Sixteen

The time has come.

The time for tongue-biting and silent prayers.

 The time for imaginary passenger brakes.

The time for deep breathing and grey hair.

The time has come that I've dreaded for years.

And surprisingly...it's okay.

Congrats to my favorite 16-year-old. The boy who made me a momma and makes me prouder every day. You continue to impress me with your intelligence, amuse me with your wit, and bless me with your kind, loving spirit. Happy Birthday, Wes!

A Great Big Little Four

This little girl brings so much sunshine and silliness to our days. She keeps us laughing with her comments and dancing, and she melts our hearts with her snuggles and massages. She's our little Doodle, and she just turned Four.

While she insists that she is still little...she's definitely growing up. 

And I love being a part of it.

Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

Double Digit Midget

How can my little boy be ten years old today? 

My little guy.

My Goober.

Fitting perfectly in his role as little brother...

...And big brother.

He was always our Superman...

Our "Super-Wubbo"

He's always had a special place in his heart for animals.

And he wants to be just like his dad.

He's all boy...

...and embraces every adventure that comes his way.

He has a knack for world domination...

...and getting covered with mysterious black and blues.

He loves with his whole wild heart.

And he doesn't care if anyone sees him holding his mama's hand 

or giving her a kiss on the cheek.

I don't know where these ten years have gone.

But they've been filled with so much joy...

and so many laughs...

{and my first gray hairs...}

To my boy~ 

It's been so amazing watching you grow up. I know you think I get sad when my babies get older...because part of me will always long for those swaddling blankie days. But your dad and I are having so much fun as your parents. Each new chapter brings new joy for us, too. So you keep charging forward, Goober. We'll be here cheering you on every step of the way. We're your biggest fans.

Happy Birthday, Kiddo!

xoxo

The Next Chapter...Teen Years

I don't understand how 13 years can fly by in the blink of an eye.

How do diapers give way to deodorant?

How does the baby turn into the dependable big brother?

Blankies are replaced with mp3 players.

I still remember holding that happy baby boy.

And while part of me is sad that you're growing up so quickly...

I'm having so much fun along the way!

You've been a blessing from the very beginning.

You've changed my life.

I feel so blessed to watch you grow into the man God created you to be.

Just don't go too "teen" on me...'kay?

Happy Birthday, Dutch!

I love you!

Strawberry Butterdream Cake

This post is long overdue. I've been wanting to share the recipe for Tootsie's birthday cake...before I forget what I did. She requested a "strawberry cake" this year, which actually just means that some component should be strawberry, more importantly, pink. Remembering Costco's yummy "cheesecake-filled" cake, I threw some recipe ideas together and came up with this. Next time, maybe I'll make a cake from scratch, but I was short on time, and the box-kind worked well enough. I got the idea for the strawberry buttercream icing here. (except, no margarine for us...butter all the way.) I found the cream cheese filling recipe here. The verdict? We all thought it was much better than Costco's (and a lot cheaper:) I'm sharing here for anyone who's interested. But mostly, I want to have this recorded so I can make it again!

~Prepare a white boxed cake recipe in two 9-inch round pans, according to package directions. Remove from pans and cool completely.

~Spread filling on top of one cake. (You can save/freeze some filling for another time, if desired. It depends on how much filling you want in your cake.)

Filling

3/4 pound powdered sugar

1 pound cream cheese

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 sticks butter

Beat with an electric mixer until fluffy.

~Carefully, place second cake layer on top of filling and cover the whole thing with dreamy frosting. (Yes...dreamy)

Strawberry Butterdream Frosting

4 sticks butter (don't judge...it is buttercream.)

2 lbs plus 2 cups powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

1/2 cup strawberry jam (preferably homemade:)

pinch salt

With an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and milk- alternating so you don't have a white mess everywhere. Add jam and a pinch of salt. Mix until you can't wait any longer to try it:) {I also tinted some of the frosting green...because Tootsie can't have pink without green}

So. Delicious.

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