My sweet, little girl, you are 3 months old today! I cannot believe how much you’ve grown and changed since you 1st arrived on the scene.

At 1 week old . . .

. . .

. . . and now at 3 months old!

You are still such an amazing sleeper; thank you so much for that baby girl! Last night you slept from 8pm until 6:40am this morning :) I had to keep checking to make sure you were ok, and you were, just snug as a bug, sleeping the night away.

You have gotten so adorably chubby from all of your awesome nursing! You’re already out growing some of your 3 month sleepers because you’re so tall!

You are getting so active too Lu! We definitely have to keep a close eye on your wiggly butt now; no more unattended Lu on changing tables ;) You look like you’re constantly trying to do crunches, (getting that girly shape in order), and trying to sit up. You’re so strong!

My loving baby girl, I have so enjoyed your sweetness that is already so apparent in your demeanor. You hold my hand with both of your hands while you nurse. You smile every time I smile at you and call you “pretty.” You turn your head and whole body into our touch when we tickle and play with you. Yesterday you laid on a blanket at Auntie Kenzie’s softball game and just cooed and kicked and smiled for almost the entire game.

Sorry, but it seems like you’re going to be like your Mama and big brother . . . quite the conversationalist! Whenever we talk to you or sing to you, you reciprocate with the sweetest noises and “words.” You love to hear us talk and you love to answer us too!

Lu, you are so my girlfriend! Letting me get a pedicure while you just slept happily on my chest. Letting me put you in the baby bjorn to shop or walk to the park and usually just falling asleep in it. Sitting happily in your monkey bouncer while I bake cupcakes or make dinner. Nursing demurely and sitting content while we play at the beach. And sleeping like an angel in your swing while Mama blogs :)

Your Dada, big brother, and I are so in love with you baby girl!

Dada calls you 'little lady.'

Riley calls you 'Sissy' or 'Sucy,' (I think it's a combo of sissy and Lucy).

And I call you 'Pretty.'

By any name, you’re our sweet, baby girl and we can’t wait to see what this next month will bring!

Sweet, smiling angel baby :)

You have made having 2 kids so much easier Lu! Thank you for being you!

Love,

Your Mama

So yeah, life has been nice and busy and truly amazing! I feel like a big, braggy dork saying this, but . . . it’s true. I wake up every morning with a rainbow sticking out of my butt :) My life is kinda awesome right now! I am so so in love with my kiddos . . .

My little twins :)

. . . and my wonderful husband is kicking’ ass at work! I’m just so excited to see him when he gets home every night, (thank you ‘Fifty Shades,’ those who have read it will know what I mean), and I love how excited Riley gets to see him each night too. Our Dada made my mother’s day so special! We had so much fun at Laguna Beach . . .

Dada and Lu at Laguna Beach :)

. . . it was Dada’s 1st time getting to see how much Riley loves the beach and most importantly the water!

Dada and Riley digging in the sand :)

I love love loved watching my auburn haired boys play in the water while I nursed Lulu :)

The girls :)

Plus Dada wrote me the sweetest card on the planet, made me cry of course, and let me pick something off of my Amazon wish list, (which by the way is getting out of control! I am addicted to Amazon right now! Yikes!), so I chose these lovely shoes that I have been lusting after since I saw ‘Crazy Stupid Love,’ (Julianne Moore wore them in the teacher’s conference scene).

Lucky Brand Grey Clogs, yes, I said clogs :)

I know you’re probably thinking, clogs???? Didn’t we wear those in middle school???? But these are so so cute and I cannot wait for them to come in the mail! I love Amazon! My birthday is coming up . . . Amazon gift card anyone?? I’m just sayin’ :)

I have also bought some other cool things off of Amazon lately, but that’s a separate blog on its own, so maybe tomorrow we’ll catch up on that??

So pretty much what I’m saying is every day feels like Mother’s Day to me :) Yeah, some days are hard and cleaning bathrooms sucks, but feeling like I’m myself again and I can manage these 2 kids, no problem, and my husband likes me and is happy too, that’s what we call winning friends!

Last Sunday was Opa’s birthday . . .

The Adkins Boys :)

. . . so we of course went to Gustav’s Jagerhaus with the family to celebrate, (admittedly not my favorite kind of food, but it’s Opa’s fav and my dinner was actually not too bad). Look how cute the boys are?! Riley loves his cousin!

I tried a new “tropical” rendition of the Chia Seed Refrigerator Oatmeal . . .

Tropical Refrigerator Oatmeal

. . . just add 1/4 cup chopped pineapple, 2 tbsp. toasted coconut, and 1 tbsp. chopped macadamia nuts to the Refrigerator Oatmeal base. So yummy!

My Aunt Barbara asked me to make 240 mini cupcakes for her company’s annual open house, and Opa came to take Riley to the Long Beach Aquarium for the day, so I had the free time to get them done. But I did go and get my 1st post-baby pedicure first . . .

Finally, non-hobo looking feet :) Should have maybe picked a darker polish though, hmmm . . .

. . . while Lucy slept on my chest. That girl is such a good baby! I did also find a 1/8 cup measuring cup at the store while I was getting the cupcake supplies . . .

FINALLY!!!!!!!

. . . which as you can see from the label is a coffee scoop. No biggie right? Wrong! It has taken me over a year to find one of these scoops. No where seemed to have it. I found it in the baking aisle at Pavilions, who woulda thought?

Lucy was such a dream while I groomed and shopped and baked . . .

She smiled and cooed in her car seat after the grocery store while I baked :) Love this kid! Keeper for sure!

. . . so I was able to get all of the cupcakes baked and mostly frosted by the time Riley came home . . .

Lemon Minis with Lemon Buttercream

. . . more cupcakes . . .

Coconut Cake with Coconut Buttercream topped with Toasted Coconut (that's a lot of coconut!)

. . . and some more . . .

Birthday Cake Minis, Yellow Cake with Godiva Chocolate Buttercream

. . . and a few more . . .

Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Buttercream topped with Reese's minis

. . . and the final 48 . . .

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing topped with fresh Red Velvet crumbs

. . . whew! That was a lot of cupcakes, but the ladies were happy! We also met up with friends from Vegas who were visiting and staying in Laguna Beach after our cupcake drop-off. I wasn’t planning on a beach day since it had been raining all morning, but luckily I had a swim diaper in the diaper bag and Jessica loaned me some beach attire, so a beach day we had. Riley loves the water!

McKenzie also had her senior prom Friday, so we went to Long Beach for the day to do her hair and makeup . . .

My little Kenzie is in the front row, 2nd from the left, so beautiful in purple!

. . . beautiful right?! Can’t believe my little baby went to her prom and leaves for college in the fall, insane!!!

Oma’s birthday is tomorrow, so after work yesterday, we went to Brooke’s house for a family dinner to celebrate. I know cute pics were taken, but not by me ;)

And then another very full work day for me today, (so not complaining about being busy, just a long long day). I guess the girl was really fussy all day for Joey, which makes me feel awful and Riley went to go spend the night with Oma and Opa, so now I’m home with no Riley and Lucy is sacked out, weird! But nice to be with Joey :) So night night for now. More of the crazy busy life later!

Gone are the days of looking things up in an encyclopedia or a dictionary, (kinda sad yeah?), but here are the days of instantaneous knowledge provided so generously by Google. If I need a new recipe or don’t know who voices Cody Maverick in ‘Surf’s Up,’ (Shia LeBeouf in case you were wondering), I just Google it.

So I have been very interested/obsessed with chia seeds lately. Due to the fact that almost every “healthy eating/recipe” blog I go to uses them in some way or another, I felt it was my duty to research them, buy some, incorporate them in a real way, and then of course, most importantly, tell you about it.

I first looked up where to buy them. Sprouts or Whole Foods, of course. So since Lucy had her 2 month checkup last week, we went last Thursday to Sprouts, (because it’s right next door to the pediatrician). I also got a great watermelon, some quinoa, and dried sour cherries from the bulk section, (I’ve always wanted to make quinoa and I love love love dried cherries!) And since I had found out that chia seeds are not just pretty :), (they look like teeny, black sesame seeds), but they are really good for you . . .

*Chia seeds contain omega 3 fatty acids, (essential fats your body does not make, but needs to function properly). Omega 3 fatty acids are loaded with protein, which is great for healthy skin, hair, and nails.

*Chia seeds are high in calcium and naturally have Boron in them which transfers the calcium into your bones.

*Chia seeds are good for lowering cholesterol and are good for a diabetic because they have a Glycemic Index of 1. Chia seeds supply fiber in 2 forms: insoluble and soluble, (soluble fiber has been found helpful for both of these conditions by slowing down your body’s conversion of starches into sugars).

*Chia seeds are a raw food, so you don’t have to cook them and you can simply add them to foods you already love. Plus they have a very neutral, non-flavor, so they’re easy to incorporate into almost any dish.

*Chia seeds fill you up, (when they come in contact with liquid, they grow 9x their size), so they slow down the absorption of carbs to control the appetite.

*Chia seeds can be stored for long periods of time without going rancid (like flaxseed) and don’t require grinding, so you can be frugal and buy them in bulk.

*Chia seeds are high in fiber and help digestion . . .

this last ‘fun fact’ was what really pushed me to find a cool way to incorporate these little seeds into a daily diet because my Dad, (and Riley’s Pa :) ), suffers from GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and there were a ton of people on these pro-chia forums saying that a daily dose of chia seeds has helped almost cure their GERD. So how could I not find a way to get my dad to eat these?!

I of course decided that oatmeal was my 1st and best ticket for my dad, (he’s as in love with it as I am, but doesn’t eat it as much as I do). There is a totally bad ass site called The Yummy Life and it is chock-full of awesome, healthy recipes that are configured for Weight Watchers points, but the creator, Monica’s grandest achievement on the site, (in my opinion), is her bad ass Refrigerator Oatmeal. Go to her site if you want to try her awesome flavors. I went a bit off the board, using her basis for each flavor to make my own flavors; (I in no way think my flavors are better than hers, I just used what I had and what I like. I also love things to be chewy and crunchy, thus the added dried fruits and nuts). You all know my oatmeal love :) I’ve written about it time and time and time again, with my fav being my Peg’s Nature’s Bonanza, which is also a refrigerator oatmeal, so away I went.

Refrigerator Oatmeal

First . . . get all of your crap together. These ingredients will get you started with each flavor. (*Monica from The Yummy Life makes her refrigerator oatmeal in adorable, little mason jars, but a trip to Wal Mart was not in the cards after Lucy’s shots at the pediatrician, but these little, screw top Glad containers worked great!) Also, gather up any fresh or dried fruit you want to use, nuts, and extracts.

Refrigerator Oatmeal Supplies

Then . . . make the base.

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup uncooked old fashioned oats

-1/3 cup milk, (I used coconut milk, but you can use whichever low fat milk is your fav)

-1/4 cup Greek yogurt, (I used 0% to keep this lower in fat)

-1 1/2 tsp. dried chia seeds

-1 tsp. honey

Put oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, and honey in your container, and shake to combine.

And here’s where you can get creative. Monica has 6 awesome flavors that you can try, but here are the flavors I went with.

Now . . . to your mixed base add your fruits, nuts, and other mix-ins.

Apple Spice Pecan Refrigerator Oatmeal

Apple Spice Pecan Refrigerator Oatmeal

To base add,

-1 tbsp. pecans, chopped

-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

-1 packet unsweetened cinnamon applesauce, (these little “squishies” are Riley’s fav, so we always have them around. They have them at Target, Wal Mart, and some grocery stores. They measure about 1/3 cup. Just use regular unsweetened applesauce if you don’t have these).

-2 tbsp. dried apple, chopped

Then . . . use a fork to incorporate these mix-ins. Cover with lid and refrigerate overnight.

I also made the same version of the apple spice with 1 tbsp. of walnuts instead of pecans.

Apple Spice Walnut Refrigerator Oatmeal

Apple Spice Walnut Refrigerator Oatmeal

The first one I made was Strawberry Coconut Walnut Refrigerator Oatmeal. It was pretty yummy too!

Strawberry Coconut Walnut Refrigerator Oatmeal

To the base add . . . 

-1/4 cup strawberries, chopped

-1 heaping tbsp. shredded coconut, toasted

-1/2 tsp. coconut extract

-1 tbsp. walnuts, chopped

Then . . . again use a fork to incorporate into base, cover with lid, and refrigerate overnight before eating.

My ultimate fav though was the Chocolate Cherry Almond Refrigerator Oatmeal.

Chocolate Cherry Almond Refrigerator Oatmeal

Mix in . . .

-2 tbsp. sour dried cherries, (the ones from Sprouts in the bulk section are amazing!)

-1 tbsp. sliced, toasted almonds

-1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

-1 packet sweetener, (I found that I needed a bit extra sweetener because the unsweetened cocoa just tasted bitter to me without it. I used Splenda, but use whatever you like.)

Again . . . with a fork, combine with base, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

It was so much fun to pull all 4 of these awesome flavors out the next morning . . .

Mmmm, yes I took a bite from each one, (just to make sure they weren't poison :)

. . . and yes, my Dad and Cindy both liked them, (they both chose the apple spice varieties). This morning I was out of my pre-made loot, so I made a quickie version with the base, using a bit less milk, and added strawberries, dried cherries, and almonds, and let it set for about 10 minutes in the refrigerator and it was perfect!

Quick-style Strawberry Cherry Almond Refrigerator Oatmeal

Sorry my blog about refrigerator oatmeal isn’t as organized as The Yummy Life, but I’m working on getting a recipe page added, (that is whenever my crazy busy husband can find the time to program and design one for me).

My new healthy goal for the week is to DRINK TONS OF WATER! Since the chia seeds absorb liquid, I don’t want to unintentionally rob my body of water, plus it’s good for the nursing mama and for general health. I was so excited to have lost 2 pounds this week without much effort. Just good, healthy eating. My app on my phone says I need to lose 68 pounds to be in a healthy BMI range, and 2 pounds per week will get me there by Christmas; (that will put me at 15 pounds lighter than when I 1st met Joey, when I was 20 :) so we’ll see).

Please let me know if you try any of these refrigerator oatmeal flavors or come up with your own! I have the ingredients to try a few new ones this week. I’ll keep you posted friends.

Happy 2 month Birthday Little Lulu!

Dear Lucy,

My precious little girl, you were 2 months old yesterday! At the same time I feel like you were just born yesterday, but I also can’t remember life before your sweet little face was here.

While Dada is working so hard and such long hours, he doesn’t get to see you too much during the week, but thank you for being such a sweetie to him and cooing and smiling when he holds you at night and in the morning. He loves you so much! You’ll have him wrapped around your little finger in no time :)

Lucy and Dada :)

Your big brother loves you so much too! He thinks it is “so funny” when you kick your legs and move your arms like crazy, (it kind of looks like you’re running in place). He always says you’re “so cute,” and he loves to help Mama burp you, he tucks toys in your swing and car seat all the time, and always asks you “what’s the matter?” when you’re crying. He might get a little rough with you sometimes, but it’s just because he’s 2 and he loves you like crazy!

Lulu and her big brother :)

Aw, that pictures melts my heart! That sleeper was Riley’s, crazy! I bought that same one in almost every size until he was 1 because it was the 1st outfit he ever wore and now you get to wear it too Lu :)

Mama is so crazy about you baby girl. I seem to call you “pretty” all the time, because you really are! You are such a pretty baby! I love watching you fill out because it lets Mama know that her milk is doing your body good. Thank you still for being such a great sleeper and eater! It makes Mama and Dada so happy and well rested for once :) I love how much you’ve been talking lately! Your sweet little coo is one of my favorite sounds in the world. You’ve been so good with all of our outings too; mostly sleeping so sweetly in the carrier on Mama. You’re a nursing machine, which can get a bit tiring, but I know you’re hungry and growing, so it’s ok :) And I love watching you kick and bat around on the play mat; although your brother rarely lets you be in it alone :) He loves being right next to you, what can I say?!

Lu and Mama :)

I can’t wait to see how much you weigh and how you’re doing in general when we go for your 2 month checkup today. You’re my perfect little angel and I love having you in our lives! Can’t wait to see what you’ll be doing this next month.

Chubby Cheeked Lu :)

I love you so much Lu!

Love,

Mama

Lucy had her 1st beach trip yesterday :) We met our lovely friends Meghan and Myles at Laguna Beach, (which I realized, oddly enough, that I had never been there before, weird!), and had a blasty blast. Riley wasn’t so sure about the water at 1st, requiring Meghan to hold him when the water came to shore, but he quickly realized, after following his fearless friend’s lead, that the ocean is awesome! The little girl slept most of the time in the Baby Bjorn on me, which was nice. Awesome area, I think that’s where I want to spend Mother’s Day, which is rapidly approaching, yikes! A day at the beach with my boys and my little Lu . . . perfect sounding day to me :)

Today we met Beth and the kiddos and Gina and Grayson at Lake Mission Viejo, which was even more awesome because there are no waves. Riley did unfortunately get stung by a bee :( but he only cried for a minute. He also played at the playground with Hannah, but for the most part, played and splashed and threw sand in the water; he didn’t want to get out. He did equally love the post-lake shower to get the sand off of him! (It’s the simple things for kids. Who knew those little showers by the beach were so much fun?) Lu slept most of the time in the Baby Bjorn again, which has now given me a bitchin’ farmer’s tan; the mark of a true mother :) But now that I’m showered with both kiddos asleep, I feel so happy that we’re all getting some much needed outside time. (*On a side note, why is there nothing better than a shower after time in the sun? Sublime!)

The eating better is going good. I made an awesome, if I do say so myself, roast chicken and roasted brussel sprouts, onions, and carrots on Monday night. I just felt like eating better doesn’t have to mean deprivation, so a roast chicken it was. Plus it was only $7.50 for the whole chicken and I already had all of the veggies. I didn’t make a carby side, tough, but no rice, pasta, or potatoes, but we were more than full. Not doing no carbs, just trying to limit when possible.

Delicious, yet so simple, Roast Chicken and Vegetables

I followed the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe to a tee, except that I used dried thyme instead of fresh and evoo instead of butter, personal preference and what I had on hand. I think I may steal her idea and make a roast chicken once a week; so good and so cheap!

My mom brought us over pasta with red sauce and ground turkey for dinner last night, which was so good and so nice of her! It’s nice to take a break from making dinner sometimes :) She also made Riley crack up like crazy when she was skipping back and forth across our living room in time with Foofa on Yo Gabba Gabba, so funny!

I think pork loin and more roasted veg for dinner tonight. We’ll see what protein inspires me at the store later???

Happy Spring!

The last few weeks have entailed lots of busyness, and for me, unfortunately, lots of Easter candy shame eating :( Sweets are my jam dude! I could just eat sweet crap all day and be a very happy, albeit very fat, girl. This candy shame spiral has made me gain a few pounds and after seeing a picture of myself that my brother-in-law posted on Facebook from Easter, made me cry. I unwittingly didn’t take advantage of my nursing induced weight loss, which did help me shed all of my baby weight gain. I have regressed into crappy eating habits from the past and feel as bad as the food I’m eating. Yes it was wonderful to see those 25 baby pounds gone and to put my pre-baby jeans on with no issues, but I wasn’t at “fighting weight” before I got pregnant, so here I am.

I don’t like to be a cliche girl and whine about weight on a blog, but I have to be honest with you guys; this is where I am. I work in a salon with beautiful girls, and now that I have finished my 1st full weekend back to work, with my black skinny jeans (haha!) pulled up high, barely containing my FUPA, I’m ready to make a change.

I did so great for most of my pregnancy with eating healthily and intelligently, I just have lost my way a bit. So instead of joining Weight Watchers, which was my initial plan, I decided to go back to my smart, healthy eating menu when I was working with my Bulgarian guru, Galya, back in September. I know how to eat smart. I know that I need to not gorge myself on pasta, rice, white potatoes, and sweets. I know that I need to stay away from fast food. Duh and duh!

So here we go. I will try so hard to not get too annoying here friends. I’m no authority on weight loss. I’m just a typical girl that has struggled with weight pretty much my whole life. I’m ready to reclaim my former body, pre-baby, (which I know is not completely possible because babies change your body and I’m not 18 anymore). But I can definitely eat healthier, move more, and start feeling better. I’m just so tired of not feeling good. I’m not trying to rock a thong on the beach. I just want to feel comfortable in my own skin . . . and for goodness sakes, I want to not always have to pull my shirts down, my pants up higher, and always cover my arms with a sweater, ugh!

I’m not going to stop baking or loving sweet things, but I think my posts are going to start including a lot more healthy fare. Summer is just around the corner and I’d like to not want to hide under a rock when that time comes. Plus I have a closet full of clothes staring at me, wanting to be worn. I have a pair of Gap jeans, that I have actually never worn, 2 sizes smaller than where I am now, and they will be my inspiration and my feel good goal.

First things first . . . my immediate goal/change for the week will be NO FAST FOOD! I think I’ll try to make a new, healthy goal each week, but this one is just a duh duh duh for good eating, (although Galya does eat In-N-Out every week, but she gets a double double protein style). I can’t control myself with not getting fries and other shenanigans, so none for me for now.

I have some brussel sprouts in the fridge that I’m dying to make for dinner tonight; yes I do actually love brussel sprouts, (not as much as ice cream, but who does??). I think I’m going to try the Barefoot Contessa’s super simple roasting preparation. I’ll report back tomorrow.

My new fav iPhone app, Frametastic! Just a glimpse of a day in the life at our house :)

Oh, and my kiddos are doing great by the way! We spent the week getting Riley out of our bed and into his own for the duration of the night, with much success! A Cars night lite, an earlier bed time, slightly shorter naps for the power napper, and lots of self control for mama to not go in there when he cries, “Mama get cozy,” and he’s back in his bed in his room, yeah!!!! Since our little Lulu is such an awesome sleeper, getting up once maybe twice during the night, our sleep and our bed is a happy place again! The girl has her 2 month checkup this week, so we’ll see how chubby and tall she’s getting. And aside from the huge scratch on his cheek from a tussle at the park, Riley is doing so great! Lots of talking and playing. Joey’s job is also going great! Lots of challenging work, but with projects for the Smashing Pumpkins, Jason Mraz, Red Bull Records, John Mayer, and Dave Matthew’s Band, (pardon the name dropping, I’m just so completely proud of him!!!), on his lineup, he’s a happy man. Happy life here!

What is your favorite green veggie? And how do you prepare it in a yummy, healthy way? I need inspiration friends :)

Irvine Park, if you haven’t been, is quite awesome at celebrating pretty much every major holiday. We have been there for Halloween and Christmas, (who could forget our 1st meeting with Santa this past Christmas), and now for Easter. As a part-time SAHM, I have found that getting out of the house is crucial to maintaining the sanity of all parties in my house, and it breaks the day up in a better way than watching ‘Toy Story’ 1, 2, and 3 on loop and watching trash trucks on the iPad :), so I was very excited for a day at the park!

They did it up right at Irvine Park, (which can I just brag that I was on time to meet my in laws and all 3 of us were bathed and “duded” up for the occasion, (it may not seem like a huge feat, but those with more than 1 kid will get my braggery, getting out of the house, especially whilst nursing, can seem impossible). I digress, shocker!

I did feel a bit like a pageant mom getting Lucy ready . . .

Lucy and her Oma :)

. . . but how could I resist hot pink tulle and polka dots?! Plus this outfit is newborn size, so I have to get at least a few wears in before it’s too small.

1st the boys rode the train with Opa . . .

Opa and his grandsons :)

. . . that man loves his boys! He even comes once a week to take Riley on a cool play date! This week they went to the Santa Ana Zoo. I’m impressed that he can handle a 2 year old and a 4 year old (our nephew Joey) at the same time, in public :)

Then we met the Easter Bunny . . .

1st time my kiddos met the Easter Bunny!

. . . and Riley tried to make a break for it with the prop Easter eggs during Joey’s pic with the furry dude . . .

Anything even somewhat ball shaped, Riley thinks is his property :)

. . . then the boys bounced in a jumpy and then got to do an Easter egg hunt . . .

Riley hunting for eggs :)

. . . Riley didn’t like the 8 egg limit for the hunt, especially when he caught me throwing the excess eggs out of his basket while I thought he wasn’t looking, but he got lots of fun candy and stickers . . .

Going over his loot with Opa :)

. . . which I of course accidentally left in the car later, along with the cookie he decorated, so they were a nice, melty mess that secretly got thrown away, oops! We then had a lovely picnic lunch, courtesy of Oma and Brooke, (I only brought cupcakes, they brought everything else, slacker!!) . . .

Lunch time :)

. . . which fueled up the boys to run around a bit more . . .

Easter boys :) Look at that big, genuine smile on Opa's face! He sure loves those dudes!

. . . and launched us perfectly into nap time for the ride home . . .

Happy Easter Egg-Heads!

. . . all in all a great day! Lots of fresh air and family time!

More Easter fun to follow this weekend :) Plus lots of baking, treat making, and driving all over to visit the fam.

Happy Easter friends!

My kiddos are adorable, all be it still stuffy, but adorable none the less. Here’s some proof in case you don’t believe me.

Frametastic is the greatest app for making these little collages :)

I was going through the pics on my phone to see if I had any good enough for a birth announcement for Lucy, and stop me if I’m wrong, but I think I found some great pics to use. She was so smiley today. And Riley is newly obsessed with my iPad :), which is kind of great because it keeps him occupied and we don’t have to watch Toy Story all day. He switches between watching trash trucks in action and videos of the Aquabats, (whom I’m thanking for him being able to count to 5 now). Plus our tax appointment went great today, so I’m a happy camper!

Now that I’m home during the week, and baking always seems like a good idea to me, (it soothes me), I decided to designate 1 day per week to bake. I’m going to try and do it Thursdays or Fridays, so Joey can take leftovers to work. And by choosing 1 day, it will keep me from getting too dangerous with the goodies.

After all these years of baking, mostly cupcakes, they started losing their appeal for me. I could give away a whole batch and not even blink an eye. But post-baby, my sweet tooth seems to be in hyper drive! Crap! I have been like a crack-head at nights, searching for sweets, (which I have been trying to keep out of my house, so weird, sweet treats sometimes happen). After watching Cupcake Wars on Sunday, where they made a delicious looking cream cheese frosting, I thought a chocolate version was in order.

After scouring the web for recipes, I decided to go with what I know. Most cream cheese frostings are too sweet, (*Years ago when I 1st started my cupcake baking extravaganza, I didn’t understand this concept. A friend even said my cream cheese frosting was too sweet one time, and I thought she was nuts! It was frosting. It was supposed to be sweet. Now I know though. The least amount of powdered sugar you can add to a frosting, the better, because then you can actually taste the other ingredients. Lesson learned!), so I came up with my own recipe and it tasted so so good!

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

(Makes enough to frost 48 minis or 24 standard size cupcakes)

Ingredients:

-1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temp

-8oz. cream cheese, at room temp

-1 tsp. vanilla extract

-2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

-1/2 cup Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

Directions:

-Cream butter and cream cheese together until fluffy and incorporated.

-Mix in vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until fully incorporated.

-Mix in cocoa powder.

-Frost as desired.

(*You can add more powdered sugar if you want a stiffer frosting to pipe, or if you like a sweeter result. I have grown to like my cream cheese frosting to taste more like cheesecake. To each their own :) )

Don’t be too impressed though. This is just yellow cake mix and jimmies from Trader Joe’s. I wanted something sweet, but didn’t want to go to the store yesterday, and I’m the kind of nerd that always has these things on hand . . . don’t judge me! And I’m not selling these obviously; just thought ‘bake sale friday’ sounded cute :) (I did get some ‘snuggle bucks’ though ;)

I’ll try to make something more impressive next week. Ideas anyone?

While I have been doing a few clients here and there at the salon on the weekends, my first official day back to work is this Sunday; man those 6 weeks went fast! But because of Joey’s awesome new job and factoring in the cost of daycare vs. working during the week, I’m only going back to work with the amazing schedule of working every other Saturday and every Sunday :) So I guess I’m a part-time SAHM, weird! But I do still love doing hair and while my “supplementary income” is kinda sad, it still does help. I still haven’t quite adjusted to and/or accepted the fact that my hair income hasn’t been what it was in Vegas, in more than a year. It’s a bit of an ego blow, to be honest, but I have to accept what I cannot change, (sounds like I’m reciting an AA mantra or something). So, for the time being, this is my life :)

But I do get the amazing gift of hanging out with these beauties every day!! Thanks to my amazing, hard working, gorgeous husband! We love you Dada!

My gorgeous little Lucy :)

Can’t forget this goofball!

My energetic, silly little Riley :) He thinks everything right now is "So funny!"

It doesn’t get much better or cuter than that!

It almost feels like I hadn’t truly accepted my new schedule until this morning, weird! But I have found, with much over-analyzing and self-reflection, that: 1) I love being home with my beautiful babies, but 2) It is really hard sometimes! yet, 3) going outside, even if only for a few minutes each day, is crucial and helps all 3 of us decompress, and 4) maintaining sanity while home requires me to “choose happiness” and not let tantrums or Lucy crying every night during “the witching hour” (6:30-7:30pm) (which also coincides with dinner time) or goldfish mashed into the carpet or Riley’s seemingly always messy room get me down, which has led me to know, not just hope, that 5) I am a good mom! (*I’m not saying that to brag. I’m saying it because how can I compliment others and love my own husband and children if I don’t own the fact that they are my world, and it’s a pretty great world! Partly because of me :) )

Happy Monday! (*Nice that being home during the week has taken the negative stigma of Monday away for me :) )