Happy Mother's Day

I am so thankful for my mom and my mom in law. I am so spoiled to have them. My mom is an amazing woman. She is very patient, loving and happy. I have learned so many things from her. She is such a great example of selfless giving. She has sacrificed so much for our family. As I get older I notice things I do just like my mom and it makes me smile. I look up to her a lot. She is always thrilled to listen to me talk about my day, no matter how boring and always has words of encouragement for the rough days.

Jason's mom is also an amazing woman. She is so organized and thoughtful. She raised Jason to be smart, driven, loving and honest. All traits I admire in both of them. Jason's mom is also a great example of continuous learning. I love that she takes piano lessons and learned how to quilt. I want that. I want to always have something new I'm learning and doing. I'm so thankful for such great examples as I'm just starting out as a mother.

I had a fabulous mothers day yesterday! It was of course my first and I enjoyed it so much. Jason made breakfast and I got an adorable gift from Calder (and Jason).

Jason also spoke in church. I think that was a great present. He did a fantastic job and I really am thankful I got to hear his comments. He always does a great job speaking. Calder fell asleep during it. I was even sitting down in the congregation! That never happens. What a gift.

I love being a mom. I am so happy with my life (even though it involves a lot of packing at this point). Calder is such a great baby and I love teaching him new things. He seems to understand so much. He is getting so good at expressing his emotions. I love it. I want to be able to see every milestone he reaches and I want to be a constant influence for good for him. Jason and I both have moms who set great examples for us. I have much to learn, but I have great teachers.

The Zoo

On Monday we had a fantastic trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo with some friends. And get this... it was totally free. The zoo is always free and we found street parking. Woohoo! If packing continues to go well maybe we'll go again before we move.

Vintage Swing

I really like the effect of this picture. It makes Calder look very lonely. Next time we go, we'll invite some friends.

Swings

Calder and I took advantage of the beautiful day and went to the park out our back door. It was so fun to see Calder discover the joy of swinging. He wasn't too sure at first and held on for dear life. He did end up laughing a lot and really liked it.

I'm loving his hair these days. It's getting longer but is still a little thin. It also still grows to the side so it looks like I style it that way. It is a really pretty color. I would say sandy blonde. It will be fun to see if it changes over the summer.

Flat Shelby

We had the honor of hosting Flat Shelby over the weekend! Flat Shelby is a creation of my cousin Shelby in Temecula, California. She is in 2nd grade. I don't know if you have all read the book Flat Stanley, but it is a great book. It was one of my favorites when I was younger. In the book a boy named Stanley has a bulletin board fall on him. He is fine but he is squished flat. He is thrilled to discover all the places he can go. Flat Shelby visited Chicago.

Flat Shelby in front of the Sears Tower. It will be changing its name to Willis Tower this summer. It is the tallest building in the United States and the second tallest in the world.

Flat Shelby in front of the Corn Cob buildings.

Flat Shelby and the Chicago sign.

Flat Shelby and the Art Institute.

Flat Shelby at the American Girl store on Michigan Ave.

The beautiful Chicago skyline view from The Point.

This is one of my favorite stops with Flat Shelby. This is the newspaper guy I waved at every day on my way to work for 4 years. He is very nice and definitely a part of my Chicago experience. I never bought a paper from him. He may not have the same warm feelings for me that I have for him.
We took Flat Shelby to the White Sox game tonight. Unfortunately it was rained out, so we enjoyed some brats with onions and went home. It was great.

This is my very favorite part of having Flat Shelby visit. Shelby's brother is serving a mission here in Chicago and is currently serving in our stake. We got to have them over for dinner. It was great! I'm hoping to host them at least one more time before we move.

Calder Scooting

Girly?

I make some of Calder clothes and for the most part Jason is on board. They're cute and super cheap and they give me an outlet for creativity which I need. Well, I found this adorable vintage BOY overall outfit. I love it and think it is just so fun. I want to make a few more pairs but Jason is not on board. He think they look girly. So, I'm opening it up for a vote. On the sidebar you'll notice a poll. Please vote. Also, I won't be offended if you think it's girly. If you do think it is girly and can think of a way to 'man it up' please leave me a comment.




As a side note, that is two TVs in our living room. It's hockey playoff time. Enough said.

Whole Wheat Bread

A few months ago I decided I should make my own bread. I consulted with the domestically amazing Melissa, who gave me some suggestions, tips and encouragement. I've been making my own bread ever since. This may be silly, but I find great satisfaction knowing I haven't purchased bread for months. I always make whole wheat bread because Jason doesn't care either way and I love whole wheat. So, here's the recipe I use:

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup honey
• 5 cups bread flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups white bread flour, and stir to combine. Let set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.
2. Mix in 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour. Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until not real sticky - just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3. Punch down, and divide into 2 loaves. Place in greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 to 30 minutes; do not overbake. Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard. Cool completely.

Six Months

Calder's Easter outfit. Yep, I made those pants and I love them!

Calder,

You are growing up so fast I feel like I can't keep up. I can't belief you've been a part of our family for six months. You bring so much joy to our lives. I love how you have started saying Dada and you use your voice to get our attention. I love how good you are at rolling over both ways and scooting yourself in a circle. I wish I could help you crawl because it is obviously very annoying to you that you can't. You sure try hard and you've started doing little pushups. Maybe by next month you'll have it down. We'll see.

You are so social. Whenever we go to the store you try to get people to look at you so you can smile at them. That's why I was so surprised when you didn't do so well when Daddy and I tried to go to a banquet for school. You cried and cried. I guess that's what happens when you're my little sidekick and you go everywhere with me.

It is so fun to feed you new foods. Your facial expressions are perfect. Right now bananas seem to be your favorite. Although avacado is a close second.

It is so fun to see you discover new things. You are so curious and outgoing. I'm so lucky to have such an easy and care free baby. I love you so much.

Mommy

Froufrou Cupcakes

I made these froufrou cupcakes for book group last month and promised I would post the recipe. So, here it is:

Raspberry coconut cake:
1 stick BUTTER, softened
1 cup SUGAR
3 EGGS
1/2 cup all -purpose FLOUR
1/4 cup self-rising FLOUR
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded COCONUT
1/3 cup SOUR CREAM
5 ounces frozen RASPBERRIES

Cream cheese frosting:
5 tablespoons BUTTER, softened
12 ounces CREAM CHEESE, softened
2 teaspoons COCONUT EXTRACT
3 cups POWDERED SUGAR

Decorations:
1 cup FLAKED COCONUT, toasted
15 fresh RASPBERRIES, halved

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin pans with paper baking cups.
2. Beat butter, sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.
3. Stir in sfited flours, coconut, sour cream and frozen raspberries. Divide mixture among baking cups; smooth surface.
4. Bake about 40 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack to cool.
5. Make cream cheese frosting by beating butter, cream cheese and coconut extract until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sifted powdered sugar.
6. Remove baking cups from cakes; spread cakes with frosting (sides and tops).
7. Decorate cakes with coconut and raspberries.

I find my flaked coconut at the local grocery store. It is Red Mill brand and it is the only I've ever seen. I got this and many more fantastic recipes from Cupcakes by Pamela Clark.

Sweet Potatoes

Calder LOVES his sweet potatoes. He actually prefers squash but he's a huge fan of both. In the picture below you can see him sucking on the first two fingers of his left hand. That is something he does A LOT. And sometimes he throws the third in for good measure. As you can see in the above picture.