donuts and apple fritters

I don't know why we've waited until Spring (since Winter is such a wonderful time to eat warm treats), but we have begun to search for the perfect pastry shop in Salt Lake City.  In our dream, we would find a locally owned, somewhat unknown, quaint, baby-friendly bakery with a ridiculous selection of delicious desserts.  Is that too much to ask?  Maybe, but I don't mind eating pastries every week to find out.

This baby loves his "neigh"

When Lincoln was a couple months old, we bought him a stuffed turtle and called it "neigh," since it was the current sound Lincoln was making.  Since then, they've developed quite the relationship.

When Lincoln struggled with an intense case of infant GER (essentially, horrible acid reflux) and would go on multiple day nursing strikes, we'd put Neigh on his lap, which somehow provided enough distraction and comfort for Lincoln to eat.  On nights Lincoln isn't sleepy but it's past bedtime, he will talk to Neigh until he falls asleep in his crib instead of crying for us (like this).  Obviously, it's not just Lincoln who loves Neigh!

play dating with my high school BFF

There are a few things that living in Utah makes difficult, and being so far from the friends I grew up with definitely falls under that category.  One of my best "bosom friends" (as Anne Shirley would say) was LeiShell.

We grew up, made the transition from girls to hotties (you know it), figured out the art of makeup, which kind of clothes made us feel pretty, and that tanning on a roof isn't any more effective than on the ground.  I guess when I say "grew up," what I really mean is "got boobs."  Still, it's a prrreetty important part of a girl's life!  

We provided a support system to Operation: get the French teacher fired (or admitted to a psych ward), an emotional escape from the teenage frustration of parents, and although we came from very different belief systems and family dynamics, we were the best of friends.  And I miss that.  Sometimes I miss that terribly, so our play date was the perfect medication for my friend-missing blues!

the used bookstore all to ourselves

We try to frequent locally owned bookstores to find Lincoln (and ourselves) new additions to our library.  There's something about a used book that I love.  The hardbacking, the golden woven lines tracing the binding, and the little message on the inside page from the first person who bought the book.  We like to search for the used books that are originals, the kinds that new books charge extra to look like.

You'd think in a recession people would browse the used (and discounted) stores over full price retail businesses.  But there we were, in an empty used bookstore, looking across the road at a very busy Barnes & Noble.  It's unfortunate for the small business, but made a great day of browsing for us!

I have an answer to the question "what's for dinner?"

I struggle with cooking, baking, and oh, I don't know...stirring jello has proved dangerous for me in the past.  In short - I'm horrible when it comes to making meals.  Those "easy" recipes that claim they require "ingredients everyone already has in their kitchen" have proven disastrous for me, because I either do not already own the ingredients (apparently like everyone else), or because they are not, in fact, easy.

Since I've gotten married I've improved my cooking skills (somewhat) and most night I usually have an [unburnt] dinner waiting for Tyce.  This baked hummus chicken recipe has been a favorite lately, and guess what?  It is super easy (and healthy, and delicious).  You're welcome.

"all you need is a light jacket!"

Doesn't Springtime feel marvelous?  I already feel like this when I wake up every morning, even when the laundry is piled high and the dishes are overflowing from the sink.  Thank you, sunshine!

The temperatures are in the low 60s in Salt Lake (on a warm day), but people are already in flip flops and shorts - no patience for summer!  But we get it.  Although we do throw on a jacket before we head for the swings at the park, this weather has us singing silly songs all day.

P.S. Lincoln's front teeth kill me!  Every time he grins wide enough to showcase their amazingness it always makes me smile.

Happy Happy Birthday, from all of us to you!

Lincoln got his first "happy birthday" song and taste of chocolate cake when we were in California.  We let Lincoln smash blue frosting all over himself while we enjoyed a trifle my mom made for everyone who didn't want the store bought stuff (yuck...sorry Lincoln).  Then we stripped that baby naked and put him in the bath.  Always a happy ending to a messy night!

my date with Hannah Marie

When I had 5 babysitters to watch Lincoln, my sister Hannah and I snuck away for some much needed girl talk and hot chocolate.  She's the kind of girl I wished I was in high school - very sociable, easy going and fun (I was an AP nerd, overly analytical, and probably too moody).

We talked so long that the coffee shop closed and we had to retreat to the car to finish our conversation, but aren't those always the best kinds of chats?

And if our day couldn't get any better, we spotted this guy walking through town.  And let me tell you, our day made room for his awesomeness...or should I say, our face made room for our smiles to get bigger!  

Unless this is your dad.  In that case, we just liked his Katy Perry-esque blue hair.

for lincoln's birthday

Since we couldn't have Lincoln's birthday party on his actual birthday, we decided to celebrate the big o-n-e by taking our not-so-baby boy to a bakery to pick out a treat.  After visiting several bakeries in Salt Lake City the past month, Gourmandise Bakery was by far our very favorite!

Although Lincoln isn't into sweets yet (did we take the wrong baby home from the hospital or what), it was still fun - mostly for Tyce and I - to feed him things that are usually "not allowed."  After Lincoln had a few bites of his strawberry Napoleon, he couldn't sit still any longer thanks to the sugar, so we went outside where he ran laps around us until he was tired enough to let us buckle him into his car seat, and go home.

One year ago we met (and fell in love with) Lincoln

This week I've been preparing myself to have a "my-baby-isn't-a-baby-anymore" moment.  Although I've had a few sad moments (similar to this), I'm mostly very excited to move to the next stage in Lincoln's life.  Each month Tyce and I always say, "now this is definitely our favorite age!"  And although we miss having a tiny baby like crazy, it's fun being able to play with a little boy now!

My mom reminded me of a verse in Jacob 7:26, "...and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream."  Before Lincoln, I don't think I fully grasped the meaning of that scripture.  Now that I can measure time by my baby's changing face and growing body, I have a better understanding of how fast this life will go by and how important it is to savor each day.

Because seriously, how did this

turn into this, so fast?!

Color Me Creative

Since it was Lincoln's birthday month, my sister treated us to the gift of an empty ceramic studio with more paint and pottery than imaginable (it also helps that she works there).  For my kitchen dish masterpiece, I decided to paint a bowl with Lincoln's handprints on the outside.  He wasn't a huge fan of the idea from the beginning so we hurried, promising he would appreciate it later.

Lincoln's handprints ended up looking very smeared, but I loved the end result because it perfectly represented a wiggly and energetic one year old.  Luckily my mom was there to help us handle the inevitable mess that comes with dipping a toddler's hands in sticky paint!