Royal wedding

I'm not sure where Ava first heard about the "real" princess getting married but she was fascinated by the whole affair all week. She begged me to wake her up so we could watch it together. I wasn't sure if I was up for it, but finally decided to cave to her enthusiasm and set the alarm for 3am. Happily she crawled into my arms and we snuggled up on the couch to watch. We saw about an hour of the hoopla and she was so cute the whole time. I wish I could have videotaped her little phrases and comments, especially as delirious as she was. I tried really hard to remember my three favorites:

"Mom, I think I need to put a wedding dress on my Christmas list so I can start practicing. Of course it will be kid sized."

"When I marry John I'm going to have a wedding just like this one."

During one of the prayers the camera showed the Queen with her head down and even though I'd only mentioned who the Queen was once she goes, "Oops Mommy, it looks like Queen fell asleep."

After we'd had a little snack and finished watching I let her climb into bed with us and we both fell fast asleep. Right before she fell asleep she sighed deeply and snuggled up to her daddy and said how beautiful it all was. And although it wouldn't have been my first choice to miss an hour of sleep for something I could have watched the next morning, someday when Kate becomes Queen she can have this memory of watching the wedding with her Mama on the couch. Along with the memory of her parents, who went into financial ruin after funding Ava's wedding to John in the Westminster Abbey.

Not surprisingly, Ava chose her largest headpiece as we headed out to Target that afternoon.

baby turns one...and walks! (5 months later)

We've had a pretty eventful week in the Hsieh home. On Wednesday before bed Ian just walked into the living room like he'd been walking all his life. Ok, maybe walking all his life like a drunk disabled person but still, it was pretty impressive. And after three days of practice he now likes to throw his hands up as he approaches you and fall into your arms with a belly laugh. Words cannot express the cuteness as he imitates a Pentecostal preacher doing a faith healing on Easter Sunday. Oh, we love this boy.

As a side note, this is our attempt at better quality videos for my blog. Unfortunately, all of Ben's school videos show up. Eventually, I will get my own account and transfer everything over. But currently I am too lazy to do so.

Easter cuties

Ava's banner pretty much says it all.

I managed to get one pre-church shot

After church

We had a lovely visit from the Terwilligers and a yummy lunch with my parents and friends

Easter happenings

Normally I wouldn't put an egg hunt high on my easter weekend priority list but the weather could not have been any more beautiful and so we headed to the park with our neighbors. It was a little crowded and chaotic but both kids loved it. Ian even got into the fun and loved picking up, shaking and then putting the eggs into his basket. And the weather was so nice we just stayed at the park and played. I could hardly bring myself to give the kids a nap since it was the first time in months that they've had the chance to soak up some vitamin D. So we decided to plant some flowers in the backyard. Ava was a big helper and did most of the planting and watering. She was very proud. It was a perfect day and makes me long for the summer sun.

on your mark, get set, GO!

How does this work again?

Hey I got a purple sucker!

Hey lady over there! Do you want to help me open this purple sucker?

pretty Willa girl

Snickers!

Happy Birthday to Grandma!

Spring is here and it's time to celebrate the world's greatest grandma (a title she happens to hold with another grandchild spoiling woman, otherwise known as Nai Nai.) I just like to call her world's greatest and most stupendous mom, but sometimes that gets a little long or embarrassing when I call her at work, so most of the time it's just Mom. Luckily for us, Mom likes her some BBQ so we got to celebrate at Famous Dave's. A rowdy good time was had by all, but most of all Ian, who celebrated Grandma's birthday by eating corn on the cob, in a way that only drooling babies who like to rub their hands into their hair while they're eating can. It was not a pretty sight.

Then we came home for some cake and ice cream. And after two straight years of lemon cheesecake Mom decided to change things up with a request for banana cake.

She wanted the recipe exactly as her grandmother used to make it, which unfortunately did not come with any directions. However, after much research it seems that everyone's grandma used to make this cake so all was saved in the world of homemade dessert merriment. It was yummy with a capital y. Moist and sweet and the perfect accompaniment to marshmallow frosting and homemade salted caramel ice cream. Mmmmmmmmmm....salted caramel ice cream. Sorry, I'll be right back after a quick trip to the freezer. While I'm gone you can stare into the eyes of my beautiful child snarfing his banana cake in under 3 minutes.

Who me?

And thanks to the wonderful world of the interwebs we got to celebrate with Tia. A mixed blessing, since, seriously how much fun can it be to watch your whole family eat cake and ice cream without you. I suppose the only thing worse would be all of us celebrating her birthday and eating the cake and ice cream. I promise we will never do that to you.

In conclusion I would like to say that I love my Mama and she deserves a medal for raising a wild haired, tree sap licking, candy crazed kid like me. Happy Birthday Mom!

quotes of the week...

Me: (after lengthy discussion of Easter and various stories from the Bible) So sweetie, what's the most important thing about Easter?

Ava: That my friend John is coming over for lunch!

Ava: (in tone so whiny only dogs can hear) But I don't want to go to bed! I want to stay up and play some more!

Ben: Ava, it's time for bed. Let's go.

Grandpa: Come on Dad! There's got to be some room for negotiation.

Ben: We do not negotiate with terrorists.

Ava: Mommy, I think the Holy Spirit is talking to me.

Me: (Beaming that my spiritually in tune daughter is listening and responding to God's voice) What do you think He's telling you honey?

Ava: I'm pretty sure He just said that He's hungry.

I'm telling you, if it weren't for all the whining, pooping, drooling, children who require our constant attention and energy around here, it would be nothing but laughs.

Picking my battles...

tank top and mini skirt on 48 degree/rainy day ~ check

festive hat made at a friends birthday party ~ check

body covered in heart stickers (mostly underneath said summer outfit) ~ check

rainboots for jumping in the puddles ~ check

Let the, "Did you really dress your daughter in that outfit?" sideways glances begin.

Carrot cake cupcake surprise

For all my carrot cake loving friends I think I've found the perfect recipe. These cupcakes are simple and super yummy. I was able to get them made while dinner was in the oven and on the table before the post-dinner-where's-our-dessert riot began. The best part is that the frosting is baked right into the cupcake, so you don't have to wait for them to cool before devouring them. And with only 1/3 cup of oil I like to call these healthy. I also like to pretend that I could still look great in my honeymoon bikini, but we're all entitled to our delusions right? I threw in some pineapple since I like things fruity and had some in the fridge. You could also add raisons or nuts. Just don't get all crazy and add spinach or anything. I cannot be held responsible for that kind of Jessica Seinfeld madness. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

Here's what you need:

Filling:

one package cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

a few drops vanilla extract & or lemon extract & or lemon juice

Muffins:

2 1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 t baking powder

1/4t baking soda

1 1/2 t cinnamon

3/4 t ginger

3/4 t salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup veg oil

1 cup grated carrots (about 2 medium carrots)

optional: crushed pineapple, raisons, walnuts

Here's how you do it:

Preheat oven to 400

Grease/Flour 12 cup muffin tin

Microwave cream cheese on low power for 40 seconds/mix in extracts & sugar

Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl

Whisk wet ingredients in a measuring cup or small bowl

Gently mix wet ingredients into dry

Fold in the carrots & other optional yummies

Drop about 2 tablespoons mix into muffin tins & shake pan to even out

Top with about a tablespoon of cream cheese filling

Top with 2 more tablespoons muffin mix to hide the filling

Tap the pan on the counter a couple times

Sprinkle with raw sugar if you want

I think this would probably make about 14-15, maybe more if you add the additional yummies but I shoved everything into 12 and they were huge and very filling. Next time I would do the additional work for the extra few cupcakes.

Bake for about 20 minutes till brown and firmed up

If you eat them warm the filling will be oozy and molten YUM! or you can wait and it will firm up and be more frosting like once cooled. YUM!

Ava approved!

lemonheads

My mom went to Florida for spring break and she brought me back what I thought was a grapefruit. It actually turned out to be a lemon. The biggest lemon known to man. I probably should have entered it into the guinness book of world records. But there is a slight chance that my normally law abiding mother acquired this lemon illegally and I wouldn't want her to be incarcerated. So it looks like I'll be making lemon bars for 100 of my closest friends and neighbors.

Tuesdays Stream of Consciousness

Homemade chocolate cream pie has contributed to my weight gain and my happy place

I've been doing way to much eating-for-comfort this week and attribute that to the 128 consecutive days of rain

I like the rain because it is conducive to three of my favorite activities - napping, baking and snuggling

I don't like the rain because I can't wear the cute sandals I bought and the hems of my jeans are always wet

Ian stood for 5 seconds by himself today, twice

I was not there to witness either event

I don't mind since I got to witness the other 40,000 seconds of his day

I love driving alone in the car with Ben, even thought we don't say a word for the entire trip

I think after about 2 hours of being alone in the car together, we would have a really great conversation

I'm sad that it will be 18 years until we have an alone road trip

Ben just accidentally called Ava "butt boo"

She thought it was hilarious

It's 10:30 pm

Ava now sleeps from midnight till 8 and I'm surprisingly fine with the new schedule

I'm thankful for this passage from Hosea today

¹⁴ “Therefore I am now going to allure her;

I will lead her into the wilderness

and speak tenderly to her.

There I will give her back her vineyards,

and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.

There she will respond as in the days of her youth,

as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

“In that day,” declares the LORD,

“you will call me ‘my husband’;

you will no longer call me ‘my master.

I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;

no longer will their names be invoked.

In that day I will make a covenant for them

with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky

and the creatures that move along the ground.

Bow and sword and battle

I will abolish from the land,

so that all may lie down in safety.

I will betroth you to me forever;

I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,

in love and compassion.

I will betroth you in faithfulness,

and you will acknowledge the LORD.

It takes my breath away and makes me cry at the same time

This is a promise to someone who not just took a casual glance at an idol but ran full force into it's arms

I did that a lot this week and needed a good reminder that my God is faithful and has betrothed me in righteousness and love

My sons going to make for a fine chimney sweep one day

The End