. My biggest frustration was the grey icing. I guess I didn't mix the color into the bowl evenly enough, because when I refilled the bag to finish piping the stars, the icing was lighter than the rest. Lesson learned.... This was the most recent cake I've made and my first attempt at 1) a tiered cake and 2) a cake covered entirely in fondant. Of course, I waited until the night before to tackle this one, so I was really stressed out. The fondant is actually marshmallow fondant - which is cheaper, easier, and yummier than the real stuff. It is still a pain to make, though, 'cause it's really sticky and it gives my kitchen aid mixer a work out. I initially wanted to make the flowers out of pink, blue, and khaki colored fondant, but I ran out of steam and patience at about 12:30 am . I decided to just do pink and decorate it with the leftover cream cheese icing that I used underneath... I just tinted it blue. I think the cake turned out precious, and it was a big hit at Lyndsey's baby shower.

So, why the love/hate relationship? Because while I enjoy getting creative and seeing the end result, I usually am ready to call Wal-mart and order a cake about half-way through! By the time I'm done, my kitchen is strewn end-to-end with sticky, icing covered dishes. There is also a lovely layer of powdered sugar coating every horizontal surface. Add a toddler and newborn into the mix, and I probably should just give it a rest! I guess I'm a glutton for punishment though, because if a birthday party or baby shower or some other cake-appropriate event comes up in conversation, I'm shouting, "I'll do it!" before I can stop myself. Besides, my cakes are soooo much yummier than the ones at Wal-mart! ;)

Next up: Mimi's 4th birthday complete with a Dora the Explorer cake!

Sleepover Night

Sleepover night has been re-instated, much to Ben's delight!

Let me explain. First of all, Brian and I are firm believers that kids should sleep in their own beds. Both Ben and Grace have been in their own beds, in their own rooms, since we've brought them home from the hospital (well, Grace had to sleep in our walk-in closet for a week or two 'cause her room doubles as the guest room - but you get the picture). To each his own, but the idea of the "Family Bed" is definitely not something we subscribe to! Consequently, both my kids are great sleepers and have no problems falling asleep in their own rooms.

Fast forward a couple years from Ben's birthday. One night when Brian was working I decided to snuggle up with Ben in our room to watch a movie, and he ended up sleeping in there with me. We definitely missed the targeted 8:30 bedtime, but we had tons of fun giggling, pillow-fighting, and cuddling. Sleepover nights were born! From then on, we held sleepover nights two or three times a month. Until.... Baby Grace. Sleepover nights don't really mesh well with 3 am feedings, so we had to put our special activity on a brief hiatus. I haven't thought about it in a while, but last night Ben asked, out of the blue, "Is it sleepover night?". Well, you know what buddy, it IS sleepover night! (Thanks to your little sister sleeping through the night.) It was great to have our little tradition back again. The best part - at about 5 in the morning, I woke up to Ben BELLY LAUGHING! I thought, oh no, it is way too early for him to be up... but when I glanced over at him, he was fast asleep. Apparently something in his dreams was cracking him up. I rolled over and went back to sleep with a huge smile on my face, grateful for my sweet little boy and sleepover nights!

Grace's Newborn Photos

Welcome to the World, Gracie Belle! We finally have our little girl here, and to document the occasion, our friend Drew came over to take some newborn pics of her. He is just starting a photography business and we are so blessed that he is willing to "practice" on us! You can check him out here.

Anyway, here she is at approximately 10 days old!

We also wanted to include Ben in the photo session, but he wasn't really feeling it.

 I think we finally got this smile by threatening his life, or bribing him with ice cream...

I can't remember which.

The shot we chose for her birth annoucnement

Thanks again, Drew!