Baking...seriously!

So, I'm not much for baking. It's not that I don't enjoy the end result, it's just that I've never really done much of it (except for the occasional boxed brownie mix). Well, today I decided to BAKE!!! I'm trying to thwart J's efforts of fiting into his blues (that were fitted at the Academy) when he heads TDY next week. hee hee. I saw this recipe for Carrot Cheesecake in Better Homes & Gardens and it looked scrumptious. It did involve a boxed cake mix but there was more to it than that. Of course, it's still in the oven and I've already had a disaster of sorts. I went shopping at the dreaded Wal-Mart earlier today and when we got home I started immediately in on making the cake.

The first directions include mixing a carrot cake mix which I did, no problem (hey, I can follow directions). I poored it in my beautifully greased and floured springform pan and moved on to step #2. This involved softening 3 boxes of cream cheese...WHAT?!? Why do I only have 1 container of cream cheese??? Somewhere between grabbing them at the store, tossing them in the cart, and heading to the check-out they disappeared.

Of course I wanted to blame the cashier for not handing me all my bags but I looked on my receipt and I only paid for one cream cheese. So next, I think I'll blame the cracks in the cart at the back. But, in the back of my mind, I know the real culprit is a 2 1/2 foot, blond-haired, blue-eyed sneak that likes to toss stuff (usually my grocery list, her sippy cup, etc) out of the cart. Ahh, Sneaky-G strikes again!

So, I digress. The prepared cake mix, raw eggs and all, ended up sitting in the pan on the counter for 2 hours before I finished the rest and got it into the oven. J was at work for a couple of hours this afternoon (on a SATURDAY!) so he couldn't head to the store for me and M had just started her nap so I was tethered to the house. On top of everything she slept for an hour and a half which is typically unheard of in the afternoon. Hopefully we don't all die of salmonella poisoning (is that the one you get from raw eggs?). The worst part of this drama is that now, with cooling and refrigeration time, we'll have to stay up past midnight to get a taste of this possibly delicious, possibly deadly, dessert.

And, just a couple of minutes ago, J looks in the oven and says to me "Is it supposed to be this tall?" Well, I don't know but it does seem kind of odd that the cheesecake part is raised about 2 inches above the pan... hmmmm. Surely it'll deflate some. Right guys? Right...???

Anyway, I'll let you know how my bodacious baking efforts turn out!

New treats, new tricks

M is doing a few new things that I find just precious (new treats for me), but those same things also lead to some trouble (the tricks part). One thing she's started doing, is bringing me her shoes so we can go outside.

Now, I think this is awesome. I can almost see the little gears in her head amovin' and groovin' and it delights me to think that she is a genius. But, she thinks that because she has shoes in hand, we will be going out immediately. Don't get me wrong, I love to watch her play outside. Every little thing is a discovery but it's just not possible to go out on her every whim. It breaks my heart to tell her no but then she throws a mini-tantrum and I get over it. I roll my eyes (a habit I need to quell before she starts doing it) and think, "Ahh, a good time to teach her about all the unfair aspects of life."

I keep all her shoes in this little basket for easy access (originally for me). Maybe I need to start keeping them in her room. Out of sight, out of mind???

She has also started coloring. This is something I have dreamed of for a long time. Long before the G was even around. I could see myself coloring with my little girl, watching her scribble little lines, then fill in the pre-printed pictures, and finally create her own little drawings for me to hang on the fridge. But, this has also led to some G tricks. The second I turn my head she eats some of the crayon...OK, not some, usually a GIANT chunk. I realize that this is something all kids do but man, it gets stuck in those tiny little tic-tac sized teeth and I spend the next 5 minutes with a damp papertowel wiping her mouth out trying not to get bitten.

Ok, so I colored most of this but you can see her scribbly bits and if you look REALLY hard you can see a chunk missing out of the red crayon.

But, despite my overdramatizing all this, the treats that she shares are well worth the tricks and I'm amazed everyday that she can be more awesome than the previous 24 hours!

By the way, we first tried those little creature crayons for itty-bitty hands but they are definately more trouble than they're worth. We've moved on to the big chunky crayons and are both having a much better time.

Valentine's Day and Audubon Park

For Valentine's Day, M got a bag of goodies and here are a couple pics of a few of her favorite things...

New bubble machine!

V-day outfit, singing Hershey Kiss from Nana & G-pop



This pic is from a day J, M, and I spent in the park a week or so ago. We had a picnic and let The G run wild all afternoon. She slept like a rock! I just love all the giant live oak's around here. It's definately something I'll miss when we move to who knows where, who knows when.

More Mardi Gras

On the float
Kelly on the float

In the Quarter

These are pics from my parade Friday night. We spent the day in the Quarter then drowned in a sea of beads and baubles (probably all made in China and lead-covered).

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is in full swing here and our whole family has been enjoying it. We ate an entire King Cake in less than 24 hours (strawberry cream cheese, yum!) and I rode in the Krewe of Cleopatra parade last Friday night (despite the rainy weather). This weekend J & I are going to the Endymion Extravaganza in the Superdome to wrap up our celebrations. My mom is here and makes an excellent babysitter as well as a helping us make a dent in those King Cakes (okay, she made the smallest dent, but it still helps). Here is M wearing one of my throws last Friday before I chucked it off our Long Island Iced Tea-themed float.

I added this one just because I think she's so cute...

Dancing my pants off...literally!

M loves to dance. So much so in fact that at the gym today, when I picked her up from the childcare room, the 2 ladies working in there, 2 other kids in childcare, and a random gym staffer commented on her booty-shakin'! Here are a couple clips of her moves. And yes, she loves Beyonce! "If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it!" Yeah, yeah, yeah, we're horrible parents letting our 13 month-old watch VH1. Tough. And if you're wondering, she and I do dance around the living room on a fairly regular basis, although for those of you that know me well, you know that booty-shakin' is not really my style ;-)

Sleepytime snafu's

So, M is having some issues with her daytime sleep. I know that she's at the age where she might switch from two naps to one but I'm looking for some guidance from you mommas out there on how you made the transition easy for both you and baby. It started Monday when she took NO morning nap, then only slept an hour in the afternoon. She usually takes a 1 1/2 hour nap from 9:30-11:00, then a 1 hour nap from 2:00-3:00. The last couple days, I've put her in her crib around 10:30 and she's slept for 30-45 minutes but she's still only sleeping an hour in the afternoon. I know a lot of toddler's sleep for 2 hours or more in the afternoon. The biggest problem is that she's still really sleepy in the morning. I was ready to skip the a.m. sleep altogether but she curled up on the floor behind the chair, rubbed her eyes and started sucking her thumb (yes, we have a thumb sucker). So, I feel like she still wants that nap. Any tips???

Time flies...

So M is being pretty darn awesome lately. A lot of people told me that their favorite part of "babyhood" was when their child was a snuggly, snoozy, soft little infant. I remember think "Man, if this is the best part, I'm in big trouble." Don't get me wrong, she was wonderful then, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the interaction and connection we have now. I love watching her toddle around, love the way she destroys everything in her path, I love the way she copies what I do (brushes her hair, talks on her play phone), and I really love the kisses she gives (super slobbery).

So, while I was thinking about her awesomeness now, I decided to remind myself of the amazing newborn she was by looking at old pictures. I came across this one of her when she first came home from the hospital.

We just moved her to a new, forward-facing carseat and I took a picture of her before we put the old seat in the attic. (By the way, she doesn't really like her new carseat...I don't think it's as comfy and because she can see us, she's more anxious to get out!) She still has skinny legs and giant feet (she's wearing a size 6!!!)

I can't believe how quickly the last year has passed and how much she's changed. I know it's a bit cliche, but boy, how time flies!!!