Wednesday, February 18, 2009

An Unexpected Moment

My leg tonight was used as the scene for a chicken race between 2 matchbox monster trucks. I held one of them while Connor smashed the other one into it and went "boom!" 

The cars crashed again and again. Then he picked them up, cradled them in his arms and rocked them as he whispers "my baby" ever so sweetly. Then the cars crashed again. 

The tender moments mixed in with the destructive. The wonders of little boys. 

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Boys don't do pink

Yesterday morning Connor and I went to a playdate at a friend's house. This friend has a 3-year-old girl, but her toys were a pretty good mix of "boy" toys and "girl" toys. She had just as many trucks and cars as she did play house things. Connor spent most of his time playing with the cars and trucks which are some of his favorite things. But near the end of our visit he caught sight of a guitar. 

It was pink. And Barbie. And played music. And had a lot more features than his guitars at home. And it was pink. 

I could care less. He was happy to be rocking out and playing the guitar. So happy that I couldn't get him to put it down so we could go home. 

My friend graciously told us to borrow it for a while. "She'll never realize it's gone and when you bring it back it'll be like a brand new toy."

Worked for me. 

Connor played with it while I was buckling him in. He played with it the whole car ride home. He played with it while we were walking in the front door to our house. 

"What the hell is that?" asked hubby. 

"It's a guitar."

"It's pink."

"It's a guitar."

"It's pink."

"We were at a little girl's house."

"It's pink."

"We're just borrowing it."

"It's pink."

Hubby couldn't quite get over the color despite the fact that pink used to be the preferred color for little boys and despite the fact that it is just a color. But he's a man, so only manly things are appropriate for his little boy. Silly men.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Chocolate Cupcakes

Yesterday we had a small celebration for Connor's birthday. Instead of the traditional cake, I decided to recreate something I saw at Coldstone Creamery. It's a chocolate cupcake shell, with cupcake in the bottom, a scoop of ice cream on top and then whipped cream to look like frosting. It looked delicious but a little too pricey for me. So I decided to recreate it myself. I sadly forgot to take photos while making them, but did take one of the finished product. 


The hardest part was figuring out how to make the shell. I ended up using 2 jumbo foil cupcake wrappers. I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips in a bowl (about 2 handfuls per shell), then sprayed pam on the inside of one wrapper. I used a big spoon to scoop some chocolate into the bottom of the wrapper, then scraped some more along the rim. I took the second wrapper and pammed the outside of it, then pushed it into the chocolate until it seemed like it took the correct form. I refrigerated the chocolate for a couple hours until hard. 

Next, I made a batch of cupcakes that were normal sized. I cut off the tops and put the bottom part in the shell. I topped with a scoop of ice cream and some whipped cream. I made my own cake mix and whipped cream, but you could always use store-bought. 

Here's a top view:

They were super yummy but a little too involved to make in a large quantity. I made 11 and it took probably a total of 2 hours to make them, not including refrigeration and baking times. 

I definitely recommend trying them though! I had one extra and put it in the fridge. The ice cream melted and absorbed into the cake making it extra mushy. Mmmmm. 

Oh, and I took the cupcake tops and made a chocolate trifle. Layer the cupcakes, chocolate pudding, and cool whip in that order. Repeat for a second layer and you're done. I usually use Entenmann's Chocolate Fudge Cake, but figured this would be just as yummy. Hubby is bringing it to work tomorrow so I'll let you know how they like it. 

Sunday, February 15, 2009

The Interview!

Jenny from Perfectly Disheveled was interviewed by a fellow blogger recently and then offered to interview her readers. I jumped at the chance to tackle some tough questions! I've enjoyed reading her blog immensely so make sure you check it out! Here goes:

1) How did you meet your husband? And how old were you when you got married?

First a warning: this story almost always gets an "awww" response. 

I met my husband in the third grade. (See, there you go awwwing) I have a picture of him from field day that year; he was standing in the back row, I was kneeling in the front row. Despite spending a year in the same class, I don't remember him. He, however, does remember me. In his words, he became "intrigued" by me and kept an eye out for me ever since. Then in 8th grade we were on the same bus. His older brother was friends with my older sister, so I went over to his house with her one day. I remember him being shy and not talking very much. After that, we would talk on the bus every day and became friends. Then he asked me out freshmen year of high school. I said no. I wasn't ready to date yet and didn't want to lose him as a friend. That fall, he asked me to a dance. I said no. Being the independent woman I was, I wanted to go to one school dance alone. Then, 2 short months later, we went to the winter semi-formal together and, one minute to midnight, he asked me out again. I said yes and we've been together ever since. He proposed when we were 18 and we got married at 21, just as I was finishing up college. He was my first and only boyfriend, and the only man I've ever kissed. 

2) How many children do you want and would you ever consider adoption?

I've always thought I wanted 4; my husband says 2. We compromised at 3. I would definitely consider adoption and would love to do some foster care once my husband is out of the military and we don't move as much. 

3) What are your guilty pleasures?

TV is definitely my guilty pleasure. Especially teen dramas like One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl. My husband doesn't understand it, but I can't help but watch them. 

4) You've now been both a Working mom and a SAHM. Which is harder and why?

I think both are hard in different ways. As a working mom, I worried I wasn't spending enough time with Connor. I was constantly stressed for time and felt guilty wanting some time away from him in the evenings or weekends to do grown-up things. I already spent so much time apart from him for work, I didn't want to do anything to increase that. I also found myself going through the motions a lot of days. But I did love interacting with other adults on a regular basis and having that sense of immediate accomplishment. Staying at home is some of the hardest work I've ever done. You have to search out activities and people. It can be very lonely during the day. You don't know if anything you're doing is accomplishing anything until much later. And my independent streak doesn't like not having a steady income. So, while both have their advantages, for me staying at home is more fulfilling work. Working full-time was not fulfilling anything but my bank account. I wouldn't trade this time with my son for anything. 

5) George Clooney or Brad Pitt?

Neither and both. George has those looks that kill me. That tall, dark, handsome confidence. Mmmm. But he seems self-centered and I don't think he'd be much fun for too long. Brad on the other hand is very handsome, but not my type. However, he seems very giving and family-oriented, which are qualities I greatly admire. If you could combine them, that would be perfect. Although I doubt I would say no to either of them if the circumstances were right. :)


Thanks Jenny for the interview! 

If you would like to be interviewed, let me know in the comments and I'll dig my journalist brain for some great questions!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day!

Just wanted to say a quick Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! 

Friday, February 13, 2009

Friday the 13th. Oooooo, scary.

It's Friday the 13th today! Most superstitious people believe that bad things happen today. But I disagree. Some of the best things have happened to me on Friday the 13th. My mom was born for starters. And that has lead to a lot of 13 related happenings for me. My favorite is that my son was born in delivery room 13. In my dazed mind in the middle of labor, I remember seeing that number and breathing a sigh of relief. That number is a lucky one, regardless of what other people say. 

Maybe it's just a matter of believing that good things will happen, so they do. If you focus on the negative, the bad will come to you too. So, go out and enjoy the wonderful Friday the 13th and believe that good things will happen!

Thursday, February 12, 2009

A Note to My Birthday Boy

Connor, 

You are a whole two years old today. I can't believe how quickly the time has passed! It seems like just yesterday that you were just a sweet little baby. 
You were so small then that you didn't seem real. You're so much bigger now. You're so smart and creative and funny. Here are some things that I hope I never forget about you at this age:

How you would laugh maniacally at random things. 

How you would say "I wub you" and "Peas" (please) while nodding your head. 

How you would say "Stop it" and cry a little when your sleeves wouldn't stay down. 

How I would ask you for a hug and you would wrap your arms around my neck so tightly. 

How I would ask for a kiss and you would press your cheek to mine and wait for me to kiss you. 

How your laugh would make my heart ache with happiness. 

How you were fascinated by all moving vehicles, but especially trains and cars. 

How you would stop what you were doing at the playground when a truck passed by, point, and yell "Bus!" 

How good a climber you were and your love of slides. 

How even at this age you would say "please" and "thank you" and wait your turn to go down the slide. 

How you loved all animals, sometimes a little too much. 

How you loved to draw, on everything. 

How you would rock back and forth on your feet to dance to tv theme songs you liked. 

How you would instantly charm everyone you met.

And most importantly, how much you were loved by everyone who met you and how thankful I am to have you in my life. 

So Happy Birthday Connor!!!! I look forward to celebrating many more with you!