Splish Splash!

Move over Michael Phelps, there's a new olympic swimmer in the making. And by in the making, I mean Colin has put swim trunks on! Ok so it's a slow start but we have been attending swim lessons at the YMCA. It was supposed to be an 8-week series that was to get the children/babies acclimated to the water. Despite the fact we have missed half the classes, I suppose it has been somewhat useful. We have successfully dunked Colin multiple times - some more successfully than others, i.e. the time he drank a gallon of water and proceeded to cry the remainder of the class. I think the time of the class has something to do with his responsiveness, or lack thereof. We've been going on Saturday morning at 9am. This is the time of morning that Colin is usually tired from waking up too early but refuses to nap until 10ish. So by the time the lesson is over, he is exhausted and is on the verge of a meltdown, that is if he hasn't already had one. I do think the lessons have done as they were intended to do - introduce him to the water. Here are a few shots when Daddy got in with him. Yes it was planned that way that I "remembered" the camera the day that Wes got in with him and not all the other times that I've been the one in the water!
Today's lesson was learning to get out of the pool. I'm not sure what the importance of this is but Colin didn't care for it until I came over to the edge. Then he thought that meant it was time to get out - not a good scene.

"Vegetable Bread"

The title is in quotes because I'm quoting my niece, Elise. A few weeks ago was my sister's birthday. In lieu of a traditional birthday cake, she wanted a chocolate zucchini cake with cream cheese icing. Someone at her work had brought one in and she hesitantly tried it - and liked it! One thing you must know is that my sister and I do not share the same affection for food. Don't get me wrong, we both love to eat, but Megan's taste buds are not as adventuresome as mine. So hearing that she wanted a cake with zucchini was a little surreal. My mom made the cake and it was good but Mom and I both decided we had definitely had better and preferred the real thing! My mom asked Kiara and Elise if they were going to eat it and they both turned up their nose. Later, Elise told Megan that she didn't eat cake that had vegetables in it! Typical child response but the attitude that comes along with any response from Elise is what makes it hilarious.

So when my Dad brought home some extra squash from his garden, I wondered if I could find a similar cake using squash instead of the zucchini. They are kissing cousins so why wouldn't it work? Well I didn't choose a cake but I did make 2 loaves of squash bread. YUM! I swear you would never know there were vegetables in it! I ended up giving one loaf to Megan, thinking if she liked the zucchini she would like the squash. Like mother like daughter, she turned up her nose when I told her what it was. I haven't heard the results but she'd be crazy, no wrong, if she didn't think it was delicious! It is sweet, moist, and healthy right?! So if you're looking for a way to sneak some veggies in for you or your kids, here's a start. I realize it's not the healthiest start but baby steps people, baby steps.

Here's the recipe I used. It made 2 loaves but I'm sure you could half it to make just 1 - but it's always fun to surprise someone and take them a sweet treat!

Squash Bread

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup cooking oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups squash, finely grated
3 cups self-rising flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Blend eggs in a large bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in sugar, oil and vanilla. Slowly stir in flour and cinnamon until just mixed. Stir in squash until evenly mixed. Pour into a well-greased 9-by-13 inch baking dish, or two well-greased loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes, or until bread is firm and light brown. The loaf pans add about 10 minutes to the baking time.

This recipe works great with either zucchini or yellow squash. One cup of chopped walnuts or pecans makes a nice addition.

Is it possible to socialize an infant?

Starting next month, Colin will be going to a Mother's (Father's in our case) Day Out program at Porter Memorial Church. To say I'm a ball of emotions is a huge understatement! While I'm excited to encourage him to play with others and meet new friends, I'm also scared to death that he's going to cry his eyes out and be miserable when we(Wes) leaves. I'm not expecting miracles, I realize on the first day that most kids will cry, but Colin has never stayed with anyone except me, Wes, and/or my mom. If he can't see one of the three of us at all times, you're going to hear about it! I just have to keep reassuring myself that this is for his own good and he needs to learn to be away from us and more importantly, learn to play with others. I also know that the teachers and other care givers at the church are not newbies, they've been down this road more times than I can count and I'm sure they've had many kids to cry when their parents leave. But none of them have been MY Colin! I'm just glad that Wes is the one who is going to drop him off and have to see the waterworks. I'm not sure I could leave him if he was crying. So someone please tell me you've been in my shoes and that it will get better!

In an attempt to begin this whole socialization process and begin to introduce him to playmates, he got to meet 2 new friends this weekend. The first was Silas. Our friends, Cara and Jason recently adopted Silas from China. He is almost 2 but is almost the exact same size as Colin. We took them dinner Saturday night and got to play a bit with him and their 2 girls, Madelyn and Caroline. Although they all played well, they all played separate. Colin was too busy discovering all the new toys and scouring to find the smallest pieces to put in his mouth (yes we have an issue with EVERYTHING going straight to the mouth). He was clingy towards me when we first got there but as soon as he was let loose in the toy room, he was just fine and didn't really even pay attention to Wes or I.

Sunday we went and played with my friend Angie's 2 little girls, Grace and Leah. Leah is about 6 months older than Colin but is very similar in disposition. Like Colin, Leah can't sit still for longer than 2 seconds. She is a daredevil and marches to the beat of a different drummer. I love their individuality though! Colin was more receptive to her, perhaps it's because he's such a flirt, but Leah wasn't so sure about someone else playing with HER toys. At one point she was sitting on the couch and Colin was over at her toy box. She spotted him and immediately started to get down off the couch, running towards him, while calling her big sister for backup! It was as if she was telling Grace, "Hey, we've got to protect our stuff from that intruder!" Colin was intrigued by her though and watched her intently while she was playing with some of her toys. I'm not sure if he thought she was cute or if he was learning from her. Nonetheless, it was refreshing again to see that he played well with others and didn't have to sit in my lap the whole time.

What I've learned is to put him amongst the toys and run like the wind to get out of sight - out of sight, out of mind...right?!! This is not going to be easy!

"Tis the season to be "berry"!

I apologize for the horrendous title but I just couldn't think of anything else that fit and was catchy. This is clearly the season for berries; whether it be strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, or blackberries, they all seem to be plentiful and delicious right now! I had visited our local farmer's market last week and found a lonely old man who was selling blackberries, just blackberries. Partly because I felt sorry for him and partly because I wanted to taste a fresh blackberry, I asked him if I could try one. He said of course. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Now sure I've had plenty of blackberries from those little plastic containers that they sell at Meijer but none as sweet and soft as this one was. Going against everything I believe in, I bought a pint of these beauties for $6, GASP! They were quite tasty and I could have probably eaten the whole pint right then and there but I restrained myself since I figured each one was about 75 cents! I had been wanting to make a blueberry pie ever since I saw it on someone's blog. I thought these blackberries would be a good substitution but then I remembered that I paid $6 and thought I should savour each and every bite and putting them in a pie I've never made might not be the best way to enjoy them. Then I found another recipe for a mixed berry streusel pie. This one melded the wonderful flavors of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries all together with a lovely streusel topping. I couldn't resist so I went back to farmer's market and this time found a pint for 1/2 the price I paid earlier in the week! See why the $6 pint went against everything I believe in? I wasn't prepared enough when I purchased them originally and made an impulsive buy. These were just as plump and juicy and made a wonderful addition to my pie. This was wonderful! Even Wes, who normally doesn't prefer this kind of dessert, made a point to compliment me. The nice thing is that you can use any combination of berries that you have and it will still be delicious! Enjoy!!

I can see clearly now...

my hair is gone. Don't get too worried, the curls are still pretty much in tact. Although the "what a cute girl" comments get a little annoying, I'm not ready for my cute little boy to transform into a handsome young gentleman. With him currently learning to stand and walk, I have to hang on to some baby trait for as long as possible. But when his hair had reached his eyes and was getting caught in his long eyelashes, I knew it was time to take action. I didn't want my child to be blinded because of my selfish ways, plus Wes had finally given me approval to give it a little trim myself. I wouldn't call this his first big-boy haircut because number one, I did it, and number two, I didn't cut it all over.

After his bath on Tuesday night, I get my sewing scissors because they are the sharpest and I don't want to give him split ends (what a thoughtful mother, I know). As Wes is drying him off and putting his clothes and diaper on, he asks if I wanted to try to cut it. Um yes, were the scissors your first clue?! Apparently he was oblivious to me leaving the room and returning with the scissors in hand but that's not what this story is about. Wes sees the scissors and was like, "you're using THOSE?" Not knowing what he had in mind, I said yes. He informed me that he thought I was going to use my little makeup scissors! Yes, the ones that are approximately 4 inches long with the scissor part being less than 1 inch. Sure, I'll cut it hair by hair and I'm sure he'll lay perfectly still and allow it. I'm not sure what he thought would happen with those scissors, would Colin run through the house with them? Oh wait, he can't walk. Was he afraid I'd cut his arm off? Oh wait, they're not sharp enough and I am a grown woman. Perhaps he was just afraid I'd poke his eyes out or he'd turn suddenly and I'd accidentally cut something I shouldn't. Seriously, I do appreciate his cautious nature, really I do. Back to the main event, I comb his bangs up like I've watched my beautician do for years (Man this brought back some memories of me giving my Barbie's a "professional" haircut!) and snip them off at an angle so as to not create a straight line of hair across his forehead. Colin, I know you're too young to appreciate this but trust me son, you will thank me one day! There's a reason Jim Carrey made fun of this haircut in Dumb and Dumber and I didn't want to subject you to such torture. I then moved to the sideburns that, when combed straight down came all the way down below his chin! These were also the ones that curled up right above his ears, creating those adorable wispy curls. I didn't want to get carried away so I only cut about 1/2 inch. It was hard but I did it. It wasn't as traumatic as I feared but it was still a little sad. After I was finished I combed it and he looked 5 years older. What had I done? After he slept on it it looked much better the next day and I was ready to quit my job and become a hair stylist. I trimmed a little more last night off the sides and hopefully that will last for a while.

Wes asked if I was going to save the hair? Am I addicted to reality tv? Of course I'm going to save the hair! Let's just hope he doesn't see that white envelope and throw it away. I probably should move that tonight!!

Happy Anniversary

Seven years ago today I was sitting on the beach in Aruba, having just married the man of my dreams (well not the dreams I had when I was 12 because they involved Zach Morris and/or Kirk Cameron and I would have 20 kids by now if I had married Kirk!). Yesterday marked 7 years of marital bliss for Wes and I. I can't tell you where the time has gone but we have survived, and actually flourished. We've gotten to travel to many new places together, try many new things, witness many weddings, buy our first home, and most importantly experience the birth of our first child. We never knew our lives were lacking until Colin came along. We were a happy couple before but now we're an even happier family. Sure there have been some trying times over the last year(s), but we have both grown and learned so much that it negates any hard times. I can't imagine sharing my life with any other person. I love him more today than ever and I look forward to many more years together!

By the way, this is the song that Wes sang to me, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knp9-GY6fHE.

Shoo fly pie!

This is both a review and some personal ramblings on Missy's Pies (a.k.a Ramsey's dessert kitchen). Yesterday was Mr. Dupree's, my boss, birthday. Now under normal circumstances this would mean a homemade cake/pie made my me, but in an effort to "make things easy on me", he wanted a pie from Missy's. I considered making the pie myself and sliding it in a box to make it look like it was store bought, but I restrained myself and ordered a butterscotch and key lime pie. To fully appreciate the butterscotch you have to be a meringue lover, which I am not. So I admit my review will be slightly biased because of that. The pie was VERY hard to cut and didn't slice well. The butterscotch filling was a tad too runny to hold together. The meringue was a good 4-6 inches tall and evenly browned on top. I prefer my butterscotch to be light in color and somewhat light in taste. This pie was neither. It was quite dark, perhaps they used dark brown sugar or molasses, and the taste was heavy as well. As an admittedly unfair comparison, I'm comparing this pie to a butterscotch pie I made Mr. Dupree several years ago, that turned out quite well, if I do say so myself.

Now the key lime had a very good, tart flavor. It was cooked much better and held together when sliced. The presentation was lacking though because it was a mere graham cracker crust (perhaps even store bought, gasp!) and no garnishment on the top. Thankfully they don't succumb to the commercialized temptation to artificially color the filling green. Rather, it was a nice golden yellow color, just as a key lime pie should be. Yes, for those of you that don't know key lime juice is not green, it's clear! Therefore any key lime flavored items you have eaten that are green, are artificially colored, and perhaps flavored. The pie was very smooth and was better received amongst my coworkers than the butterscotch. I of course tasted both and prefer the filling of the key lime but the crust of the butterscotch - again a slight unfair critique because I prefer pastry crust any day over graham cracker crust!

On to the health department inspection, or lack thereof! What exactly does an inspector look at when they "inspect" a restaurant? After seeing the inside of Missy's Pie Shop, one could definitely wonder. The bakery itself is nothing more than a closet, a piece of the original Ramsey's kitchen that they sectioned off after the booming success of the pies, to make into a little store front. The front door was propped open for all the lovely car exhaust fresh air to flow through, not to mention gnats, flies, and other various insects. You would think none of this would matter since the pies are surely stored in a cooler, a closed case, or some other sealed device. You would be wrong. There are some pies that are in a dilapidated case but the back is completely open. The rest of the pies are on large pie racks (think of the racks that they deliver bread on), again completely open. There are open metal shelves that have stacks of pre-baked pie shells just sitting in the wide open. Now I realize I'm somewhat of a germ-a-phob but this space is really small so if someone was to cough or sneeze, the germs would certainly be spread to the pies and these shells. Not to mention the bugs that have probably landed and left their larvae...or worse! The place looked like it hadn't been cleaned in, well maybe never. There was an old beat up stove that only sat on 3 feet, with a dirty old stock pot on top. Oh and to top it off, I'm not sure the air conditioning was on/working. Perhaps I could be wrong on that one and maybe the air was just filtering right out the opened front door. If the place looked like this, I can only imagine what their cooking standards must be! After seeing this place, I've determined that people don't care where their food came from as long as it tastes good. I guess I'm guilty of the same since I ate the pie. No that falls into my lack of self control, but I digress.

Oh and the cost, no wonder I make my own pies and cakes! Their pies are $16.95 for a whole, $4.95 for a slice, but their cheesecakes will set you back a whopping $45!! Are you kidding me? What a ripoff!

In the future, I think I'll stick to my guns and make the dessert myself and sneak it in if I have to!

Reality TV Redeems Itself

I know, the very thought of reality actually being realistic is a foreign concept to most of us these days, but this season of The Bachelorette was actually believable. This wasn't your your typical "The Hills" style show where you're supposed to believe it's real but you know good and well these are actors. No, DeAnna was actually there to find true love. What, she wasn't there to pick the hottest guy, only to end up dumping him in a month and making the cover of US Weekly, where we learn they just had nothing in common? What a concept to actually let your heart decide and not your eyes. From the get go DeAnna was intrigued with Jesse. If you didn't watch the show you're probably thinking this guy is a total dweeb based on my prior comments, but I assure you he's not. I realize I don't know the guy personally but after watching him on tv for 3 months I feel like I do. When he got out of the limo the first night he was wearing tennis shoes, a blazer that looked like it was either inside out or had paint splattered on it, and had shoulder length curly hair. DeAnna was taken aback by his attire and said, "Thanks for getting so dressed up." She would later learn that this was just a reflection of his personality and he didn't want to hide behind someone he was not. Clearly this worked because he got one of the first impression roses. From then on she kept saying there was just something about Jesse. He was exciting and different from any guy she had ever dated. You could tell that he thought the world of her and treated her like a princess. About 2/3 of the way through the show she sent home the one guy she said she was falling in love with. That did it for me, I knew she was in it for the right reasons. This guy was too much like all the other guys she had dated and although she was so attracted to him, she realized that she needed something different since none of those past relationships had worked. In the end it was down to 2, Jason, the divorced dad of a 3-year old, and of course Jesse. I was pulling for Jesse but I just knew she'd chose Jason because he was more handsome. Alas, she went with her heart and chose Jesse! He was elated and you could see the true joy in both of their eyes. I just have a feeling this one will work - what and be the 3rd of 12Bachelor/Bachelorettes that has actually lasted past 1 month?! This season has given me hope again that it is possible to find love on tv. Don't worry Wes, you're still safe. I don't plan to sign up anytime soon. Thanks, DeAnna for keeping it real!

A picture says a thousand words

We recently travelled to Hazard to have Colin's 1-year pictures taken. Yes, I know what you're thinking, we live in Lexington yet we travelled to HAZARD to have pictures made. I have admired this ladies work with my friend Courtney's little boy, Carter, ever since he was born. Her Christmas cards are amazing and all of the other pictures were so cute too. I found her website (www.photosbysuzanne.com) and was instantly taken with her style and abilities. Colin slept the whole way down there and was ready for action when we got there. She was so good with him and since he's such a flirt, he adored the attention she gave him. We go back this Friday to view the entire collection but here's a sneak peak!

Baby Boy turns ONE!

Time flies when you're having fun (as you can tell by my tardy post)! My precious baby is no longer a tiny 8 lb 15oz baby. No, he's up to a whopping 21.5 lbs of pure energy! This time last year I was learning to deal with colic, constant eating/feeding, and lack of sleep. While Colin still LOVES to eat, he has outgrown the colic and sleeps relatively well (last night being an exception). We've gotten to experience so many milestones along the way - the first non-gas related smile, rolling over, sitting up, first solid food, cooing and gooing, crawling, and now pulling up and beginning to toddle around. He will walk holding other people's hands but not mine. He prefers to be held when Mommy is around - who could blame him?! I'm actually in no hurry because to me, walking is the first step into toddlerhood, and I want to preserve the baby stage as long as I can. One thing that has remained constant even while in utero is his high energy level. The child never stops! Sleep is a burden for him because he has to actually be still for longer than 2 minutes. Wes and I think soccer would be a good sport for him so that he can burn off some of his energy.

We decided to keep his 1st birthday party low key. It was mainly a family event but we also wanted to include his girlfriend, Sidney, and her family. Brooke and I have been on this journey together and I wanted her to celebrate with us. We celebrated Sunday so that Wes' family could come. It was also his sister, Anna's birthday so I made both she and Colin personal mini cakes. Anna thought she was hot stuff with her own little cake. At first he stared at the cake and slowly put his fingers in the icing. He looked up at me with his devilish expression, as if to say, "Is it ok for me to do this?" I moved the cake from the paper plate directly onto his tray and he still was frozen in shock.

I proceeded to cut a few bites and let him eat those, which he loved.

From that point on, he decided playing with it was more fun than eating it. We had put a sheet under his chair to catch the debris but as if he knew what he was doing, he purposely threw cake on the non-covered part of the floor. He did manage to keep most of it off of his clothes, which pleased Mom. He got some cute clothes, a toy, and lots of books. Thank you to all of you that were there and also thanks to those of you who have had a hand in the first year of his life. Whether it be giving me advice, keeping me sane, playing with Colin, or just listening to me, thank you!