Baby Smiles

Today Sam turned six weeks old. So he decided to do what all six weekers are supposed to be doing.
If that doesn't make you just a little gooshy inside then I'm not sure this blog is for you.

Libby's 5th Birthday

August 24th -
Libby was excited to go to Settler's Park to celebrate her and two of her cousins' birthday. Oh, the great joy! Aunts, uncles, grandma, cousins and a splash pad. Yeah, it was grand. There was a butterfly cake she helped to decorate, there was homemade ice cream, and there was the dress up outfit from our family friend. Oh the rapture!

This is one of the other birthday kids. Xander turned four the day after Libby turned five. Love the cousins.


Libby requested a raspberry cake, so by popular demand here is the recipe:

Raspberry Cake

1 Yellow Cake Mix
1 (3 oz) package raspberry jello
12 oz frozen raspberries
2 or 3 tbl sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup hot water

Mix the cake mix and jello. Let raspberries defrost then let 5 year old smoosh them with the sugar and water using a potato masher. Add everything else. Mix well. Cook like the back of the box tells you to. Feel a little guilt for using stuff filled with preservatives and fake ingredients but realize it is only a few times a year. Everyone will survive.

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
8 oz cream cheese (brought to room temperature)
1 cup (give or take) powdered sugar
a little vanilla

Whipped the cream until stiff peaks form. In a separate bowl beat the cream cheese and sifted powdered sugar until well mixed. Mix in a little vanilla. Gently mix the whipped cream and cream cheese until thoroughly combined. I did end up using the electric mixer and it worked out. Frost cool cake and put in fridge. The original recipe said this could be piped. The people who wrote that recipe are filthy liars.

August 25-
Alright, now back to the main event. On Libby's actual birthday I told her she could invite a couple of friends to dinner. Here they are enjoying pepperoni pizza. This is what Libby ALWAYS requests for her birthday dinner. It is also what Ethan ALWAYS requests. It is about the only time each year they get it. I don't hate pepperoni but there is a lot of other things I like better and I am the one that does the cooking.


Libby blowing out the candles on her birthday cookie. I was just way too tired to make her another cake. She was okay with the cookies because Michael's parents and siblings were coming over. Yay! More excitement!


The fancy dress her Aunt Kristal gave her. Note she is also still wearing the dress up clothes from the day before. She hasn't taken them off yet.

Finally!

Grace

is

WALKING!

First Bath

We were starting to wonder if Sam's nasty little umbilical cord stump was ever going to fall off so we could give him a full bath. I was talking on the phone to my mother with both babies on my lap. I looked down just in time to see Grace pulling Sam's stump off. I was grossed out, Grace was confused, and Sam didn't even notice. When I told my mom what had just happened she laughed. The good news is that on July 29th Sam finally had his first bath.

The House is Quiet

Grace is sleeping, Libby is at a birthday party, and Ethan and Michael are out on a date. The only person awake is Sam and he is hanging out on my lap. He isn't about to lay down - that would be against his deepest beliefs. So I figure while things are as calm as they are going to get I would put some pictures on the blog. I don't have any exciting adventures to relate (unless the fact that Sam just spit up down my shirt counts) or super funny stories so I will just post some pictures.

Well I do have one funny story. About a week ago the kids were supposed to keep an eye on the babies while I took a quick shower. I got out of the shower to find only Sam still in the house. I figured the kids had taken Grace out into the backyard with them, which is fine, it being fully fenced and all. I got dressed and I still hadn't seen them so I went to check. When I got outside I saw the back gate was open. I went out the gate into the alley. Ethan had loaded both of his sisters up into the double stroller and was running at full speed pushing them up and down the alley. As if that wasn't bad enough Ethan and Libby were still in their jammies. And Grace, well she wasn't in her jammies, she was 100% buck naked. I'm not sure I want to know what the neighbors even think of us.

Well I don't have any more stories, so let's get on with the pictures.

My handsome boys (some day Sam will look handsome and not goofy).


My girls. See at least Grace is wearing a diaper.

Grace figured out how to open the cupboard that holds the raisins. The raisins have now been moved. Once again at least wearing a diaper. I may want to consider getting her dressed more often.

End of a long day.