Another Day, Another Splash Pad

Matt was off the past two days and we had so much fun doing summery things.

In two days we went to two different splash pads that I didn't even know existed a week and a half ago! It took Logan a little bit each time to get comfortable, but then he was running around with the crowds of kids like he was just as big as them. I think he liked climbing on the rocks even more than splashing in the water! We need to find some more places for our little monkey to climb! 

We also made our second trip to a local farmer's market. It feels so good to buy local! 

Our haul, small but delicious.

Summer is my favorite time of year. It makes me think of fun and the outdoors. I love being outside, and that is one of the things I dislike most about living in an apartment. We know we will be moving sometime in the next 6 months We aren't sure where, but criteria #1 is a yard! I dream of having a garden next summer and seeing my son run around in our own backyard!

 

Since Matt was off for two days the apartment is in a state of shambles. For some reason I let all cleaning go by the wayside when he is home. Too much fun to be had! Now I am off to whip things back into shape. 

Rainbow Cake Tutorial

When I saw rainbow cakes like this one on Pinterest, I knew I had to make one! What better occasion than my son's first birthday? And just like that the theme was set. I perused post after post of cake tutorials. After all of the research this is how I went about making mine:

After much deliberation I chose to use boxed cake mixes over starting from scratch. I used three boxes. Yes, you read that right THREE. I did not want wimpy layers! 

I used Wilton's icing colors to get nice vibrant layers. Make sure you grease and flour your pans so your layers don't tear up! Let your layers cool completely before you even attempt to start icing and stacking.

I iced my cake directly on the stand, but put foil under the edges to keep the stand clean. (we were out of wax paper/parchment paper. always improvising!) Use a long knife to cut the bumps off of each layer so they are even across the top. The entire process of stacking the layers was wonderfully fun and exciting for me. I was absolutely giddy by the time I added on the red layer!

You can use toothpicks to keep your layers from sliding. I certainly did! But it also helps if you make crazy faces, don't wear makeup, and have sunglasses on your head even though it is dark thirty at night.

Make sure your icing layers are nice and thick! When you are done stacking add a verrry thin layer of icing called a crumb coat. It does what it sounds like, captures all of the crumbs. After adding my crumb coat I let the cake sit out over night. Logan's party was the next day.

When you add the icing feel free to put it on thick! You can use it to hide imperfections in your stacking. See above how the yellow layer goes in a little? Keep working and smoothing until your icing is just like you want it. Oh by the way, I used this icing recipe. It worked very well and tasted great!

Last step: Slice and dig in!

I'm sure I left something out. Feel free to leave any questions in the comments below!

Priorities

Do you ever feel like there are so many things you want to get done that you just never get around to?

Things that might make the list if you had to list out your day-to-day priorities. 

I have so many things that in my head rank as priorities, but in real life never seem to make the cut.

Obviously, Logan is my #1 priority and is always taken care of. Next come keeping the house clean and getting food on the table. Both of which get met daily, but most likely in a so-so fashion. They are both continuous and the latter feeds the former. Kitchen is perfectly clean? Wonderful! Ok, time for lunch!

So, there is the child, then food and the house. Next comes the "extras." Like laundry, daily Bible reading, craft projects, keeping up with friends and family, exercise (ha!) blogging, and so, so much more! Yes, I totally just put laundry in the "extra" category. These are all things that I think I would put on my priority list, but what does my real life say? I think if someone were to document my priorities by observing me, Instagram would be above all of these on the list. *blush* #iloveittoomuch

Every Sunday morning I come home from church pumped to be more diligent about my daily Bible reading, then more often than not my Bible will sit in the same place Monday through Saturday. I can't tell you how many blog posts I "write" in my head that never make it to the computer. This is definitely not the first time I have written this post, but it is the first time I have typed it! My unspoken goal to myself is two posts a week. As far as craft projects... oh my, so many things I want to do. I have never mentioned it here, but I have been in the works of launching an Etsy shop for over a year now, but can't seem to get it off the ground. I have even contacted mommies to try out my product and have yet to mail one to them! 

It all boils down to time management. I have been terrible at it for as long as I can remember. Plus, let's be honest, priority #1 can be quite the time-suck. ;)

Am I all alone in this? Please say no. The fact that I am actually about to publish this post gives me hope! 
C'mon mama friends, let's cheer each other on!

***after i published this I realized that I didn't even mention my husband. He is obviously right up there with Logan, but our relationship comes so naturally to me that I don't have to put much effort into it. Not to say that our relationship doesn't take work, they all do, but maybe not conscious work? Anyway, I am one lucky lady. :) 

One Year Old!

Didn't get around to monthly pics today, but still wanted to get this up. I'll add them in tomorrow.

Our first year with Logan came to a close today. 

Our little boy is one year old. 

Throughout the day today I cherished each moment with him, and remembered how much he has changed in the past year.The differences between a newborn to a one year old are remarkable.

For Logan's birthday he got to go to the pediatrician and get two shots. Isn't he lucky?

He is 31 inches tall and weighs 19.7 pounds. He is in the 20th percentile for weight, which is the highest his weight percentile has been since July. So, we were glad for that. He is around the 80th percentile for height. We have a tall and slim little boy!

It seems like in just that past week Logan has shifted from baby to toddler. He is walking more and more now. Probably about 40% of the time. Maybe more, but it increases every day.

He comes out with new words all of the time. At the pediatrician today they asked if he had at least two words. "Um, yea." He has tons of words! He also uses several baby signs. Books are still a favorite. I finally realized this past month that books are the perfect thing to give him in the car! Other toys end up thrown overboard, but he will sit and happily flip through a book. 

We have successfully made it through a year of breastfeeding and a year (almost) of cloth diapering. With no end in sight for either one. He still nurses 4-6 times a day. I wouldn't mind if we dropped down to two times a day, but I am definitely not ready to quit altogether. We are on Logan's time table as far as weaning goes. I don't even like to use the word weaning, because I don't plan on it. We will nurse until he decides he is done.  Barring him wanting to nurse til kindergarten. ;)

Monday is finally, finally, finally the procedure to close the PDA in his heart. I am so ready for that to be past us! I wouldn't be surprised at all if his nursing dwindles a little after he recovers from that. We shall see.

As far as sleep goes Logan has been doing pretty well. He still gets up in the night occasionally, but not every night. This past weekend he decided that before six was the best time to start his day. Luckily today he slept til 6:45. Let's aim for past 7 tomorrow, little man! If I could sleep til at least 7 every day I would be ok with that. Naps have been easy for a while now. It is so wonderful to know that everyday I have two almost guaranteed periods when I can things done (or get nothing done, depending on the day) without my little one tugging on me. 

This year has been absolutely amazing. I always knew I wanted to be a mother. And now I know how wonderful it really is. Through all of the ups and downs, sleepless nights, the crying and whining, smelling like soured milk for the first four months, it was a joy and a blessing. I've heard someone say that it is a privilege to be a mother, and I think I am inclined to agree.

Here's to enjoying every moment and savoring the next year as much as the first.

Logan's First Birthday Party!

This past Saturday we had Logan's first birthday party! It was a fantastic success. I had a ton of fun at the party and just as much fun planning it.

I picked the rainbow theme several months ago. Logan doesn't have many "favorites" yet, but what one year old doesn't love colors and balloons? Honestly I was so excited to have an excuse to decorate with crepe paper streamers and balloons myself. The whole party was so bright and cheery!

This cake was my masterpiece. I will be sharing my recipes and techniques soon!

For drinks we served chilled water bottles and the single packets of either raspberry lemonade or tea. This party was all about seeing how far I could make a nickel stretch. We used scrapbook paper and a sharpie to easily make these bottles more festive.

I chopped, sliced, and plated the fruit and veggie trays the night before. The morning before the party it was easy to quickly mix up the dips. I kept them super simple with two ingredients each. The veggie dip was sour cream and a ranch packet, and the fruit dip was cream cheese and greek yogurt.

These lollipop bouquets were the perfect final touch for the table.

I definitely have a thing for pennants and garlands. There are a few throughout our home. A rainbow pennant is even better!

When I came across personalized balloons in the party colors at Party City there was no way I could resist.

This wreath was a breeze to make. Crepe paper, scrap book paper, and wrapping paper. The "1" was stolen from an extra invitation.

The best part of the party was how much fun our little guest of honor had! He seriously had so much fun. He never once got upset or overwhelmed. Here is is clapping after the birthday song and candle.

Yum! About 20 minutes before party time I realized that I never made the banner for his high chair, but decided it was no big deal. As you can see, it didn't affect Logan the slightest bit.

Logan was so delighted with this cake. He wasted no time at all digging right in. A crowd wasn't going to keep him from eating!

The aftermath. In the spirit of full disclosure, he did not eat all of that cake by himself! It was a huge slice! Mama saved the day and ate a few layers. ;)

While we are getting all honest, wanting to make this cake may or may not be the entire reason for a rainbow theme... 

Logan's cousins were in attendance and the patio was dubbed "The Kid's Pavilion." We left the sliding glass door open and they were able to enjoy their cake and activities outside, but still be right there with us. 

There is currently an extra large TV camping out in our living room (anyone wanna buy it??) so instead of having that monstrosity in all of our pictures it was quickly turned into a fun backdrop for present time.

This sweet little chair was a big hit at the party. You never knew who was going to be sitting in it next.

All in all it really was the perfect party for our little man. Love him so, so much.