Cupcake to Try

I love a good cupcake and always searching for the winner place to buy one. I was going to buy them for my little man's bash but then when you start to ring up 30 cupcakes at $2.75 each. Hmmmmm that really adds up quickly. So I was on the hunt for a cupcake recipes that I would just die for.

 I found it. There is a great site you can make these beauties for yourself or the ones you love. First you need a great cake, something moist and not difficult to put together right. I have it here.
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/05/easy-white-cake/

It is a cake box that has been spiced up. With just a few extra ingredients you have a master cupcake.

While I was visiting my sister and her family down south we were watching Alton Brown making Lemon curd. HMMMMMMM.....the wheels in my head starting turning. We should hollow out a white cupcake and fill it with his lemon curd. Oh and we did.

Next you need a light frosting, something just right to enhance the flavor of this delicious cupcake you have just produced. I have two recipes for you. I feed my little man this one. only I added a few drops of Lemon essential oil and it enhanced the cupcake perfectly.  The vanilla cupcakes for the kids I used this frosting.  http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/03/sweetened-whipped-cream/

The second frosting I used at my party was this one
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/09/perfect-cupcake-frosting-and-filling/
Yes this is the perfect frosting or filler. I have used both vanilla extract and lemon essential oil in this frosting, all I can say it is the bomb! For the adults I used this frosting on the lemon curd cupcakes.

 Now take a look at these cupcakes, doesn't make you want to try these recipes for yourself?

Dressing like the Big Boys

I could not resist putting these pictures together of our little man. His west coast cousins gave him this outfit when they were here last year. Now little man is dressing like the big boys of DC.

Little Man Mustache Bash

Little man has turned one and it was only appropriate to celebrate. You may say it was more for us then for him. It is a big deal. First of that we all made it through our first year together, second that this little treasure is in our lives. We wanted so long for his arrival into our family. This celebration only made it that much more special to our family. 

We had lots of food.

  I made little sandwiches of Turkey and Ham.  There was also a curry chicken salad in mini pitas.  Bowtie pasta salad and mixed fruit salad.  To wet your Whiskers were mini waters and milk

We invited friends in on the celebration.

We had Lemon Curd Cupcakes and Vanilla with a whipped cream frosting, as well as chocolate Cake Pop.

Little man completely enjoyed his Cupcake.

 

Next he opened his presents.  

We set up a Photo Booth with props for people to take pictures.

Here are a few of our friends who joined in on the fun.

Aren't they cute?

This little family is so sweet.  Their Little man is a few weeks younger than our little man.

Here is our new Family picture.

We gave out Chocolate Mustaches as a party favor.  It was a wonderful party.  We are so happy to be able to share it with our friends and that we have little man in our family.

 

 

 

It's official we have a Toddler

It's official we have a Toddler on our hands. My little man has turned "ONE". We are so lucky to have him in our life. He is a treasure to our family.

First Cupcake

For breakfast he had a cupcake.  His first cupcake.  He was more interested in the balloon at first until he dips his hands in the frosting.  Then he took both hands and pulled the whole cupcake to his mouth and sucked it up.  I will post the video later.
 

Eating it with both hands in his mouth

It was so much fun to see him respond to a whole cupcake for himself.

Mega Block Play

Eating Cheerios later that morning

Then came the presents.  He loved everything that was given to him.  We gave him a elephant that shoots balls, a red fire engine truck and his Aunt and Uncle sent him some mega block that he loves.  I will post him playing as well late on video. 

 We love watching him play and interact with his toys. He has grown up so much in the last month.

Little Man Walking

Little Man took his first steps almost 2 weeks ago. He walked to his daddy who was holding a computer mouse. That was the motivation to get him going. Since then we have just let him do his own thing. This is what he does all day long around the house.

Little Man First Sleep Over

I never thought I would be posting this for my little man at such a young age. Little man had his first sleepover a few weeks ago at only 10 months. It was the hardest thing for me to do. But with the kindness of our friends my mind was at ease for those hours he was away.

Why would I send my little man on a sleep over at such a young age? We had a family emergency and so I needed to find little man a place of safety and security until things could settle down. Little man did great and from these pictures of his friend from this sleepover you can tell he was well taken care of.

Thanks Sarah and your family for taking care or our little man.

11 Months Old

Hooray Little man is 11 months old. We have almost survived one year with him. Or he has survived a year with us. Either way I can't believe it has almost been a full year since he has joined our family. I am completely in love with him and everything he does. He can do no wrong at this point. Even with his new scream he does at me.

Little man has 7 teeth. Four on his upper and three on his lower.

Little man has mastered his pincher fingers, he loves his Cheerios and anything he can pick up and put right into his mouth.

Little man cruises along the wall, couch and stands up to look out the window and watch what is happening outside.
Little man is able to stand all by himself. He is so close to taking his first step.
Little Man has added a bunch new foods to his diet and loves to eat what his mommy and daddy eats.

Little man was introduced to a blueberry donuts from Duncan Donuts during mommy's stress eating episode.

Little man had his first chocolate when he grabbed his cousin chocolate donuts, while sitting next to him in the back seat of the car.

Little man is saying Momma and Dada.

Little man is truly amazing in the eyes of his parents.

Spring Time in DC

It has been the perfect weather here for the past few weeks. The sun is out and the traces of winter is subsiding. I love spring. I enjoy watching the bare branches form their first buds. Then as a matter of days the trees and flowers pop out. Two weeks ago these trees were bare. Can you believe so much beauty can be produced in only a two week period of time. Like I said. I just love spring. I will never get tired of taking pictures of the blossoms here or smelling their sweet fragrance as you walk by.Spring is here and we are enjoy this time as a family.

First Haircut

So Adam needed to go get a haircut and while we were there we decided to get little man a first haircut. He did a great job. He just sat there and let the lady do her job.
My little man is now looking like a little boy with his new haircut. I regret then buzzing him. It will grow back in time.

Teething Beads

I just recently found out about these teething beads. I met a friend of my sister's who swore by them. She wished she had these for her older children. So after looking at them and then reading about them, I thought I would give it a try.

Amber Teething Necklace-the natural choice for mother and child

Baltic amber helps with teething pain

•Immune boosting properties •Reduction in teething pain •Calm a baby without resorting to drugs •Anti-inflammatory and therapeutic properties •Recognized by allopathic medicine as a natural analgesic

Baltic Amber has some of the highest concentrations of Succinic Acid found in nature, and this is what makes it so special.

Want to read more about these beads? Check it out.
http://www.amberartisans.com/amtene4.html

The package arrived today and I immediately put them on my little man. I don't know if they work yet. As little man was teething today and was pretty grumpy. I still used my Lavender essential oil which is a charm on him. Once I am convinced these beads work I will definitely be posting about it.
In the mean time here is my little man in his teething beads. I kind of think he is looking a little like a hippie child in the them. Especially this picture of him.


Oh do you see his bruise he got on his head. I found out that lavender essential oil helps. It was a goose egg two days ago.