In case you missed 20 things about Michael on his 2nd Birthday, make sure to check it out!

Last Saturday was Michael's birthday. Though this may not qualify as a true "TBT"... I HAD to go ahead and share a picture of his outstanding cake.

My friend Allison from Bailey Family Bakery invited me over to help decorate it! I was so excited to work under her tutilage. Though I made the actual cakes (Bottom Layer: Chocolate Fudge with a Chocolate Buttercream/Chocolate Chip Cookie Crumbles filling; Top Layer: Funfetti with Buttercream filling), I only did what she assigned me to do for the cake decorating, haha.

So, when you look at the picture-- remember that I dyed/made/rolled out the blue fondant for the top layer, the "borders", and the yellow polka-dots for the bottom layer. Everything else was Allison's magic.


Michael couldn't keep his eyes off of it, either.


We brought it to our friends' wedding rehearsal since it on the same day. They were wonderful enough to share the spotlight with our little two year old.

Two years old... still weird.

An in-depth look at Michael's birthday celebration(s) will be posted next week!

When did we get here? How did this...
Michael, three days old- September 10, 2011.

Turn into this?


People aren't kidding when they say enjoy it because it changes in the blink of an eye. I must confess sometimes I have those wonderful parenting moments where I think, "Seriously? It couldn't go any slower." But those are usually rough days, and then other days I regret my ridiculous thoughts.

Well, here goes.


1. Michael is around 30lbs and I have no idea how tall. (I promise to share the specifics when we head to the doctor.) Since he started out having trouble gaining weight, I seem to never want to ever deny him food. I'm just now learning to say no to another cookie when he asks.

2. While Michael loves sweets, his favorites are in the fruit variety. 99% of the time he will not say no to any fruit. His favorites are: blueberries, apples, strawberries, and pears. Sadly blueberries (out of all things) tend to upset his stomach.

3. Rather than saying "Popsicle", Michael says, "Pop-icicle". I personally think it's the cutest thing ever.

4. Michael loves his cars. I have a pretty bad habit of every time we have to go to Target or Walmart I will let him get one (or two...) to add to his collection. My defense is that he plays with every.single.one... so it's okay that he has a ton... right?

5. Favorite shows these days are: Sesame Street, Thomas the Tank Engine, Veggie Tales, and Mater Tales.

6. Favorite movies are Monsters Inc., Lilo & Stitch, and How to Train You Dragon. We are taking Michael to see Planes for his birthday and we could not be more excited! He already knows the characters Skipper, Dusty, and Lead Bottom thanks to Papa :).

7. Michael does not have one favorite color. He loves them ALL. He likes to tell you what color everything is you come in contact with. He does seem quite taken with purple these days, but it used to be all about blue. We will see where that goes!

8. To go with his color obsession, Michael loves art. Sidewalk chalk, Sidewalk paint, finger paint, crayons, markers, bathtub paint... seriously anything he can make a picture with or color a picture with, he loves it.

9. This baby favors his left hand! While his right hand still gets some use, he tends to switch over to his left for the difficult jobs. He would come by it honestly. Clark and I both have lefties in our family history!

10. Introducing Wrinkles the Bulldog, aka Michael's lovey! Ever since we traveled to Iowa he has asked for Wrinkles whenever he is sleepy or getting into bed. I'm so excited! Praying Wrinkles paves the way to Michael sleeping in his own bed.

11. Michael is still nursing and sleeping with us. He is a cuddle monster. He would probably sleep in his own space if I could make a comfortable mold of my arm to place under his head. Pillows or blankets are a no. He hates being covered up and only wants me to prop him up. This year should be an interesting and challenging one in this area.

12. Michael loves to tell you when he's happy. Usually he only tells you it when he's overjoyed. The other night we had eggs for dinner. His dialogue went like this:

"I so happy. Happy Eggs. Happy Mama. Happy Dada. Happy Nuna. Happy Marmee. Happy Papa. Happy Maile."

So... he lets you know when something happens that really makes him happy.

13. Going to church, out with friends, and to friends' houses are Michael's favorite things (close-to-home-wise). Telling him we are going to church, or going to see Porter, or walking with Makenzie make him light up and willing to do just about anything so we can ride in the car to one of these destinations.

14. This boy is one picky eater. We are still on things like fruit, cheese, beans, tuna, and "snacks" (crackers, cookies, muffins, etc.). I was overjoyed when he started eating eggs, and will be even more excited when he actually decides to nibble on some veggies.

I can convince him to eat carrots sometimes if they are slathered in hummus, and he ate squash/zucchini the other night... but I must confess it was actually breaded/fried (this is when the hubby was home). And if he's in a REALLY good mood he will chow down on some green beans or lima beans.

But anything else? Forget it. No meat beyond tuna (and pepperoni on pizza). Nothing on his toast except butter or peanut butter (seriously... the kid won't eat jam). I'm really hoping this year brings less of his picky-self and more of the yes-please-I-will-try-it attitude. Wishful thinking?

15. Michael is a people-person. Though he may appear shy at first, just play with him a little and he will take to you instantly. If you're really special, he won't mind waving good-bye to mama or dada; however, this only happens if we aren't at home. Leaving him at home with a babysitter is never easy. Ever. There are always tears.

16. Haircut? What's that? It took me forever to convince Clark to finally let us cut Michael's lovely locks. The fact that they were getting into his eyes in the front and growing in a mullet/rat-tail form in the back was enough for me, but clearly it took a little persuading for dada (as in, "I'm going to put clips in Michael's hair if you don't let us cut it"). It's not that I didn't LOVE his hair, I just wanted to even it up a bit so it would grow in nicely.

This was just yesterday, by the way.

17. Some words, more than others, are exceptionally hard for Michael to say still. He especially struggles with words that have a twist in the middle.

Words like, Marmee (he usually calls her mommy or mimi right now), ballon (he says "ba-woon"), McQueen (he says "a-keen"), and Porter (he says pah-yer).

Sometimes it's adorable (like ba-woon, or when he says "Kenzie" because Makenzie is too difficult)... but other times I honestly wonder why it's so hard. Maile, Marmee, and Mater are what baffle me... but maybe it's just the M's with a twist in that case? No idea.

18. Michael has a stubborn streak. It is definitely coming more to the forefront as he hits his terrible toddler years. I tell him not to do something, he does it. He shrieks then exclaims, "I share!" but he doesn't actually do it. He lays down on the ground if I tell him we are leaving or going somewhere in an attempt to prevent it from happening (with tears, of course).

But my favorite? He now makes this face (this picture is the closest I've gotten to capturing it, but it's not quite "the face"), shakes his head and says, "Uh uh, no." This is after I say his name in a certain way, and is what I used to do to him before he started doing it in response to his name. The little bugger.


19. He has the sweetest heart. Regardless of being stubborn, he loves to love. It's a little different with kids his own age, it takes a little more prompting. BUT he clearly loves them because he always asks for them after (like Porter, Makenzie, and his cousin Maile). And when it comes to adults, if you play with him, take him outside, give him a few hugs/kisses, and maybe sneak him something sweet (but this last one is truly optional), you are friends for life. (Sometimes this worries me.)

20. Last but not least, there is one thing that has never changed. Michael loves the outdoors. I am so thankful that we instilled this love in him, but I think it was already a part of him at his birth. Hiking, running, parks, lakes, soccer, bubbles, pools... my goodness, this list would never end. He LOVES being outside. While sometimes I must confess I'm not in the mood to face our neighbors or the bugs or what have you, I always make a point to suck it up-- because I WANT Michael to WANT to go outside over everything else. It is so important that he would rather play outside than sit in front of the couch to me. I want to keep him active. So if it's raining (with no thunder) and he wants outside... the rain jacket goes on, the rain boots slide over his shoes, and we dance in the puddles.

Happy Birthday my sweet, darling, adventurous cuddle bug. Your Dada and I are so thankful that God put you in our lives. We are truly blessed with your love and presence, and still have a hard time believing that we are the ones who get to be there for you through all things. May the Lord bless you and keep you and help you grow into a man after God's own heart.

Planning Michael's birthday party was a blast. If you follow me on Pinterest, there was a board dedicated to it up for I don't know how long. Come the end of July, maybe August, I was jumping out of my skin trying to plan the party.

It started off with me planning to make all the food. Homemade pigs-in-a-blanket, red-white-and-blue cupcakes, Captain America cake, mini-chicken-salad-sandwiches, fruits salad, veggies in a cup with ranch, cute bags of popcorn... I wanted to go ALL out.

But as the time drew near, I realized that I could really only pick a couple of projects that were closest to my heart and do them as best I could. If I tried to do everything, not only would Michael's birthday be the price of a small wedding, but I would be killing myself over it all to the point I would lose all fun in my child's first birthday.

So, I bought prepackaged finger foods. I dedicated time to preparing veggies and fruit (or rather, my mom did), and I made the cupcakes and Michael's cake spectacular (or at least as close as I could).

So, for instructions on Red, White, and Blue cupcakes, follow the link.

To make an awesome Captain America cake, watch the video below. I watched it twice, practiced the cake twice before I made it for the party. I gave in, in the end, and bought prepackaged Wilton Fondant because making it homemade did not seem worth it to me.



What I learned from this, thanks to my mom, is that there is no way to be a crazy-perfectionist in situations like this. Things will happen how they happen, and all I can do is my best and let God handle the rest. After all, not everyone is going to get along. Not everyone is going to have a good time, but I hope that everyone who was there was happy to celebrate with Michael-- and that's what it was for!

So, please enjoy these pictures!

Thank you for being patient on this one. We had family visiting, friends coming from out of town, and so much going on that there was no way this post would have made it up Friday or Saturday.

In case you didn't know, Michael's birthday was September 7th. I still can't believe it's been an entire year. What happens when we reach five? Ten? Eighteen?

I don't want to think about it.

I can't even remember what I put in my last post about Michael's developments. It seems I turn my head, or blink, or snap... and there he is doing something that's completely new and entirely adorable. I suppose every mom can say that about her child.

Michael's one year check up is on the 21st (thanks to doing his last round of shots two weeks late due to this and that), so I promise to share his weight and length as soon as I know it!

If you hadn't noticed, Michael's growing a little tuff of hair on top. Luna likes to lick it in to the shape of a mohawk now and again. It only stays that way with dog slobber. Water does not work. Clark tries to get Luna to bathe Michael consistently just so he can have a mohawk. Boys.
(Photo from Courtney Valentine Photography (TN).)

Michael is exploring foods like there's no tomorrow. "Tu-nana-ish" has taken the back seat to things like grapes, blueberries, spaghetti sauce, and just about anything new he can get his hands on. Oh, did I mention cake?
(I will have another post dedicated to the making of this cake.)

As always, Michael's favorite remedy for anything is to be outdoors. Now it's even better since Mama and Dada got him an awesome swing.



However, bath time has climbed the list as well now that he has some awesome new toys (thanks to Marmee and Papa, and his friend Mackenzie).

We are desperately still waiting for Michael to take those first steps. While he has taken some one three at once, he has yet to repeat that or walk across the room without help via furniture or toys. He definitely cruises on his own, though, when he has a toy or something to hold on to near by.

On his actual birthday, not party day, we went to see Dada at work and Michael got his first real boo-boo. Truly. He was crawling and went right off the edge of the climbing mats, although previously he had been cautious when going over the edge. He fell on his face, and much to my dismay there was blood. It wasn't so bad until he coughed and it went all over the place. Not to mention how much he was crying. After nursing a bit, though, he perked right back up-- but you can definitely see the swollen lip in this pic!

After this, we went and got him his first ice cream (Rainbow Sherbert) to help his lip feel better. He was very appreciative of that.

His two top teeth are officially through, although they still probably have about halfway to travel down still. We also believe his two bottom teeth are starting to make an appearance. This is due to his attitude, clingy-ness, and swollen gums as of late.

Other things that Michael loves:

1. Llama Llama books of any kind, by Anna Dewdney.

2. Interactive books (such as prerecorded books, like the one he got from Marmee and Papa for his birthday), or the Hallmark books like those you can find with Bigsby or Scooby-Doo.

3. Going to the climbing gym and hanging out with Dada.

4. Spending time in Luna's doggy bed. (No picture, sorry!)

5. Getting into anything and everything.

That's all for now, folks! Tune back in with specifics about Michael's birthday party soon!

Not to be confused with Pink Lemonade Cupcakes. I think these definitely turned out better than their pink predecessors. I had initially planned on making this a cake, but cupcakes are so much easier when you plan on giving them away... not to mention cuter, in my opinion.

Ingredients:

- 1/4 C butter
- 1 C sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 C + 3 tbsp frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 C flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/s tsp baking soda
- 1 C buttermilk

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Mix together your dry ingredients in a small bowl (flour, baking powder and soda).
- Beat together the butter and sugar. Then add the eggs.

- Add lemonade concentrate and vanilla.

- Add about 1/3 of your flour mixture, mix. Add 1/2 C buttermilk, mix. Repeat this process with the rest of your dry ingredients and buttermilk.
- Line/prepare your cupcake pan (or 9 x 13 cake pan). Use 1/4 C for each cupcake.


- Cupcakes: bake for 22 to 25 minutes. Cake: bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick to see if completely cooked (no batter will stick to it).
- Let them cool before icing!


Sadly, I did not get to ice these (due to many different things, but for one Clark kept eating them before I got to them). The recipe listed below for the icing is from the original recipe (which you can view here). I did not get to alter, or even try it, just so ya know!

Frosting:

- 1/3 C butter, room temp
- 3 to 4 C powdered sugar
- 1/3 C + 2 tbsp lemonade concentrate, thawed
- 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

- Beat the butter until smooth. Add 1 C of powdered sugar and 1/3 C of the concentrate. Mix.
- Add the vanilla and gradually add the rest of the powdered sugar, as needed for consistency.

Cookies & Cream has always been one of my favorite ice creams. I love oreos. I love ice cream. It works out.

And then I found this idea. It just seemed beyond brilliant to me.

If you ask Clark, he'd say it was. He devoured these cupcakes. Of course, he pretty much devours all sweets I make.

Ingredients:

- 16 to 24 Oreo halves
- 2 1/4 C All Purpose, Unbleached Flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 C butter
- 1 1/4 C Sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 C milk
- 15 - 20 Oreos, chopped (I just kind of crumbled/quartered them into the mix)
*I limited the over all amount of Oreos to however many there were in a pack, but if you want to get two packs just to be sure, go for it! Also, use Reduced Fat!*

(There is also another list of ingredients for the frosting pictured below the cupcake instructions!)

Directions:

- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Line a cupcake pan, then put an Oreo half in the bottom of each liner with the frosting side facing up.

- Mix together your butter and sugar on a low to medium speed until well blended.

- Mix in your egg whites one at a time. Then add your vanilla.
- Mix together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder) and alternate between adding it and the milk to the sugar/butter mix. So, add half of your flour, then half your milk, etc.
- Carefully mix in your crumbled Oreos.

- Fill your cupcake liners about 3/4 to 2/3 full.
- Cook for 22 to 26 minutes.


- Remove from the pan and let cool for a sufficient amount of time.


- You can frost these with just about any frosting. My husband actually thought they tasted better without frosting, but then he doesn't typically like a lot of frosting anyway. Look below for the frosting recipe I used!
Enjoy!


Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

- 8 oz Cream Cheese (low fat)
- 6 tbsp butter, at room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 4 C powdered (confectioners') sugar
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Oreos to crumble or top with

Directions:
(Pictures are of a half recipe of the frosting)

- Mix together the cream cheese and butter.

- Add the vanilla and heavy cream.

- Slowly mix in the powdered sugar until there's as much as needed for the right consistency/flavor.
Voila!


Inspiration for this recipe came from: Stock Piling Moms

If you don't follow me on Twitter or don't pay attention to my tweets on the right hand side of the site, let me start this off by informing you that I skipped my cake decorating class Monday night.

Yes. The third class out of six total and I played hooky.

I just didn't feel like going. After a week with a friend staying with us, an exhausting Father's Day, and a house that looked like a tornado went through it-- I skipped. I stayed home, cleaned, cooked, and spent time with Michael and Clark.

I was responsible. I e-mailed the teacher, told her I wasn't going to be there, and asked for a list of what we did in class so I could practice before next week. Even in a class that I am clearly wasting money on by not going to, I wanted to be courteous and let the teacher know.

So today when Michael was taking a nap that I was hoping would be two hours long like the past two days, I ate my lunch and then set up my royal icing and prepared to learn from our book how to make primroses and daffodils.

Yeah, right.

My icing was so hard (which tends to be the way with royal icing) that my hand felt like it was going to fall off simply trying to squeeze the icing through the tip at the end of the bag. It also didn't help that I didn't start practicing until minute 45 of what I thought would be two hours of free time, but Michael decided to wake up at 60 minutes precisely.

Anyway.

Here I am with a flower tip trying to be extra careful to make my first primrose, but the stupid frosting won't even come out of the tip. So, either I had to add water to make the frosting a little less stiff, or just had to wait for it to warm up a bit and therefore it would make it easier.

Right then my bag sprung a hole because I was trying to use my fingers, rather than my palm, to push the frosting to where I needed it.

As I was moving the frosting from the one bag to another, I looked up and saw the book Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier sitting on my bookshelf (very small bookshelf). I thought, I really need to reread that. It is such a good book.

Then it hit me.

Cake decorating was stressing me out. Learning how to make flowers wasn't exciting, really. I thought it would be. But it wasn't. It was stressful. I had to tell myself to relax my shoulders, to not worry about anything else, to just focus on the frosting.

And no matter how many times I told myself, my shoulders would tense back up and I'd be thinking about the laundry, or a new recipe, or a book I wanted to read, or a post to put up.

I realized that I just don't like cake decorating.

I realized I don't have the patience for cake decorating.

I realized I don't have the "flare" for cake decorating.

I am a different sort of artist. As much as I want to be, I've never been good at using pencils, pens, paints, and so forth. I suppose I can now add frosting to that list.

I am grateful I figured it out. I honestly haven't decided if I'm going back to class or not. I'm not sure I want to continue to invest time, energy, and money into something I already know I'm probably not going to continue doing.

Don't get me wrong. I've learned some valuable stuff in the class already. But the thing is, I just don't see myself spending an entire day decorating a cake for someone's birthday or special occasion. I'd much rather pay someone who enjoys doing it to do it for me. Is that awful?

Within this small epiphany, I've been making my way through the movie Sylvia about Sylvia Plath. It came out in 2003 and as depressing as it is, it's a beautiful film. And there are parts of it that I've completely connected with.

For example it shows Sylvia (Gwyneth Paltrow) baking when she can't think of anything to write.

That is totally me.

It made me think that I've been throwing myself into my cooking so much lately because I just don't have the creative outlet in my writing at the moment. That doesn't mean I've lost it... it just means that I'm taking turns and I'll get back to writing when I really find a "subject", as she puts it in the movie. I don't seem to have a subject I'm truly passionate about.

When I do, I know I'll return to my writing with full force.

So, although in Practice Makes "Perfect" I seemed to think that spending time with cake decorating would make me love it, I've discovered that's just not how I work. Either I love something or I don't. And Cake Decorating seems to fall in the "don't" category. That may change in years to come... but for now... I'll stick to not knowing how to precisely make a rose or write correctly on a cake.