the boy who brings us so much joy

Two weeks shy of 18 months full of laughter and curiosity.  In just 6 months he will be turning two- WOW.  

Wearing his adorable Ugg boots to keep his footsies warm in the mornings

He has been enjoying being read to more than ever and we are both having a great time.  He is naked in the picture because we were trying to get him in the tubby before bed time.

These are cupcakes we served from our catered event the past Saturday.  

Some other items on the menu were:  penne with shrimp & roasted veggies, greens with currants, pecans, roasted corn and jicama in a green goddess dressing, chicken meatballs garnished with melted mozzarella and cherry tomatoes and mac and cheese mini muffins topped with garlic crumbs and crumbled turkey bacon.  

Our classic red velvets with chocolate covered sunflower seeds as garnish

double vanilla cupcake with a strawberry balsamic reduction sauce and a strawberry slice as garnish

a flower arrangement made by my dear friend Monica.  Thank you!

 

Leon the swimmer

Leon's first ever swimming class was A LOT of fun.  He had the biggest smile as soon as he and I got in the pool.  I thought he would be a bit scared being in a huge pool for the first time but he did great.  He showed total confidence until the instructor used him as an example and submerged his head in the water unexpectedly.  Of course he got frightened and from then on- he was stuck on mama like glue and expectedly so- he began to get scared of the instructor.  Lucky for us- the instructor was only subbing that day.  I'm hoping the gal who teaches the class regularly will be gentler.
I love our local YMCA.  There are so many activities for young kids and a lot of workout options that I find so appealing.  The other day I took a Zumba class- my first ever.  I shook my 'lil booty like it was no ones business and I had a blast.  So much fun while working out!
The photo above was taken by Chris before we left home for the class.

dessert party

Here are some pictures from a dessert party we catered last Saturday.  It was a success!  Everyone oooh and aaaaah'd over all the delicious sweets.  All the hard work was definitely rewarded by happy faces- and satisfied bellies.  

chocolate fountain surrounded by various treats for dipping- fresh strawberries and bananas, rice krispies,  marshmallows, butter cookies, salted pretzels, angel food cake bits, mini donuts.  Butterscotch pudding layered with crumbled sea salt chocolate cookies in individual trifles.

assorted cookies  (some vegan) -  and in the chafing dish are three kinds of ice cream sandwiches.  We placed dry ice in the chafing dish to keep the sandwiches frozen.  It worked like a charm!

Now that Leon is down to one nap a day, he and I are always looking for something fun and exciting to fill our day.  We went to The Grove the other day, did some window shopping and Leon played with water by their little fountain.  He really LOVES the water.  I should start looking into some swimming classes for him.

so much for the TP

It's hard to get upset at Leon even when he unrolls an entire roll of toilet paper.  He came out of the bathroom so happy and proud of himself with toilet paper wrapped all over himself.  It was so adorable.

sweets surround me!

Literally!  I've been in sugar, chocolate, whipped cream and cookie heaven ever since I started working on my current catering job- a dessert party.

mini trifle- butterscotch pudding layered with sea salt chocolate chip cookies

safe to eat "raw" cookie dough topped with a mini chocolate chip cookie

It's always so much fun whenever I can express creativity through food.  More photos to come!