Summertime

Well, praise the Lord, summertime has finally hit the Chicago area.  And with it, the pace of life I adore.  The pools officially opened last Saturday, and we have gone three times already.  Walks after dinner to the ice cream shop=once.  Playing outside in the backyard with sand/hose/water toys=23 times.  Sand in the dryer=5 times.  Cozy thunderstorms=3.  Broken hose=one.  Broken hose sprayer=two.  Going potty in the yard ("Can I go 'in emergency' Mom??")=nine times.  He has a special corner way in the back, by the fence.  Just like a dog.    

Charlotte and the red swing are BFF's.  She will sit in it for an hour, and Sam will push her for me while I read a book on the back deck, lemonade in hand.  Just kidding.

This position is known in our family as "the shield."  She sucks on her first two fingers and "shields" it or "guards" with her arm.  Hilarious.  It's like she doesn't want anyone to see.

Love from Big Brother.  And a nice push.  Thanks Buddy.

Spiderman.  We've moved our undying love from Superman already.

And the sandbox.  I have a love/hate relationship with it.

So does Charlotte.

"Wait, what did he just put down my back?!"

"Mmmm, that looks yummy."

Busy, fun days ahead.  I have a hard time taking pictures, it is impossible at the pool unless there are two other adults with me.  :)  Thanks to Sophie for taking these while babysitting one day!

Three Little Fishies

In case you have no plans for this evening, and actually wanted to sit through a 3 year old Pre School End-of-Year concert, join us to see Sam recite ditties like this:

It's just a taste, you know you want more.

My Favorite Things from Trader Joe's

I had posted this back in August of 2007 and it is the second highest hit on my blog.  Second only to my often Googled, mostly disappointing "Day in the Life of a Bond Trader" account from long ago.

Time to throw it out there again, some things have disappeared so I removed them, and added a bunch of new stuff.

I'll also preface this by saying this is NOT an exhaustive list. Feel free to add your own comments and tell me what you have found to be delicious from this wonderful grocery store. I'm always happy when it's a Trader Joe's week and I get to go buy food, treats and wine from this wonderful place.

From the Frozen Section

Pasta Arrabiata: penne pasta with a delicious tomato, basil and garlic sauce. Very good surprisingly, a little bit of a kick to it.

Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce: easy, tasty, elegant.

Chicken Fajitas: Pretty darn good for frozen fajitas, Scott couldn't tell the difference.

Multi grain or Blueberry Waffles: like Eggos only healthier, yummier and way cheaper.

French Toast: probably our household's favorite breakfast item.  6 to a box, you heat them in the toaster and they taste like homemade.  Multi grain bread and low fat grams make it a nice choice nutritionally, and an easy baby food for little ones still getting their teeth.  Charlotte will pound this.

Trader Joe's Ice Cream: My absolute favorite ice cream.  I believe they are still having Double Rainbow from San Francisco produce it.  Better then Hagaan Daz, I think, and cheaper at $3.69 a quart. Chocolate and vanilla are our house favorites, and the new addition of chocolate caramel in the pint size...

Mini Beef Tacos: over by the appetizers, they are so yummy. I serve them with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and pineapple salsa for dipping. Five of them makes a meal.  The chicken are good as well, not quite as tasty though.

Southwest Chicken Quesadillas: my lunch item of choice after the kids go down for naps.  The chicken can be a little squishy, I end up picking it out and devoring the rest of it.  REALLY good, a little spicy.

Ice Cream Bon Bons: The cookie/cake layer is utter decadence and the dark chocolate drizzled over top is of great quality. The chocolate ice cream ones are my favorite, and are not even that bad for you at 4 grams of fat per bon bon. And no, I don't just sit around all day eating bon bons. I just like to say it: bon bon. Bon bon bon bon.

Mini Pizza Frommaggios: four to a package, nice little snacks that are very saucy and not TOO bad for you.

Haricot Verts: These are the skinny, french version of green beans. In the middle of winter when fresh green beans are looking suspect, a package of these tastes mighty good: steamed for just a few minutes, drizzled in butter, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Already Cooked, Salted Edamame: look for the yellow bag with blue in the label, there's a red one that it isn't cooked yet.  Throw some in a bowl with water, microwave for 1 minute, and you have an easy healthy protein.  Sam eats them by the bowlful.

Key Lime Cheesecake: SO good. Tastes almost homemade, great lime flavor, and a good company dessert if you don't feel like baking.

Asparagus Risotto: Great to have on hand for an easy meal that you want ready in 3 seconds.  My babysitters love this stuff, Scott will eat the entire bag.  The mushroom risotto is also good, but we prefer this one.

Macaroni and Cheese: the best I've ever had, competes even with a restaurant.  Four different (real!) cheeses, the only unfortunate thing is that one tray is two servings.  Wish I'd realized that after eating an entire one my first time.

Pie Crust/Puff Pastry: both are excellent, and use real butter.  I cannot tell the difference between Dufour's and Trader Joe's puff pastry.  Except one costs $13 for two sheets and the other is $4.99

Mini croissants/chocolate croissants: Oh happy day when these hit the shelves for the first time!  Keep the mini croissants on hand for an easy impressive lunch, add a good chicken salad and some sparkling lemonade and your friends will never know what hit them.  Made by the same San Francisco pastry chef as the ones in the Williams-Sonoma catalogue.  You will not believe how much money you save by buying them here.  Enough for an outfit at Old Navy.

Tempura Chicken: on par with P.F. Chang's honey crispy chicken.  A favorite meal in our house, can be served with rice, or on top of an oriental salad with cashews.  Don't look at the serving size on the bag, it'll depress you.  Just enjoy it, once in a while.

Marinated Mahi Mahi fillets: they marinate themselves in lime, garlic and red pepper flakes as they defrost in your fridge, really good grilled or sauteed in a hot fry pan.

Tator Tots: I have issues with these.  That is all I will say about that.


In the Pantry Section
Pineapple Salsa: If I had to pick ONE thing to take with me from T.J.'s, it would be this. Sweet, not really that spicy. Excellent with El Milagro chips as an easy appetizer or very good to use as a marinade for chicken breasts. Marinate breasts in a ziplock bag with a jar of this overnight, then bake or grill and top with provolone or swiss cheese. I have literally four jars of it at the moment.  The red and verde salsa's are also really good.


Corn and Chili Tomato-less Salsa: a nice kick without being too spicy, great addition to simple cheese quesadillas or tacos.

General Tsao's Sauce: a sweet steak sauce that you want to drink with a straw. Delicious over a rib eye steak that they were sampling one day.

Almond Dark Chocolate Lace Cookies: Pretty self explanatory.

Lemonade and Iced Tea Drink: Over in the juice section, it's basically a pre-mixed Arnold Palmer.

Dixie Peach Juice: Awesome on its own over ice, or mix it with seltzer or ginger ale for an easy, non-alcoholic aperitif.  Or with champagne for a bellini!

Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper Chips: So good. Spicy and savory and addictive.  Ditto for the Hawaiian BBQ ones.

Pizza Sauce: My favorite store-bought sauce. Great to have on hand to dip deep dish crusts in, Lean Pockets, or bread sticks.

Honey Sesame Cashews: Mmmmm.

Pecan Pralines and Caramelized Nut Trio: People, I am not doing you any favors by recommending these two items.  They are my Achilles heel.  I am staring at the boxes right now, trying not to tear into them.  The nut trio is the perfect blend of salty-sweet, using almonds, cashews and walnuts.

Dark Chocolate Covered Pistachio Nuts: These went awfully fast when I brought them to a picnic downtown Chicago. There's a thin toffee layer between the chocolate and the nut.

Valrhona Chocolate Bars: my favorite chocolate bar for baking.  3.5 ounces, $1 less here then elsewhere.

Organic Lollipops: my "emergency" treat in the diaper bag.  The pink ones taste exactly like watermelon jolly ranchers, only made with real fruit juice and no artificial colors, yada yada yada.  You can score yourself a free one by telling the cashier where "the purple monkey" is.  They hide him in a different spot every day.  Great attention grabbing task for a squirrely toddler!

Organic Chicken Broth: awesome as a base for soups, or, even better, a base for your own homemade stock!  I'll use four of these and three quarts of water when I make stock.

Creamy Corn and Roasted Pepper Soup: I keep one of these in the pantry for an easy dinner.  I'll throw in half a jar of the pineapple salsa, a couple handfuls of frozen corn and top it with crunched up tortilla chips, bread baguette on the side.  Dinner is served.

Organic Joe's O's Pasta: Basically spaghetti o's, only organic and made with sea salt and actual cheddar cheese.  Another good baby/kid food.

Daelmans Delicious Caramel Bites: basically a mini stoop waffle, and they are made in Holland so they are legit.  Truly, truly delicious, usually located above the ice cream.

Villa Italia Blood Orange Soda: this elegant glass bottle is a great addition to a baby meal, or company coming over dinner.  Not too sweet, super yummy, made in Italy.

Organic Ketchup: sweet, tangy, no high fructose corn syrup, awesome with the tator tots.  Yes, I do have a tot problem.



In the Refrigerated Section
Matt's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies: Expensive at $3.99 for a dozen cookies in dough form, but unbelievably good. You take them home and keep them refrigerated or frozen and then just bake them when you're ready for them. I always have this in the freezer for a quick company dessert with vanilla ice cream. Underbake them though, I think 11 minutes is perfect.


Trader Joe's Yogurt: Pretty darn good, very close to the Stoneyfield Farm brand in taste and texture and much cheaper. The chocolate underground flavor is my favorite.

Trader Joe's Yogurt Sticks: For sure made by Stoneyfield Farm, exactly the same ones you spend $4+ at Whole Foods.  Only these are $2.69.  We freeze them and eat them like popsicles.


Trader Joe's Orange Juice: I can't tell the difference between this and Tropicana, except for the $2 price difference.


Bagged Pizza Dough: Over by the refrigerated pre-made pizzas, this dough is fantastic. A little sticky to work with, but indistinguishable from homemade dough, in my opinion. Favorite toppings: mozzarella, Trader Joe's pizza sauce and basil; olive oil, red onion, pears, and feta; mozzarella, sauce and pineapple. The garlic and herb dough is also tasty.


Pear Champagne Vinaigrette Salad dressing: One of our favorite store-bought dressings. Great with romaine, pears (obviously), blue cheese, red onion, and dried cherries.

Bruschetta: Another thing on my "must have" list for entertaining. Be careful not to grab the fresh salsa when in search of the bruschetta, they look very similar. One of my favorite ways to serve this is to make a bruschetta station: homemade Parmesan garlic toasts, a dish of the bruschetta, a pile of basil leaves and a pile of shaved or grated Parmesan. That way, the bread doesn't get soggy from sitting under the tomatoes and everyone can make their own.

McAdam's Cheddar Cheese: A wonderfully cheap and smooth white cheddar.

White Stilton with apricots: sweet, can be served with crackers as an easy dessert.

Bagged green beans or haricot verts: so good, easy because you can microwave them in the bag, and already trimmed!


In the Wine Section
Bear's Lair Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot: All of these are easy to drink with a nice finish, $5 and delicious. The Chardonnay is great with crackers and the McAdam's Cheddar.

Laurent Reverdy Sancerre: I hadn't explored Sancerre's very much before trying this wine.  People, this is a GREAT white wine.  Nice with seafood, not sweet but really drinkable and complex all at the same time.  Try a bottle, I bet you won't regret it.

Honey Moon Viognier: Smooth, on the sweeter side, good really cold.  Gulpable.  Not sure that's a good thing.

Dr. Beckermann's Auslese: In a blue bottle, this sweet Riesling is another refreshing summer wine, $5 for a bottle.


And that folks, is my current list. What did I miss?  I'd love to hear what your favorite things are, we are always looking for quick and easy weeknight meals at our house!

Sam Turns 4

Thinking of my little guy right now, asleep in his cozy bed, exhausted from a long day of cartoon watching/hot donut eating/French Market wandering/Lucky Strikes bowling/Yorktown train riding/Treehouse playing/Chipotle eating/and Magna Tile building.

It was pretty much the perfect day, top presents included a new plastic baseball bat and ball, a cheap gumball machine and a $6 Toy Story 3 wallet that he can keep his money in.  Please tell me it will always stay this simple.

He is obsessed with gum right now, a newly acquired treat.  I figured his very own pack of gum would be the best thing I could add to his birthday breakfast tray.  I was right.

Sleep well my oldest child.  And may you always carry with you your four year old zest for life, your enthusiasm for all things involving balls (sports balls, ahem), and your snappy sense of fashion.  I had no idea how much my life would change for the better the day you arrived, four years ago.

Pictures in the Park

I've been sitting on these for almost a month and had forgotten about them.  The kids and I headed to Adam's Park one morning in order to try and recreate Sam's picture amongst the crocus's from three years ago.

Here's what I ended up with:

Easter Pics

Well, it only took me three weeks to get these up.  Taking any pictures of us as a family was an absolute first this year, usually we are out the door at the crack of dawn to get to Moody.  This year was different.

Slower, quieter.  Scott skated through in cloud of fluffy pain meds.  I enjoyed dressing the kids up despite having nowhere to go but to see family at both grandparent's houses, eating copious amounts of carb based foods.

This was the first time Charlotte has worn a dress in five months.  The way I figure, it just trips her up when she crawls, so why bother?  It rode up her hips the entire day anyways.

The only decent one of the two of them.  Out of 47.  That bow has seen better days.

And the only halfway decent one of Dad and kids.  Scott is giggling quietly to himself at the absurdity of it all.  And whimpering as Sam leans back on his newly surgery-ed hand.

All in all, it was a great day.  We watched church online from the comfort of our computer room, in our jammies, lattes in hand.  No rushing or stress.  No hassle trying to find parking Downtown.  It was sad to miss out on the fellowship and the amazing worship, but I enjoyed the calmness of it all.  Our time with both sides of the family was precious, LOVED seeing Sam and Charlotte with all their cousins' on Scott's side.  The annual egg hunt is hysterical.  15 kids, 10 eggs each, that's a lot of eggs.

Charlotte had Puffs in hers, I think she was a little disillusioned.

Anyways, I hope your May is off to a good start, err, halfway over!

Strawberry Muffins

Organic Strawberries for $1.99, today only at the Wheaton Whole Foods!  And they are gorgeous, so sweet!

Time to make these muffins again...

Succulent Strawberry Muffins

1/4 lb. softened unsalted butter

1 & 1/2 cups sugar, divided

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt, scant

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 tsp. good vanilla

18-20 medium to large strawberries, hulled and chopped

Cream butter and 1 & 1/4 cups sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla.  Blend well but do not overbeat.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.  Add alternately with cream to butter, starting and ending with flour mixture.  Fold in strawberries.

Fill 16 large muffin tins with papers.  Fill them almost full with batter, then sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup sugar over top.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 25-30 min, or until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on rack.

Should I be concerned?

Sam's current favorite toy is his piggy bank.  I can hear him now, the "plink, plink, plink" as he counts his quarters and dimes, dropping them back in one by one.  Over and over again.

I think we could have another Ebeneezer Scrooge.

Independence

We've entered a new stage.  Charlotte has decided she is now old enough to feed herself with a spoon.

The results pained me deeply, as I struggle with a type A personality who likes to keep my environment clean and tidy at all times.

You can imagine what a trial I am to my children.

But it was time.  She has been showing signs of wanting more independence lately, and we needed to give it to her.

I'd say she was pretty proud of herself, wouldn't you?

Great Aunt Florence's Easter Orange Roll

Happy Almost Easter everyone!  Eating these orange rolls warm out of the oven on Easter morning has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember.

Basically it takes the idea of monkey bread and replaces brown sugar and cinnamon with white sugar and orange peel.  I use this homemade dough recipe for the bread, but you could easily just use a package of Rhodes unbaked dinner rolls.  My dough can be completely formed and finished the day before, you can wait 24 hours before you finally bake it, a nice plus for a busy morning.

4 & 1/2 cups flour (you may need closer to 5 cups)
4 tsp. active yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk, warmed to about 125 degrees F
6 TB. butter, room temp
3 large eggs, room temp
Pam for greasing the bundt pan

1 cup white sugar, in a small bowl
1 stick butter, melted, in another small bowl
the zest from a large orange

In a heavy duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 2 cups flour, the yeast, the 1/3 cup sugar and salt.  Add the hot milk and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.  Add the butter, eggs, and 1/4 cup of the flour; beat for 1 minute.  Switch to a dough hook.  Beat in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl's sides.  Knead on low speed until soft, smooth, and springy, about 5 minutes.

Scrap the dough away from the sides of the mixing bowl, cover with a dish towel and allow to rise at room temp until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

Melt the butter in the bowl.  Add the orange zest to the sugar and mix well, until thoroughly combined and the sugar smells deliciously orange-y.  Spray a bundt pan well with Pam or grease well with butter.

Tear off walnut sized pieces of dough, roll it into a ball and roll it quickly through the butter, then the orange sugar.  Layer the round pieces evenly throughout the pan until you run out of dough.  Cover really well with plastic wrap and allow it to finish rising in the fridge, up to 24 hours.  Or, if you want it the same day, let it finish rising at room temp for another hour or two, until doubled yet again in size.

Pull it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking and allow the dough to come to room temperature.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for about 25-30 min.  Keep a close eye on it and cover with tin foil if it browns too fast.

Loosen the rolls from the mold when done and flip gently onto a plate, rounded side up.  Serve with butter or the good old Betty Crocker orange frosting.  (1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 3 TB. softened butter, 2 TB. fresh orange juice, 1 TB. orange zest, a splash of vanilla and a pinch of salt-- cream together until smooth)

Amy from our Bible Study gives them two thumbs up!

Good Friday Indeed

It has been quite the week.  

It began with an unexpected tooth pulling for Scott and a couple stitches in his mouth on Monday.  It continued with him being fouled at his men's soccer game on Tuesday, falling hard and bracing himself with his thumb and hand.  

It broke, in three spots.  He had surgery this morning and is upstairs at this moment, valiantly attempting to avoid throwing up his copious amounts of pain meds as his hand swells to three times its size.

On a minor note, Wednesday, Charlotte decided to pick up a case of double pink eye, and Thursday I hosted Bible Study here at the house.  Our leader Cris, had the amazing idea of attempting to recreate the last Thursday night of Jesus's life for the group.

We tried to pull together a rough tray of some of the food they were eating...

We read passages from John's gospel, about what happened around the table as they talked and then how Jesus washed their feet, as the ultimate example of humble, loving service.  

The Lord knew I needed that reminder heading into this experience with Scott.  I've been doing a Lent reading for the past 40 days from the Bible App on my phone.  It was no mistake that Philippians 2:5-11 popped up four days in a row.  It took only the FOUR full days for me to realize God was trying to tell me something:

"You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.  Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.  Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.  When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross..."

And today, Good Friday, my slow brain finally realized that THIS was what I was supposed to be doing this weekend, taking care of  my best friend, my partner, my husband.  Not running around to all the fun events we had planned tomorrow and Sunday, not playing piano in the services, not spending time cooking food.  This was my opportunity to show love to him by humbly attempting to do what Jesus did as an example to me.

Moody Church's Good Friday service is going on as I type this, a beautiful time of solemn remembrance on so many levels.  I wish you a meaningful Easter weekend, that in the midst of the egg hunts and the brunches and the chocolate bunnies, that we feel the awe, the remorse, the JOY on Sunday and the anticipation of what lies ahead of us!

The Chicago French Market!

So I was crazy enough yesterday to pack the kids into two separate strollers, transfer all their kid-crap into a backpack that felt like it weighed 40 lbs, (why is their stuff so heavy?!  I swear, the diaper bag weighs more then Charlotte and I don't know why) and jump on the 9:54 am train to Chicago in search of the supposedly fantastic indoor french market.

Thank goodness for Grandma.  My mom had the foresight to pull a brand-spanking-new Superman Comic book out of her purse for Sam to read five times in a row (out loud) on the train in.  He was enthralled.

Charlotte charmed everyone around us with continual "Hi's!" that sounded like a tiny kitten mewing over and over again.  She loved sitting like a big girl in the seat next to me, spilling crumbs from some contraband cheese-it's all over the chair, anything to keep her happy.

We pulled into Ogilvie train station and walked immediately down the steps that are out by the train tracks.  The Chicago French Market entrance is right off that main lobby there, along with the welcome addition of a great Lavazza coffee cafe.

There are about 30 vendors, each and every one legitimate in what they do.  An awesome artisanal cheese maker, several bakeries and patisseries, four large local produce stands with great looking fruits and veggies, a fishmonger with the biggest shrimp I'd ever seen, octopus and smelt, and best of all, the smell of freshly cut Belgian "chips" being fried to order.

They had something like 15 different dipping sauces for the fries.  Awesome.

Highlights included the fantastic sandwich made by Fumare Meats (their hot daily special, something like turkey, pastrami, provolone, dijon mustard and mayo on a challah bun, grilled until oozing and amazing); the eclair from Delightful Pastries; the rainbow of French macarons at Vanille Patisserie; the peanut butter chocolate chip bar, filled with raspberry jam; the croissants, also at Vanille; and the fries.

All in all, it was perfect.  We arrived at about 11am, and had time to wander through the nearly empty market and buy our lunch before the noon crowd rolled in.  Suddenly there were lines everywhere, people waiting for sandwiches and pasta/crepes/japanese noodles/juice made to order, with no tables or places to sit to be found.  I was glad that they were doing well, and SO jealous that this market didn't exist when we lived directly across the street on Canal, years ago.

My advice to you?  Go!  And as soon as possible.  Look for the free 30 minute parking on Canal Street, or take the train into Ogilvie.  Get there well before noon.  Keep your three year olds locked in their strollers, inhibiting the grabbing of pastries and knocking down of flower displays.  Definitely wait the four minutes for a "grande" order of Belgian fries.  Look for Fumare Meats and buy the hot sandwich of the day.  Before you leave, order a caramel latte from Lavazza coffee to enjoy on the train ride home.

And, finally, DON'T, under ANY circumstances, forget to grab your precious bag full of french macarons and a peanut butter raspberry jam chocolate chip bar and chocolate croissants and leftover sandwich, leaving it under your seat on the train.

The engine pulled away and I stared after it dejectedly, as my three year old cried and wanted to know where his "me-coons" were.

I hope somebody at least got to enjoy them.

I Believe I Can Fly

So Sam has discovered Superman.  It happened in Florida, when I came across these jammies at Target.  Lucky for him, I'd forgotten to pack any summer jammies.  I spied the cape and thought he'd enjoy it.

Little did I know how these jammies would change his life.  All of our lives, really.

It was love at first sight.

The boy didn't even know what the "S" stood for, but yet his eyes gleamed with an unearthly glow.  He immediately wanted to know who Superman was, what his powers were, and if this cape would, in fact, allow him to fly.

I'll let you see for yourself...

"Whatcha doing?"

"I twying to FWWYYY!"

The rest of the trip, we searched You Tube for clips from the original movie, music from John William's amazing theme song, and racked our brains to remember the plot for the hilariously cheesy Superman II movie.

He's obsessed.  And I love it.  I love how committed he is to becoming Superman, so much so that he wipes out after jumping up high to fly.

There is little left in my adult life that I still feel this way about, but I think the ability is still there.  Hopefully enough of a seed so that I can join him in that magical place, Pretend.  To be whoever we want to be, to fight evil with our special powers, to play.

And when Charlotte is older, she can come too.  Maybe she can be She-Ra.

Hmmmm.

I posted this little gem of a picture already on Facebook, but it so well classifies how I feel about all this rebranding that I needed to show it here as well.  Sam and I enjoyed a little coffee date down in Naples one morning, it also happened to be the day of Starbucks big 40th anniversary roll out.

My kid learned to read his letters off their logo.  I think he could pick out the word "coffee" from just about anywhere.  Oh well.

I guess Charlotte developed a taste for caramel macchaiatos' down in Florida as well.  She kept reaching for my cup so finally I gave the remnants to her once, curious to see what she'd do.  

She sucked it down, licking feverishly after the stray drops.  What have I done?

Charlotte turns one!

So, shame on me for just now getting around to this, but our sweet baby had a birthday.  Way back on February 19th.  I was feeling overwhelmed from two trips we had scheduled, sandwiched around the big day, so we just did a small dinner on the actual day.

After much angst, I decided to attempt Smitten Kitchen's Famous Monkey banana cake.  It came out fairly well, and thankfully tasted better then it looked.  I'd highly recommend the recipe.

Also on the menu, Ina Garten's Chicken Stew with biscuits, Nordstrom's pear salad with champagne vinaigrette, homeade lemonade and Ina's Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookie icebox cake.  Because one cake wasn't enough.

The birthday girl got her own little monkey cake, she beamed while we all sang and clapped.

I wasn't anticipating her reaction.  Sam wouldn't even touch HIS first cake, and had a look of intense disgust on his face in every photo.  Charlotte, on the other hand, is a true woman and wouldn't stop eating after the first taste of chocolate frosting.  I didn't even get a chance to put a bib on her.

"I'm sorry, did you say that I had something on my face?"

The cupcake is gone.  She inhaled it.  Annihilated it.  That's my girl.

This first year has been such a delight.  Happy hearted, a frequent giggler and completely enamoured with her big brother, Charlotte was a welcome addition to our little family, one year ago.  We love you sweetheart!

Vacation

So we are just getting back into town from an embarrassingly long and sweetly wonderful two weeks in Florida.  We drove down, 20 hours straight, there and back, and stayed with my grandparents in their three bedroom condo, located in Naples.

Living together for 14 days, watching my children interact with their great grandparents on such an intimate, constant level, was precious.  I honestly miss the daily contact, knowing they will be waiting for us, sitting on the couches reading their newspapers, when we get in from the day.  Charlotte would kick her legs excitedly when we neared the front door, anticipating the smiles and hugs.  Upon coming home to an unusually empty condo one afternoon, Sam looked around and disappointedly said, "Where are all my friends?"

I took close to 300 pictures, attempting to capture these memories on film, in hopes that my children will remember too.  Pictures and videos to come.

In the meantime, it is good to be home.  My own bed felt great, I slept like a dead person when we finally collapsed at 2 am after driving for 20 hours, early Sunday morning.  And the birds are back.  And the chives are starting to come in.  And Sam and I found evidence of the first crocus's peeking their green buds through the cold soil on our walk this morning, looking around excitedly for signs of spring.  It was 32 degrees and we both needed gloves, but She's coming.

And here, Sam enjoys a brisk first round of the season.