Wordless Wednesday: Merry Christmas!

Nana had snow for Christmas so we got to go sledding! Thanks for the sled, Nana!

Homemade cookies (decorated by our little elf herself) and a carrot for the reindeer. She loved this part!

Opening her stocking and thoroughly enjoying it!

Loving a present from Santa- a doll high chair.

Christmas candy cane dress.

Hoping everyone had a very merry Christmas, now onto the New Year!

Sing It, Sadie!

My future Broadway singer! (The memory was full on my camera and unfortunately cut off her Grand ABC's Finale, but it's still a sweet video.) She was quite entertaining at dinner tonight!

Wordless Wednesday: "It's Q-uge!"

As Sadie told me "It's the biggest tower ever seen! It's Q-uge!" (How she pronounces huge, no "h", it starts with a "q". Hee hee.)

A Really Long Photo Recap

Let's start with the most important thing: Pom-Pom Hats. A-dorable. Love them. I mean, how cute is that??

How did I not blog about Halloween? Sadie was a ladybug. No, wait, she was a monkey. Ok, she was both. Why? Because she's a toddler and adamantly refused to wear the monkey costume at first. So that's where the ladybug costume came in. (Thank you Old Navy for cheap costumes). Somehow that one was ok. But in true toddler fashion, by the time Halloween actually rolled around, she decided, that she did in fact, want to be a monkey after all. Girls are so fickle.

Ladybug Sadie.

Monkey Sadie.

And then there is potty training. We love to sit on the potty, oh yes we do. And sing on it. And play with bath toys on it. And make those turtle/duck/dolphin bath toys pee pee in the potty. And tell Mommy excitedly "Pee pee's are coming! Pee pee's are coming!!" But she's just jerking me around, people, because no pee pee's have ever made it into the potty.

The face she made when I told her to "smile".

Also, an obsession has started with Blues Clues. I mean, she loooooves that show. The other day I walk into her room about to read her a book before nap and find her cozied in her chair, with Blue on her lap, and she is "reading" to HIM. Oh my goodness, so cute.

And speaking of naps, I think this two and a half year old is starting to transition out of them. Isn't that a little young?! I was fairly devastated when it first started happening. Wasn't sure how I was going to cope without "my" nap time during the day. But a wonderful thing would happen every time she wouldn't nap. She'd pass out for the night at like 7:30pm! I will definitely forfeit a nap if it means that early of a bedtime!

Lastly, we discovered how much Sadie loves boats, when we drove to see family in NY and had to take 3 ferries to get there. Sadie was in heaven! We also discovered that our car has a sense of humor- the only time our car has ever died on us was when we were driving home from NY that evening, right before getting on the first of the three ferries! That was nice of our car. It is currently still being fixed, a week after the incident. Murphy's Law, people. The positive side of the car break down was that we got to spend more time with family that weekend and Sadie got to sleep over her cousin's house- she was psyched!

Sadie on her first boat ride. Excited? Nah.

Gio and Sadie. We were there for Gio's baptism.

Uncle Eddie, Luke, Sadie and John at the restaurant after the baptism. The cousin's had a blast together!

Wordless Wednesdays: Two Anniversaries

Our wedding anniversary.

Sadie's anniversary of being tube-free for exactly one year. This day has a lot of meaning for me. Picture was taken the day I pulled it out. A year later and life has changed for the better for us so much.

Catch Up

I keep meaning to blog about a couple of things, so here goes...

One of the best things about raising a toddler is showing them new things. Everything is amazing to them. Last weekend we went with a couple friends to Roger Williams Park Zoo since it was a beautiful day and Sadie had never been to a zoo. We were pretty sure she'd love it. And our instincts were right on the money. This is her reaction to the first animal we came across- a zebra:

I love that pic! That says it all. "You mean..... those things in my books are.... REAL?!?!" So priceless! Sadie had her friend, Amelia, with her, and that made the day even better for her. They were pretty adorable playing and looking at all the animals together. Definitely a great activity, I can't believe it's taken me so long to take her. It's a perfect zoo for kids. Small, but has some great things to see.

Watching the very real zebras.

We also went to a surprise birthday party for a friend last weekend. In classic Sadie form, she of course refused to nap the day we really needed her to (and the days I want her to stay up because of an afternoon activity, she passes out cold.) and I was preparing myself for a short stay at the party. And a very cranky little girl. I was pleasantly surprised though that she sat all throughout dinner and even tried some of the clam bake food. Then came the dancing. Oh, the dancing! She was in her element then and you would never know she had no nap. She and her friends ruled that dance floor! Around 9, we decided to go, because we didn't want to push our luck. I brought her pj's in case she conked out on the way home and she protested loudly in the bathroom as she was being dressed "NO!! I wanna DANCE!!". I seriously think she could have danced the night away. But as soon as we we in the car and down the street, she was deeply asleep! No tantrums, a night out...... ahhhh..... nice. :)

Sadie and Amelia dancin' the night away.

Also, down the street from us they had a jack-o-lantern walk through the woods and we bundled up and met a few friends for a nighttime Halloween stroll. It was so cool! Over a thousand pumpkins along the trail. It was so pretty and just a perfect October night to see all the lit pumpkins. I heart fall so much.

A group of jack-o-lanterns on the trail.

Go Rhody!

So that's been the latest happenings in our adventures in Rhode Island. We're in full fall mode and loving it!

Wordless Wednesday: Why Housework Takes So Long

A Close Call

It's a sad story, folks, but thankfully with a happy ending. Imagine, if you will, opening up Facebook and seeing that one of your most favorites places for good eats updated that they just concocted a delicious homemade pumpkin ice cream, that could be mine, mine, all MINE for the taking! Oh joy! Oh rapture! It's all I could think about. It's all I could dream about. Unfortunately for John, it's all I could talk about. I finally got over there and eagerly bought their completely ridiculously overpriced pumpkin ice cream, which had better have been made with the utmost love, care, and delicious ingredients available to man for that price. So I race home, run inside and grab a spoon and prepare for utopia..... only to be utterly disappointed. It really..... wasn't all that great. I just kind of stood there in my kitchen, with my empty spoon, feeling kind of deflated. It was way too pumpkin-y and not near enough sweet ice cream-y. Le sigh. What to do? I hated to waste it, it was that expensive, and also, I still needed my pumpkin fix. But an idea hit (they are few and far between), what goes better with pumpkin than ginger??? I took some ginger cookies and sandwiched the ice cream between them and voila- Pumpkin Ginger Ice Cream Sandwiches were born! And ya know what? PERFECTION! It was exactly the flavoring needed- pumpkin disaster avoided!! And no, I haven't OD'd on pumpkin yet, in case you were wondering. :)

Wordless Wednesday: PAPA!

Cozy Corner time!

Happy Sadie with her Papa.

Papa brought Sadie a big surprise- her first tricycle! Big girl now!

Having a ball, playing ball!

Things To Love About That Girl!

1) Her genuine love for vacuuming. Seriously. If I want to get her out of a bad mood, I say, "Hey, you wanna vacuum with me???" (That's her doggy vacuum.)

2) Her obsession with puddle stomping! I made her day with a rainy day walk and puddle hunt today.

3) Naked reading on the couch. HA! This cracked me up when I walked into the room. Reading a catalogue on the couch, so chill and laid back, so adult!

4) My current favorite video. Her intently working on her painting, singing "apples and bananas", and then a lengthy explanation on what she was making. :)

Oh The Life Of A Toddler....

We also ride dinosaurs in our spare time.

... in 2010. I keep laughing over how jam packed my two-year olds schedule is. When did that happen? I don't remember having anything near a packed schedule at 2, or 3, or 4.....! But, what happens when you are home with your child 24/7, things get boring pretty fast. So, I'm very thankful for the many different things offered to mommy's and kids. She has school two days a week, swim lessons the next (in which she does her best impression of a clingy little monkey, holding on for dear life), library story class another day, and her rockin' music class to kick off the weekend! Not to mention park and beach playdates. Whew! Don't get me wrong, I love them, I just find it funny how I'm scrambling to register her for all this stuff before all good classes get filled. At two years old! Us moms are ruthless trying to nab a coveted spot! Hee hee :) So, that's my random post. Oh, and here are some random pics, of course!

No, that is not a floor pillow. It is Bean's bed, which she likes to sit in. I've given up on trying to not get her to sit there, to many other battles to fight!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Fall Obsession

(Now I can't stop cooking.... )

(Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce. Yum, yum, yum, easy. Love.)

(This monstrosity is Pumpkin Lasagna. It's super ugly to look at, but super tasty to eat. Sounds weird, but it's surprisingly good!)

No More Denying It, Fall's Here.

At the farm stand. Sadie-sized gourds and pumpkins.

For reasons unknown to me, I've been hanging on to our sun soaked, beach filled summer with all my might, when usually, I am running towards fall full speed. But...... after our awesome morning going apple and raspberry picking at the local farm, I'll admit, fall has officially won me over. Now all I can think of is every pumpkin food imaginable, apple desserts, sweaters and foliage. I mentioned before how I've had a complete, total, and utter lack of cooking anything worth eating for months. Part of it is the hot summer and part of it was, I'm not sure..... laziness?! But I've missed it. And maybe, just maybe, the cooking bug may be back. In part, due to the wonderfully cooler weather, and in part to having some kick ass inspiration. That would be Pioneer Woman. If you need new ideas in the dinner department, check her out. Or just check her out to look at her food photos and read her hilarious posts. This site is a gem and one of the main reasons I'm itching to get back in the kitchen and try new recipes.

Our official taste testers! Two thumbs up, from Amelia and Sadie.

So, getting back to apple picking. I knew I would waste most of what we picked if I didn't find an apple recipe. And on PW's site, I found the ultra easy (so easy, I wasn't sure if it would taste good. I was wrong.) Apple Tart. I think it has 5 ingredients in it. And do you want to know the BEST part? You don't need to peel the apples! WOOT! It's made with puff pastry, so no struggles with any dough. Need I say more? Try it! I sprinkled ours with confectioner's sugar and served with vanilla ice cream. And I do believe it'd taste divine with a morning cup of coffee.

Fresh out of the oven. Yes, I was going for the "rustic" look.

This was John's plate, snatched from just as he was about to eat it. "WAIT! I need to photograph it first!"

The dessert was so easy, I even got a chance to make a real dinner, too. (Notice I made dessert first, in case there wasn't time to make it after I made dinner. I've got my priorities straight.) Yup, another PW recipe, that had been recommended to me by two friends. (Awesome rec, Laurie!) If you love the flavors of lemon and basil, you must try this. It's called Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta. Also pretty easy to make. Especially if you do what I did, and go to your local market and buy THEIR homemade grilled chicken. :) Seriously, though, I cannot make grilled chicken close to as good as this place. It's the rub they use or something. Whatever it is, it's so good, and totally worth buying it, as opposed to making it, to save some much needed time. And hey, support local businesses, right?! Anyways, it really was a delicious dish, one I would eagerly pass on to anyone. The lemon/basil/parmesan combo is really out of this world.

So good. Looking forward to leftovers later!

So, onward to fall! Finally looking forward to it!

Wordless Wednesday: God Bless Crayola

Paints: $5.00

Brushes: $3.00

Paper: $7.00

Holding the attention of your kid for an entire hour: Priceless.

The One, The Only- Cupcake Bites!

I'm in love with anything in "mini" form.

Today, I decided to channel my inner Bakerella. I've been a major slacker in the kitchen for about, oh, I don't know..... the entire summer. I have been drooling over her blog for awhile now (check her out under my blog list). Bakerella, in a word, rocks. It's amazing what she can do with cake and chocolate. Her imagination, creativity and attention to detail wow me. Apparently, it wow'ed other people too, because after starting her blog and creating the first Cake Pop (A cake ball on a stick. Brilliant, no?), word of it took off, and she was offered a book deal. This is what I'm talking about, people! One awesome idea and a blog (ok, and lots of talent), and look at her! So cool.

Red Velvet cake wrapped up in chocolate. I'm smitten.

Oh, Bakerella. How do you make it look so easy??? I guess that's why you have your own cookbook and I don't! I always had mad respect for her work, but now, having tried my hand at her Cupcake Bites, I have uber mad respect! Mine look nothing like they are supposed to. How does she get her chocolate so smooth? Hers are ridiculously adorable! They were fun, but much more time consuming than I first thought. Great afternoon project, say, with a friend. Or four. Very thankful to John for entertaining Sadie for a bit so I could make these. At first I thought they would be a good project for her, but they required too much effort on MY part! And red velvet stains everything, maybe not the best toddler food project. So, they may not look how they are supposed to look but they DO taste good! Red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, and the entire outside is made from dipped chocolate. I don't think one can go wrong with that combination. Thank you, Bakerella, for the culinary inspiration and hopefully this will break me out of my cooking rut!

Oh, and I'm thinking those sprinkles are going to be similiar to Christmas tree needles. I'm gonna be finding them everywhere for a long time to come, no matter how many times I vacuum. I could hear them pinging on the floor whenever I sprinkled them. Tricky little suckers, they are.

Photo Essay: A Day In The Life

Every day should start off with a good breakfast. Today's was extra special. Coffee and chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. It's actually pretty healthy because of all the antioxidants in the chocolate and we all know peanut butter is packed with protein. Right?

This photo tells a lot about our daily life! I constantly have a shadow following me. And I'm not talking about my own. :)

When a toddler is told it's time to go home, they will sometimes do the "throw themselves on the ground and refuse to walk" thing. It's so pleasant. And it doesn't matter if we're in the middle of the woods. (At least my toddler does.)

Sadie has no problem using a random kid she just met as a make-shift train track for Thomas.

She wakes up with fully charged batteries, without any coffee (I can't even comprehend that), and is ready to create masterpieces at 7:30 in the morning. And she wants YOU to create masterpieces as well.

Loving her Happy Meal and having a fun lunch with Mommy. Love it. Love that I am actually buying her a Happy Meal! (PS. She gained almost half a pound at her last weight check, and it was the first time she gained weight just from solid food, ever. EVER. It's slow, but it's progress, baby. Elated doesn't begin to describe when I saw that number on the scale!)

An end of the day visit to the park, swinging together on the swings with my shadow.

Wordless Wednesday: Some Random Cuteness