Fall Fun

We really have been enjoying the fall weather while we can!  We went to the park AGAIN!  It was a gorgeous day, leaves were falling and lots of Cupcake's friends were there.  And there was a big pile of leaves to play it!  At first she liked it and gave me a bunch of smiles, but she didn't like being buried under all those leaves, so it was back to the playground!  

That girl loves the slide, but apparently she still needs some slide practice!  In her defense this was the big kid slide.  Don't worry, no Cupcakes hit the ground during this stunt.  She pretty much stopped right there and momma came to the rescue.

Our park days just might be over, though.  The rain is coming in and it's bringing the cooler temperatures with it. 

Sliding

We're having a bit of a heat wave here, so Cupcake and I are taking advantage of it and playing outside!  We've already gone to the park twice this week!!  Not to mention that we play on the playground when we go to Stroller Strength, too, so technically we've played at the park every day this week.  Cupcake has discovered the fun that is sliding.  All summer I tried to get her to go down the slide and she just wouldn't have it.  She only wanted to try to climb up the wrong way.  On Monday I had to coax her down the first time, but apparently that was all it took. After that it was up the stairs, down the slide, up the stairs, down the slide.  She was having a blast and I was glad that she was somewhat contained to one area and I didn't have to chase her all around the playground!

Tuesday we went to another park and it was the same thing.  These pictures are from Tuesday's park trip.

Wednesday was yet another park and another slide!  She even went down a big, twisty slide!  Awww, that's my big girl!  I loved seeing her have so much fun! 

12 days!!!

I just spent 12 days away from my precious Cupcake!  I don't know how I survived, but here I am to tell the story.  She spent 12 days with her grandparents while the hubs and I went to England!  This is a trip I've been wanting to take for quite some time so I was thrilled to get to go, even if it meant I'd be without my baby.  Mommas need vacations!  She seemingly did fine while we were gone, luckily she had her big brother, Oscar, to provide some sense of familiarity and it's not like she's never stayed at her grandparents' house before.  And her Aunt Li Li had a great time with her, too.  Here are a few pics from our trip!

We spent the majority of our time in London, but we did make a quick trip out to Cheltenham (which was quite boring).  It was fun!  I would go again, but probably not for as long.  It was a long time to be away from Cupcake, but it was also a long time to be away from home!

Sunflower Fields

I've really gotten into photography since Cupcake was born and especially since I got a new camera for Christmas last year, so I keep dragging the hubs around town for photoshoots!  He mumbles and complains about having to go, but I think he's pretty happy with the pictures in the end.  We have a local sunflower field that is open to the public and there is a 3-4 week period where the sunflowers are in bloom.  I've seen people post pictures taken there before, but never knew where it was......until now.  Turns out it is very close to home!!  So, off we went......  Here are a few of my favorites.

Football Season is Upon Us!

............and we don't have cable.  So we can't actually watch the game, but I guess that's a good thing since our team isn't very good any way.  Silly me found an app for my phone, though, that allows me to listen to the game, which then allows me to yell at the phone, and ends up ruining the rest of my day because I don't like to lose.  Anywho, I was driving through Indiana on one of the several trips I made over the summer and decided to stop in Lafayette to do some shopping.  You just can't find this stuff around here.  Everything is scarlet and gray (blah!).  I found this cute little number for Cupcake, so she has something to wear on Saturdays.

Frozen Yogurt

As a special treat I made raspberry frozen yogurt for Cupcake the other day.  She loves it!  It was way easy (except the seed straining part) and I had a taste (or two) and it's yummy!!!

2 cups frozen or fresh raspberries
4 tbsp superfine sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/4-1 1/2 cups yogurt (I used whole milk for her)
6 tbsp sour cream
2-3 tbsp confectioner's sugar

In a saucepan add raspberries, sugar and water. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes.  Puree then strain the seeds.  Allow to cool

Stir the yogurt and sour cream into the puree and add enough confectioner's sugar to sweeten.  Transfer to ice cream maker and freeze for 20 minutes.

See, I told you it was easy!!

All is well!!

We went to the Children's Hospital last Friday for an EKG for the heart murmur that Cupcake's pediatrician heard at her 15 month appointment.  The ultrasound tech was very positive about the appointment.  She said she didn't hear it, but the cardiologist would want to look at the pictures, take some measurements and listen to the recordings.  Well, apparently he liked what he saw and heard because he said everything was normal!!  Yay!  We were very pleased with the news.

The weather around here has been fantastic so we've spent some time outdoors.  We visited two Metroparks this week.  Cupcake and daddy played at Wegerzyn while momma took a photography class and then she and momma went to Stroller Strut at the arboretum with some friends.  We had a picnic afterward and a long nap when we got home.

We also had a playdate/birthday party this week. The kids had a great time playing in the water table and going down the slide. They loved the slide so much there were a lot of tantrums while waiting their turns!  Oh, toddlers!  They sure are fun.  Corinne devoured a cupcake and again took a long nap when we got home.

That seems to be the theme these days.  Play hard and sleep hard. And we wouldn't have it any other way.