One year ago, after 16 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing, we got to meet our precious little baby girl!!! One year ago!! One!!
In honor of one we had a big first birthday bash for Mallory.
Cupcakes! Lots of cupcakes!
The most adorable clothes a mommy ever did see!
I always thought my dream job was being a painter. I dreamed of driving around in my big white van with ladders on the side. Inside my van it is filled with cans of paints in all different colors. I’m dressed in a bib-overalls that are splashed with many colors of paint. Love it!
But today my dream job has changed. I want to be a chef or a cook or have a little tiny sidewalk cafe! We are hosting Mallory’s big birthday bash this weekend and I’m cooking up a storm this morning. Baked beans (from scratch!) are in the crockpot already! Spicy potato salad is up next! Ruby Red Margaritas are in the cue!! And lots more yummy dishes!
I even baked a cake! Now, this isn’t the “official birthday cake” – I ordered that from Something Sweet by Jenny. I can’t be trusted with the real cake! I’m not a good enough baker. Back last fall I was at my sister-in-law’s house looking at her cooking magazines and spotted this amazing caramel-ish looking cake and she just so happened to have all the ingredients. We decided to make it. I was in charge of making the cake… which was out of a box, I might add. The cake turned out about 1/2” thick and hard as a rock! How do you screw up a box cake!!!? We giggled lots and still ate it.
My neighbor gave me some rhubarb, but I told her I wouldn’t take it without an easy recipe. She gave me one with 4 ingredients!! I’m working away on it this morning and I have a question about it so I call her and she has already left for the morning! Grrr! So I winged-it and the good news is – it smells really good. LOL. Actually it is still baking, but I think it might have turned out!
The downfall of this dream job is dishes! I don’t have a dishwasher and I’m a cook who uses a lot of dishes! Too bad Mally is taking her morning nap or I just might try to figure out how to turn her into my dishwasher girl! ; )
Early last week we declared today as family day. We weren’t allowed to work. In honor of family day we went to a petting zoo. I felt that Mally was at an appropriate age and would really enjoy it. She seems to love animals right now. She goes nuts over Maggie. She loves it when I put in Baby Einstein with the cows that go moo! : )
We visited Barney’s Barnyard today and it was perfect! Just what I wanted for Mallory! They had lots of brand new (literally days old) baby animals!! It was small and not overwhelming. It originally started out has a hobby farm for the couple and then she was laid-off from her job and they decided to turn it into a petting zoo and open it up to the public.
There were lots of squeals and babbles when we walked in and showed her the animals. Miniature Horses!
After the petting zoo we stopped for some lunch at this place called Katie & Gracie’s. We were told to find a spot and someone would be right with us. We pick out a booth and a lady comes up with some menus. We ask if they have any high chairs, she gives a very firm, “No”. We say, okay and just look at her. She is still holding the menus and looking at us and says, “Oh you are still going to stay.” Yes. She gives us the menus and walks away.
They have outdoor seating and we move outside and get the stroller so Mally can sit and eat. After lunch I check out the bathrooms to see if I can change Mally here. It was a big single bathroom with no changing tables. No problem! I’m starting to be a pro at changing diapers in random strange places. I wheeled her stroller into the bathroom and laid the seat down and changed her diaper in the stroller. Which I might add is no easy task! She tries to sit up and climb out!
I walk out of the bathroom pushing the stroller and heading towards the door when this same woman walks up behind me and says, “Is there a diaper I should know about.” I was in complete shock and just looked at her. She says it again, “Is there a diaper I should know about.” I say, yes there is a wet one but I threw it in the garbage. She says, “Okay thank you.” turns on her heel and walks away.
I can now say that I have officially met a kid-hater! This woman was so rude to us! We even think she was the owner of the place! Our waiter was great and the food was good – but this lady was rude as all get out! And Mally was being so good! The first encounter Mally was just sitting on my lap being quiet looking around. While we were eating she just sat in her stroller and Mmm’d the entire time she ate. She never once cried or got unruley.
As we drive away Jesse and I go threw all the things I should of said to her instead of, yes there is a wet one… One of the ones we came up with was: Oh you mean that poopy-one I left laying on the floor wide open? My daughter grabbed it and started smearing it all over your walls. I am so sorry!
This winter Jesse went snowmobiling in Buffalo County and came back and told me how he was on this bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. Today he took us there! Here is Buena Vista Park and the view of the Mississippi River.
