O.T. Turns One!!

How do individual days go by slow sometimes yet the years just seem to fly by? How is our little guy one already? I remember being up in the middle of the night when he was first born and feeling like that stage would last forever. The sleepless nights left as fast as they came and Owen Teddy went from being a little baby to being a little boy. We will be eternally grateful to God for giving us our son. He is SO much fun! He loves to crawl around and have people chase after him. He often stops and looks back with a giggle and a smile to make sure you are still coming after him. He babbles constantly and says da da, no and yeah. It sounds like he also says ma ma but it only seems to come out when he is whining. Hmmm.....He gives big, slobbery kisses and giggles most when he is being tickled by his daddy. This little guy will eat just about anything. He loves green beans and broccoli and oranges and one of his favorite foods is chili. :)
Words truly cannot express what we feel in our hearts for this little boy. January 25, 2009 our lives were changed forever. In one instant our lives became infinitely brighter and sweeter and more joy filled. We didn't know it was possible to feel this much love for one little baby. He is perfectly made in every way and is perfect for our family. A day doesn't go by in our house where we don't talk about how adorable we think he is and just how much we love him.
Our family came for his birthday party and it was wonderful! He was so cute and funny with his cake. He wasted no time digging into it and even managed to offer some to his cousin K. We eventually had to cut him off. We are so thankful for our family and for all the love they pour out over our little family of 3. Below are some pictures from the party.

Let them eat cake :)

A little while back I decided I would like to learn how to bake homemade cakes. I grew up thinking cake just came out of a box and that was that. With Owen's first birthday coming up I thought it would be fun to make his cake.....from scratch. I have always felt like my baking skills and especially cake decorating skills were lacking. So, off I went to Borders bookstore to find a cookbook that could magically turn me into a famous baker. Quickly I realized that there are way too many cookbooks for one to choose from. Suddenly I became overwhelmed and pondered just how I would choose the right one. Who knew there were so many cake cookbooks?! I sat there for hours, sipping hot coffee and mulling over several books. My mind soaked in page after page, my courage rising that I could indeed become a good baker. Finally, I decided to purchase "The Art and Soul of Baking" by Cindy Mushet.

Tuesday I set out to make my very first homemade devils food cake with dark chocolate ganache frosting. Of course Owen cheered me on from his seat as he happily munched on spinach and chicken. :) There are so many things I had no idea about. Did you know that your eggs have to be at room temperature and you need to slightly beat them before adding them to the butter and sugar? Oh and by the way......6 minutes feels like an eternity when you are trying to cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer. I am proud to say that the cake actually turned out pretty good. It was a little flat and I think it is because I didn't cream the butter and sugar long enough. Apparently this process creates air bubbles that gives the cake more volume. Next time I just have to grow more muscles and beat the mixture until my arm about falls off.

To add to the fun, Brian and I watched Julie and Julia the night before and it was most inspiring, in case you couldn't tell. So inspiring that I am now going to attempt to make O's birthday cake into a cool teddy bear shape. Of course I will have the help of my dear friend Mary Grace who is a pro at decorating cakes. Stay tuned for how it turns out.................

Christmas 2009

This year we traveled to visit my (Brynne) family in Pittsburgh for Christmas. We had a wonderful time! Christmas Eve we went downtown and then spent the evening with some of our closest friends. Christmas day was spent with my dad's two sisters and their awesome families. Owen got lots of fun toys, clothes and a new chair that Brian is jealous of. :) Below are some of the pictures from our trip.

Oh Christmas Tree.....

This post is a little late but we still wanted to share this fun experience. :) At the beginning of December we started a tradition with friends that we hope will last for years to come. We went with our dear friends the Hess's and Hoover's to State College to Tanenbaum Tree Farm to cut down our Christmas tree. The day started out with a yummy breakfast at the Hess's house. We then were off to a snowy State College to get our tree. It was the perfect weather for cutting down a tree. The kids had a great time and did so well the whole day. After we all selected our trees we headed for lunch and hit up some of our favorite food spots from our time at Penn State. Yogurt Express was a favorite in college and still is! It brought back good memories. It was an awesome way to start out the Christmas season.