Always me with you

A year ago today was the day I started this little blog. A whole year of memories. I'm so glad you could join me.

A year ago, as I was thinking of a title for this blog, I pulled a book off of Owen's shelf and looked through the pages. It was a souvenir we bought on January 26th 2010 while Paul and I were on a trip in Anchorage Alaska. We had been married for two and a half years and dreamed of having kids one day. On the inside flap we wrote a note to our kids we were dreaming of and signed it, Love, Mom and Dad. After looking through the pages I knew exactly what I wanted to title my blog. The first page reads, 

"We're a pair beyond compare, a rare and special two, in all the ways that I am me and you're completely you."

It is a sweet story of two bears. A little bear and a big bear. In the last pages it ends with, "My favorite me will always be...when I am me with you."

Paul and Owen, I'm so glad to have you. As the author writes on the dedication page, always me with you...

I'm excited for another year of memories!

Rocks, sticks and dirt

When we do something with Owen that we did when he was younger it shows me how much he has grown. Last weekend we were on a hike and Owen was enjoying the views from daddy's shoulders in the backpack. As I looked at him I noticed how far down his legs were dangling compared to the previous time he was in that backpack. He is getting so big! 

He had a grand time. It was his perfect playground, rocks, sticks and lots of dirt. He had brown snot for days afterwards. He enjoyed rock climbing in his jammies with mommy and looking at bugs, still in jammies, with daddy (to ease your worries, the caterpillar was not harmed). He has no fear of water, which ended in wet shoes several times. He loves to be outside. He had fun with his Grandma collecting sticks and trying to eat rocks. What is one of your favorite things to do on a weekend off?

15 months

Our boy at 15 months

-This month he has started communicating so much more, with words, other sounds and gestures. 

-His new words to add to his collection are: baby, Grandpa, Grandma, GG, all done, wa wa (water), nana (banana), nose, na na na (nurse) and woof (like a dog). He also repeats words people say a lot but I think he is just repeating the sounds and doesn't necessarily know what they mean. 

-He really likes noses lately. He will say nose and go around to each person and touch their nose. 

-If I had to guess his favorite animal it would either be a dog, cat or bird because he gets SO excited when he sees one. A cow would have to be in the running too because he moo's every time there is one in sight. We were in Chick-fil-a the other night and he saw the poster of a giant cow holding a sign and started mooing excitingly. 

-Some of his new favorite foods are: ginger snaps, any kind of bean (especially black beans and green beans) and, of course, candy...we will blame daddy for that. :)

-He is getting much more daring which results in more bumps and scratches from tumbles. He attempts to climb and stand on anything he can find. 

-As you can see from the pictures he does not like to stop for very long. He likes to run around and explore.

-The picture of his finger up by his mouth is what he does when he is excited about something. He points with his finger up by his mouth and makes excited noises. Its mostly when he sees a bird, dog or cat or any other animal.   

-One of my favorite things is when I am holding him and he wraps his arms all the way around me and clings on to my back. He gives the sweetest hugs. 
-There are so many moments I sit there and soak up and hope to never forget. We love our little boy! 

Chocolate cake with a hint of coffee

I spent my afternoon baking the most delicious chocolate cupcakes. I was trying to decide what dessert to bring to a get together tonight when I remembered a chocolate cake recipe I made last year. I found it on the Food Network website, which is one of my favorite places to find recipes. It is a rich fluffy chocolate cake with a light chocolate buttercream frosting with a hint of coffee. I love the color of the frosting. It is a nice fall dessert. I added chocolate covered coffee beans to the top for decoration and an extra kick. Owen stood on a chair near by and watched and I mixed and whipped things together. His favorite part was when he got to lick the chocolate off a spatula. Anything with two sticks of butter in it (just in the frosting) has to be good. I'll leave you with that. 

Betty's Chocolate Cake Recipe
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

Cake Batter Directions (Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans (I made 24 cupcakes instead). Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans.

Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes (about 20 for cupcakes), until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

6 ounces good semisweet chocolate 
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip. Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

Fall fashion: boys shoes

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Owen is going to be in need of some new shoes for fall and winter soon. He wore size 4 all summer and now they are all getting too small. There are so many cute boys shoes (maybe not as many as there are cute girls shoes, but they are out there). My favorites are probably #2 and #3. What is your vote on Owen's new shoes?

Cooped up and reading: books we love

We have been all cooped up lately. Owen was so sick for a whole week. These last couple of days I have been letting him rest and recover so his little body can get back to normal. We have spent a lot of time in the house, reading, sleeping, watching TV, and just sitting on the couch together. I am so grateful he is better now. I keep saying what a relief it is to feel his body and it not be hot with a fever. Paul was out of town this weekend and Owen and I had been in the house too much so we went on a mommy and baby date. We went downtown and looked around at some shops and then stopped at a coffee shop, he got a cup of whip cream and I got an iced decaf mocha. We had a wonderful day together but now we are ready for daddy to come home.

In honor of being cooped up and reading a lot of books I thought I would share some that we love. What is one of your favorite children's books?

-Kiss Good Night "And she bent way down, kissing Sam once and twice and then twice more."
-Welcome to the Zoo A picture book with no words. I love the illustrations and so does Owen.
-Toy Boat "A little boy had a toy boat. He made it from a can, a cork, a yellow pencil, and some white cloth."
-Bear Snores On "Ho, Mouse! says Hare. Long time, no see! So they pop white corn. And they brew black tea."
-The Loud Book "There are lots of louds: Spilling your marbles in the library loud."
-Little Bunny Follows His Nose A scratch and sniff book. "Hop, hop, hop, Little Bunny followed his nose across a big field to a clump of green trees."

Snapshots from texas

Here are some snapshots from our trip to Texas last weekend. We were there for Paul's younger brothers wedding. We had a great time being with family, seeing friends and of course eating some delicious Texas barbecue! This has been the summer of family weddings. Owen is happy to have two new Aunts, Cassia and Jessica! He has a lot of family that really love him, as you can see from these pictures.

We got home late Monday night and the next morning Owen woke up with a bad stomach flu. It was so sad seeing him sick and not being able to make him feel better. The next day Paul and I got it. I can say it was the worst sickness I think I have ever had. I even fainted at one point. Owen got over the stomach flu and the next day came down with a runny nose and high fever. We went to the doctor this morning and found out he has an infection and needs medicine to get better. I just took his temperature and for the first time in 3 days he didn't have a fever! I'm praying he will start feeling all better soon. 

I am so grateful for all of you that have been so loving and helpful while we were sick! We have gotten a care package, groceries, encouraging words, dinner, lots of prayers and really helpful advice. We seriously would have been in trouble by ourselves!