Sophia's Two Year Photos

Very intrigued by the "bubbles" on her dress

Maybe balloons were a bad idea...

I'm not really sure about this one

Trying to hide from the camera

Bribed with a lollipop!

Its Hard to Believe But its Really True...

Our little girl is turning 2!
I am still in shock that in less than one week, I will be the mother of a 2 year old. Wasn't she just born yesterday? What a joy these first two years have been. Watching her learn and develop has been the greatest joy of my life thus far, and I know that the journey will only get better. We celebrated Sophia's birthday this past Saturday while Daddy was in town. The Hungry Caterpillar theme could not have gone any better! It was somewhat stressful trying to cram 30 of our closest friends and family into our 1100 sq ft house, but I think we pulled it off! We tried to have most of the food be items from the book such as salami, swiss cheese, lollipops, apples, oranges, plums, etc... The planning and preparation was well worth it because I know that when Sophia sees these pictures and memories later in life, she will be so joyful.

The AWESOME birthday cake! Fondant is so much fun. This is the first of many fondant cakes to come!

A little help blowing out the candles

Bath time baby doll!

All these presents can make a girl tired!

First signs of a 2 year old: She insists on wearing her new boots!

Octopus Sprinkler from Grandma and Grandpa!

Operation Caterpillar!

I seriously love fondant! When we decided to do Sophia's party as a Hungry Caterpillar theme, I knew that the cake had to be awesome! I set out to learn everything I could about cake decorating and fondant. I did two trial runs before actually setting out to make her birthday cake. I have included the steps of making the fondant below. It is as easy as playing with play dough! I am hooked. This is only one of many awesome cakes to come. My next challenge is to make a cake completely covered in fondant.

Trying to make red fondant.

Flourless, Eggless, Sugarless, Delicous!

This recipe is slightly modified based on http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/nikkis-healthy-cookies-recipe.html . I was very skeptical of this recipe. How can these cookies not have sugar in them and still taste good? For those of you who don't know, I take a lot of pride in feeding my family all natural foods including very limited sweets. I must confess, despite being a "health nut" , I have an incredible sweet tooth! Needless to say, I had to give these cookies a try. The end result is outstanding. The coconut brings a great texture that compliments the heartiness of the oats while the chocolate chips add the perfect amount of sweetness.

Here is the recipe below:

Enjoy!

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)

2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Marveling Her Beauty

How can I not marvel in my daughter's beauty? She is beautiful! I get told by so many people how beautiful she is, and of course it makes me proud and happy to hear those comments and yet I also think to myself, "you don't even know her. You don't know how beautiful she is." I pray that Sophia does not grow up in a world that praises her for her outer beauty. I pray that she is praised for her kindness and her goodness. As her mother, I will always marvel in her beauty because she is especially beautiful to me. I felt her before any other human did. It was me that her little legs kicked and it was me who felt her hiccups before she came into this world. Each and everyday she lights me up, and that is something to marvel about.

Let There Be Grass!!!!

The moment we have all been waiting for has finally arrived! We have our very own backyard! I can't believe it has been a year since we bought our house. Our first plan of action was to put up a patio cover and lay cement, which we were able to do last summer. Our budget quickly ran out, and therefore we had to wait on the grass. One year later we are finally able to have a huge, beautiful lawn and the three of us are loving it!

I Love My Life!

What a beautiful and blessed life I have! My parents' birthdays are both at the end of March and this year my siblings and I decided it was time to take matters into our own hands and throw them a party. I was in charge on the cupcakes and appetizers, my brothers were in charge of grilling, my wonderful husband entertained Sophia while all this took place, and my sister and her husband hosted the party. It was really rewarding to do something so thoughtful for my parents after all they have done for us! The party was a huge success. What a great blessing to have all of us together at one time. It sure doesn't happen very often. The pictures of James and I were taken in Flagstaff. We were fortunate enough to get a weekend away in mid March thanks to my amazing mom watching Sophia. It was our first time away from her overnight and it was wonderful to have such quality time with the man I love. I really do love my life!