Happy Four Months, Reed!

Reed, how in the world can you already be four months old? I feel like I blinked and here we are. You are SUCH a joy, baby boy! You are incredibly laid back and just go with the flow. We love you SO much!

• At the doctor on 2/3/12, you weighed 15 lbs 7 oz.
• You wear Size 2 diapers.
• We are about to retire most of your 3 month clothes.
• You are laughing out loud a lot more and it is the cutest little sound ever.
• When you see someone you recognize, you get excited and start kicking your legs and arms.
• You have gotten good at grabbing things with your hands.
• You had your first sickness last week and were such a trooper even though you didn’t feel well.
• You are still sleeping well. Being sick messed you up a little but you are back on track.
• You eat 25-30 ounces a day.
• On 2/5/12, you tried cereal for the first time. You weren’t so sure what to think. I’m sure it will grow on you
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• You still love Ava. If she is around you, you look at her and only her.
• You smile a lot and you have the biggest wide open mouth when you smile.
• I love your little nose. It is one of my favorite features on you.
• You are starting to splash a lot during bath time.
• You love to hold onto our fingers and it melts my heart!
• You LOVE to eat your hands!
• You had your four month shots today and your daddy said you didn’t even cry!!

We love you SO much sweet little Reed!!!!It appears you aren’t going to be cooperative with me on this much longer!! :) HAPPY FOUR MONTHS, REED!!!!!

Cupcake suckers!

Or cake pops if you prefer. Cupcake suckers is what Ava calls them. :) Or I have a friend who refers to them as SOAS. ;)

Anyway, I in no way came up with the concept (duh), but enjoy making them and thought I’d share my tips. I think these are tons easier than just making cake balls. Having them on a stick makes them so much easier to dip.

So, make your cake. You can pick any flavor. I went with funfetti. While it’s still warm, break it up into a bowl. Add your frosting.Mix it all together. I used my Pampered Chef potato masher and it works wonderfully for this! Looks lovely at this point. Once you get to this point, I highly recommend putting it in the refrigerator or freezer. It’s much easier to shape and mold if it’s cold. Then shape it into balls or whatever shape you prefer. I did some Valentine’s shapes in this batch. Once they are shaped, I cover them and put them in the freezer. I let them get good and cold before trying to stick the sticks in and dipping them. They are 10x easier to work with after some time in the freezer. I put the sticks in mine and stick them back in the freezer before starting the dipping process. For the outside coating, you can use vanilla or chocolate almond bark or colored candy melts.Melt your coating per the directions. I add a bit of shortening to mine to smooth it out and make it a little more runny. While that is melting, I set up my workstation. Yes, that is a strainer! I needed something to put them in after dipping to avoid a flat bottom. This works perfectly and it is something most everyone already has on hand!

Ava dipped for me while I took pictures. Just take  your cake pop and swirl it in the melted coating. I also tilt the bowl to help get the bottom covered.   Then add your decorations and stick it in the strainer to dry. This is how Ava’s ended up. I was very impressed! Finished product!!! Normal round ones, hearts, and lips!

These are a fun and easy treat and everyone loves them! They are also great at satisfying a sweet tooth with a small portion! Have fun making yours!!!!

Project 366: Week 5

    

Weekend trip!

Back in December, my parents mentioned that Disney Live! was going to be in Oklahoma City and that they thought Ava might like it. They got tickets for us and the weekend finally arrived. We didn’t tell Ava that we were going to the show, just that we were going to see Poppa for the weekend.

Saturday we did some shopping. Ava enjoyed some play time at the various malls. She was a happy kid to run free!

This little guy started getting sick on our way there Friday. He started coughing a really ugly cough and poor guy does NOT feel good this week. He has a horrible cold. It was just beginning though over the weekend and he was such a good boy, even though he didn’t feel well! 

My parents with the kids before we left to see Disney Live! Me and my babies!!! I straightened Ava’s hair and think it makes her look soooooo different!! Another look at her hair! We had lunch at Freddy’s and it was YUM! 

My parents and kids again right before the show started Ava was SO excited for the show and to be Snow White! It was so funny – there were lots of little girls dressed up as various princesses, and when they’d pass others, they’d all stare at the other and give them the once over! Ava kept saying “look Mom! There’s Belle!” or whoever we happened to pass. So funny! She doesn’t look excited here at all, but she was so enthralled with the show!

We saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! And Cinderella! And Beauty and the Beast!! And Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy were there too!!!

It was so fun to see Ava so excited about seeing some of her favorite characters! It was definitely a fun weekend!!!

Project 366: Week 4