my angels

"Many things in life will catch your eye, but only a few will capture your heart- follow those" Author Unknown

and who said icing is just for cakes?

I am always looking for new ways to allow Little Miss L. to get her hands dirty... hey, that's what being a kid is all about, right? Well, as I was cleaning out the fridge the other day, I came across the leftover containers of icing we had made for Little Miss L.'s birthday cake and thought they would make the perfect finger paint. Boy, was I right! She absolutely loved every minute of it and I liked the fact that if it some how ended up in her mouth, it would be safe.

weekend catch-up

This weekend we kept busy as usual. The hubby and I are in DIY mode again and decided it was about time we started working on our kitchen table. The hubby got to work on our table - sanded, primed, and started the first coat of paint. We are hoping to finish the table and chairs in the next few weeks.

The hubby hard at work. I can't wait to see the finished product. We have decided to bring new life to an old dining room table. The table has been in my family for many years and I wanted to take it out of storage and create new memories with my family.

Sunday we had the honour of celebrating a precious baby boy's baptism. It was a beautiful day of celebration filled with great friends and delicious food. Baby J, you looked adorable, always remember you are surrounded by so many people who love you.

All the precious children on their special day.

Baby J on his special day. Look at how handsome he is!

Everything was so beautifully decorated. The children loved the candy bar.

I love love love this wrapping paper.

The hall looked stunning.

This cake was as good as it looked!

Little Miss T. showing off the friendship bracelet Little Miss L. had given her.

Girls just want to have fun. Notice Little Miss T and L are the comedians of the group.

apple cider served in a hollowed apple - my favourite fall drink

I love love love the fall for many reasons but one of my favourite things to look forward to this time of year is fresh apple cider straight from the apple orchard. As you may remember from this post, our family went to the orchard a few weeks back. Before we left, my top priority was to purchase a jug of apple cider. I love love love warming apple cider on the stove and then sipping a mug of it on a crisp fall day. The aroma of apples and cinnamon running through our home can brighten any grey day. This fall, one of my favourite things to do with Little Miss L. is to warm up the good stuff and serve it in a hollowed apple. Little Miss L. thinks it is the coolest thing to drink something out of an apple instead of a cup and after all of the apple cider is gone, the fun part begins -eating the rest of the apple.

This is how I like to spice up my cider. Give it a try, I know you won't be disappointed.

Hot apple cider with cinnamon and cloves

• 6 cups of fresh apple cider
• 2 cinnamon sticks (you can find at your local health food or bulk foods store)
• 6 whole cloves (also found at health or bulk foods store)
• Pour cider into a sauce pan.
• Place cinnamon sticks and cloves into a cheesecloth and tie with kitchen string
• Place spice bundle into cider on medium heat for 10 minutes or until cider is very hot but not boiling
• Remove spice bundle and serve cider. My favourite is to serve cider in a cored apple with a cinnamon stick

Little Miss L. couldn't wait to get her hands on it.

Let's be careful not to spill.

Look how proper she is.

Dig into that apple my girl.

newborn photos of baby d

I love love love newborn babies, especially when I have one of my very own to snuggle with these days. There is just something unique and short lived when looking at a newborn's tiny little fingers and toes. The newborn stage is so short and I wanted to remember all baby d's little wrinkles and the way he always opens his mouth when he sleeps. We were lucky to work with Sandra again, she captured everything we were looking for and more. I know everyone thinks their child is the cutest but baby d really does take the cake with those chubby little cheeks. Get ready for an overload of pure cuteness...

I love those toes.

I love those lips.

I love the way you sleep.

I love the little fuzzy hair that has yet to fall off.

I love those cheeks.

I love the way you smell.

I love the way you fit in our hands so perfectly.

I love our family of four.

I love to watch your big sister as she kisses and hugs you ever so gently.

I love the open mouth you always have when you are deep in sleep.

I love everything about you.

The stork brought me a beautiful baby boy.

Photos by Eden Grove Photography

thanksgiving and birthday weekend extravaganza cont'

If you checked out my post yesterday I mentioned I was snap-happy this past weekend. I just could not believe my little girl was turning two. I wanted to capture every moment of her big day, I think I succeeded...

I snapped this picture as soon as the little one woke up in the morning. Little Miss L. was so excited to celebrate her birthday.

Baby D loved snuggling with the birthday girl.

Time for some crafts with grandpa.

Little Miss L. and grandpa made the centerpieces for our thanksgiving dinner.

The finished product. I must say they did a pretty good job!

The birthday girl!

Mom - What are you going to do today?
Little Miss L. - I'm going to blowout candles momma.

It's my party and I can cry if I want to.

Baby D and great grandma.

Mom - Little Miss L., what would you like to do now?
Little Miss L. - Open presents momma, please!
How can I say no to this precious face.

Daddy helping the birthday girl open her gifts. Thank you everyone for spoiling our little girl.

Look at my new dog... time for my happy dance.

Little Miss L. waited all day for this moment. We even had to repeat the whole process twice - I am sure we could have sang Happy Birthday all night long.

Time for Little Miss L. and Aunt K to get their dance on.

I can't believe how big our handsome man is getting.

I could stare at this face all day long.