Saturday Smile

Too big hat.

Too big pants.

Just right imagination.

Mason's 2 year photo shoot

Last weekend we met up with Mel to do Mason's 2 year photos. She really outdid herself. They are nothing short of amazing. She had the photos edited and sent to me in less than a week. I sobbed as I looked through them... you'll see why...

I love, LOVE the vintage tint she used. 

We told Mason to hold up two fingers, since he was 2 years old.
He did. :) 

I made Mason's tie using THIS tutorial and a $2 thrifted shirt.

The flowers were from Trader Joe's.

How gorgeous are those hills behind us?! A perfect setting.

"M" courtesy of Heather (who joined us and entertained Mason while Matt and I did our engagement shoot).

Thank you SO much, Heather!

Oh my...

Matt's mom knitted Mason's sweater as a Christmas gift.

Matt's shirt is from Gap.

♥

That face... *melt*

Our sweet, sweet 2 year old.

Mel, thank you sooo much. These pictures are just incredible.

Saturday Smile

He just fell out of nowhere...

Image courtesy of Kim

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

These really are best when eaten while camping, but St. Patrick's Day is an acceptable alternative. While Mason napped yesterday I made a batch of Smitten Kitchen's Whiskey and Beer cupcakes. One recipe made 3 jumbo cupcakes (or, as we like to say in our house, "Matt-sized" cupcakes), 10 normal-sized cupcakes, 8 minis and a small cake. Don't worry, we shared with work people.

Here is the recipe, so you can make your own. My birthday is coming up in less than three months. Just sayin'...

First, make your Guinness cupcakes.

1 cup Guinness

1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all purpose flour (I use whole wheat and they still taste amazing-- shhh)

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring beer and butter to simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add beer-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using a rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake about 17 minutes.

 

While your cupcakes are cooling, make your chocolate-whiskey filling.

1 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

Pour the chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey and stir until combined. Set it aside to cool and thicken up.

Now make your Baileys butter cream frosting.

1 box powdered sugar

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 to 4 tablespoons Baileys (or more...)

 

Whip the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, for several minutes. You want to get it very light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar. When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Baileys and whip it until combined.

Now go back to your cooled cupcakes and use a small spoon (I actually used a strawberry-huller) and scoop out some of the middles.

Use a pastry bag (or a ziplock bag with the corner snipped off) to fill up the holes in the cupcakes with the chocolate-whiskey goodness. Frost those babies and enjoy!

Oh, and you'll have to cake left over from the parts you scooped out. Make cake balls with the extra frosting and chocolate! And then go run 10 miles to burn off the deliciousness. Sooo worth it though, trust me.

Mason's first: Dentist visit

Distraction by rubber gove

Getting to sit on Mom's lap

Say "Ah"

The first visit was a smooth one. M's teeth are spaced nicely (according to the dentist) and he has 4 molars that have yet to come in over the next several months. We're going to practice flossing and getting Mase to actually spit the toothpaste instead of swallowing it. Other than that, success!

Spring Training 2011

Thursday

7:30PM: Heading out!

Friday

3PM: Enjoying the 80 degree weather

3:05PM: Enjoying this little girl we don't get to see nearly enough

6:30PM: Babies in the bath

(Can you believe how much they've grown since last year???)

Saturday

7:45AM: Breakfast

1PM: Go Diamondbacks!

2PM: Zzz...

4PM: The family

5PM: Family dinner

Sunday

8AM: Good morning!

10AM: Soaking up as much sun as possible

2:30PM: Time to head home

We miss Josh, Kim and Ella already. Thank you SO much for such a great weekend. It was worth every hour of driving. We love you guys and can't wait until next year.

How To: travel with a toddler

Mason, at the young age of 2, has already been on his fair share of road trips. At one month old we drove from Washington to California. At three months old he experienced his first Spring Training trip (we drove to Arizona but then flew home to Nor Cal). At 9 months we went across the country to Iowa and Minnesota. We completed yet another trip to Arizona last March, and a couple of camping trips in between.

That equates to a LOT of hours in the car. It has actually become more of a challenge as Mason has grown, and as we prepare for 2011 Spring Training, I thought I would share a few tips.

First, we try to do as much driving at night as possible.

I realize it's not always feasible, but we find that driving at night is quiet, quicker, and Mason will actually sleep in the car. If it's light outside, he doesn't want to miss a THING and refuses to even nap. The trick is to follow your bedtime routine at home, get your toddler into "sleep mode" and then hop into the car to leave. Mase will be out by the time we get out of the city limits. We play classical music to help with the white noise, especially during gas stops, where he is most likely to wake up.

Second, if you do have to travel during the day, make sure you are armed with lots of fun, new toys and games.

Here is part of what our kit looks like for the 9 hour drive home from Arizona (most of which will be done during waking hours):

If you're flying with a toddler, get one of those travel accessories cases that rolls up. You can stick little toys and treats in each pouch, unroll it on the airplane and tie it to the seat in front of you. It's even more fun if you wrap your toys and games, like it's Christmas! Who doesn't love the excitement of unwrapping a gift?

This week I whipped up a super cool Felt Travel Mat using THIS tutorial and I think Mason is going to get lots of use out of it. Perfect for trains, planes, and automobiles. :)

Third, SNACKS.

Here are my go-to's:

Cheerios (Have you tried the Cinnamon Burst yet? Mmm!)

Trader Joe's Organic Animal Crackers

Trader Joe's Organic Dried Cranberries

String Cheese or Cheese Sticks

Fruit Snacks or Trader Joe's Organic Fruit Leather

Goldfish Crackers + Marshmallows + Pretzel Sticks (snack mix)

Fourth, remember to be flexible and have a good time.

This is probably the most important tip. If you're stressed out, your kid will sense it and be stressed out too. If you're positive and having a good time on the adventure, they will too. See how that works? Try it. I swear. Have fun, make a few stops, run around the car and take some silly pictures.

*Note: We have yet to travel with a portable DVD player and there is no way Matt is going to let Mason (AKA, Destructo) anywhere near his iPhone, but those are probably good options to kill some time and entertain your kids too. Mason has been into "Finding Nemo" and "Cars" lately, so I am considering the DVD player option for the next trip. I'll let you know how it goes!