Baking with Linzi & Ally

This is Linzi's FAVORITE cookbook. The Pink Princess Cookbook - what else?! There are so many cute, easy and fun recipes (It's great for parties too). Last night I asked Linzi if she wanted to bake today. She ran to get her book and picked out the Cotton Candy Cupcakes. She said "Cupcakes are Ally's favorite, we should make them with Ally." So we did! I just love how she immediately thought of what Ally would like before herself. Lately, she has been very, very attached to Ally (of Cupcakes & Hairbows). On the days that we don't see Ally, she asks me over and over when Ally will come again. I love when Ally comes too. But what I really treasure is the friendship that is growing as they grow. I can't help but wonder if Linzi's recent attachment to Ally stems from a desire to have a little sister of her own?!!! Hmmmm ;-) While we ponder that one, I will just sit back and enjoy these two together. I hope that Ally & Linzi will always share this special friendship and I can't wait to see what she thinks of Alaina (Ally's sister who waits in China).

We really need a proper chef's hat. But, since we don't have one, we will just use these liners instead. ;-)
NOW we can get down to baking.
Mixing is fun!A good pastry chef ALWAYS licks the spoon - well, okay maybe not. But how can one resist?Sprinkles and more sprinkles!!! - notice Ally taste-testing belowAll Done! Aren't they beautiful? And YUMMY!

Mar*tha Stewart has nothing on us! Note: I realize the lighting on some of these is off and the focus is not always just right. I still have sooooo much to learn w/ my new camera. I tried to venture out of the Auto mode but can't seem to make sense of it all!

Referral Day Anniversary

Our Referral Anniversary was August 2nd. For the sake of documenting, I am posting it even though it's a little late! We DID however, celebrate the day, bask in the memory of that magical call and marvel over how much our baby has grown and changed over the last four years. Here she is on Referral Day, holding the first picture I ever saw of her sweet face. I will never, never forget the second that little face came up on my computer. You can read about that day here. The joy I felt in that moment can only be matched by the joy and laughter Linzi has brought to our lives every day since then. We are so very blessed. In a few short weeks, we will celebrate 4 years with Linzi!

Mother/Daughter Cruise 2008

"Just when I began to miss my "little girl", I realized I have a new best friend"

For the past year, I have been so looking forward to five days with just my oldest daughter, her friend & mom (who is also my friend) and my "other" MIL & her daughter. We had the MOST excellent time! We laughed so hard and will have some VERY funny stories to tell for a long time. :D One of my favorite things we did was rent a jet ski on Para*dise Island. I don't think I have ever driven a jet ski so fast!!! It was just Mandi & I, flying across the ocean, out to sea, when all of the sudden, the thing CONKS OUT!!! It just shut down and would NOT crank up. We were in deep, deep water, WAY off shore. The people on the beach were no bigger than little ants. Of course all we could think about were sharks, and since the water was so amazingly clear, we would have seen it coming a mile away. Plenty of time to beg mercy and see our lives flash before us in slow motion. Eventually, the guy we rented them from realized something was wrong and rescued us. I don't know what he did, but it started right up and we took off again. Each time I would go full throttle ahead, Mandi & I screamed and screamed as we flew across the water - until we smashed a wave. Once we caught our breath from laughing so hard, we would do it again and again. I think we caught some air several times too! Exhilerating is all I can think of to describe the feeling. I loved sharing that with my oldest daughter - the exhileration, not the break down. :-) That night, I was soooo sore from slamming the waves so hard, and a little sick from all the salt water I inhaled. But it was so very worth it! I put together a quick slideshow - it is nothing fancy, just some of my favorite shots and some Bob Ma*rley music.

We're back and hopefully for good this time!

Wow, TWO months without a post! Yep, our summer was a bit busy but so wonderful. I was in a bit of a blog funk through it all. As things started getting hectic last spring, I started cutting back my computer time and before I knew it, I was avoiding the computer completely - except to work on my current video projects. My video projects have been busier than usual this summer. Some days I didn't even check my email for several days at a time. Totally not like me. I have let a lot of things slide this summer, but on the flip side, I have lived in the moment with my family. We had a few fun trips, a wonderful mother/daughter cruise and fun times on the boat. I am going to put the cruise pictures in their own post which will hopefully go up today too, but no promises! ;-) Although our lives are insanely busy now, some dust has settled and I plan to be a little better at keeping updated. I will be stopping by all my fave blogs in the next few days to say Hi and to check on all of the precious little ones. For now, here are a few random pics from our summer.