A Day in the Life...

It has been so nice getting to settle into a routine here in Delaware. After a year of teaching I really appreciate getting to slow down and spend time with Vince!

We are out here for Dillon's job which we did last summer as well. There are some big changes this summer from last year but for the most part it has been good. We are in a different apartment. It's much smaller, but it has a pool and is in a better area for long walks (safer and more residential). The team this year is much bigger too. Dillon is the program director so has more responsibility, but loves getting to train and encourage the team, and is doing great (the guy should be a teacher or something huh?). A bigger team means two other moms with sons close to Vince's age to play with! The job is harder this year with more competition but Dillon is our hero managing to work it out day after day.

Yep, he's that guy. Hey- he has a solicitor's license!

Dillon is at work from 8:20am until 1:10pm, then home for a quick lunch before going back out from 3:30 until just after 9pm Mondays through Fridays. He also works 8-2 on Saturdays. He's a rockstar!

I am taking full advantage of my new-found down time to focus on that pesky baby weight. In addition to my diet (which has been refined by many temptations conquered- see below), Vince and I are super active. We found an amazing state park 2 miles (up a killer hill) that we walk to everyday. The park is a dream with a 1.2 mile track, a historic mansion/museum, 3 playgrounds, and many trails. We walk from about 9am until just after noon (7-8 miles a morning). Depending on the day I will also do some "Tapout" (think insanity but MMA style) or go to our complex's little gym over Dillon's lunch break. I am hopeful to have good progress pictures to post later in the summer.

Vince is a champ on the walk eating some snacks, looking around, trying to reach for everything. He loves to wave at everyone too! He'll usually let me get about 1.5 to 2 hours in before demanding to get out. Then he'll run around and explore for a bit. He also chases anyone walking a dog to pet it, and yells "dad!?" at any man and will run towards him until he realizes it's not Dillon, then he'll totter away.

Running as far and as fast as he can

He loves sticks, he always has one in his hand

The cute lake in the middle of the walking track at our park.

Love our little park!

Eventually he'll fall asleep for about 45 minutes for his morning nap and I'll walk some more

*Lots of pictures of Vince at the park below.

Our walk takes us past my favorite thing from Delaware last year: Rita's. They serve "water ice" think sonic slushes, but thick (eaten with a spoon) and 1,000x better. Proud to report I have only had it once (before my diet started) even though our freezer is loaded with it.

Kyle was out here last year, and when we talked this week one of the first things he asked about was this dream in a cup!

After we get home I make Dillon lunch and Vince eats too. Lately he is obsessed with Macaroni & Cheese, strawberries, watermelon, and bananas. In addition to knowing dad is "dad", a month of talking to dad on the phone has left him thinking "phone" is dad too. A handful of times a day he'll randomly put something to his head and exclaim "dad!?"

While he loves to play with dad, whenever he is sad or wants to be held he says "ma ma ma ma" or "mommy". He also says "yeah" and loves to give high fives. In fact, at the park he'll follow kids around with his hand up until I explain he wants them to high five him. After he gets one he goes to find someone else.

This time his graham cracker is the phone. 

I sure do love my silly boy.

Vince also has the funniest giggle these days. He scrunches his face up and... we can't think of how to describe it, it's very unique. We'll post a video at some point, because it has to be experienced.

Around 3pm Vince crashes for a 2-3 hour long afternoon nap, and I am able to do some cleaning and school work. Even though I am done teaching, my distance students (those who watch my class online) still have until June 15th to email their work in, which needs to get graded and entered in the grade book.

Passed out on the floor. He's clutching a remote, which along with phones, he loves these days

At night we often go out as a team and do some things. It makes for a late night for Vince, but he sleeps around 9:45pm anyways and loves the chance to hang with the boys.

Vince and Tad at dinner, the are the same age and love to play

Vince and Dad walking around waiting for our food to come at a team dinner.

Some of the team eating that monstrosity known as the Kitchen Sink at the Charcoal Pit

EWWW! Hayes drinking the melted kitchen sink after the group worked on it.

More of the team working on another Kitchen Sink

Last weekend the singles from the team (about 12 people) went on a road-trip, but the couples decided to take a break and stay in Wilmington. Dillon had the idea of using our complex's grill and got everything for a bar-b-Que with the 3 couples and little boys by the pool. 

The 3 couples by the pool eating our BBQ

The playground for toddlers at the state park we walk to. This is Vince's favorite!

Vince has 3 new teeth up top! Close to cutting a fourth too

The toddler train playground Vince loves

He loves the tunnel, because his "singing" echos and he can play peek-a-boo with me

He loves the slide!

He makes lots of friends, because he always walks up and hugs them- then they are hooked and follow him around. This day all his friends called him super-baby or super-Vince.

The park also hosts music in the park picnics we like to go to.

Our Trip to Mount Vernon

It is so nice to be back together again as a little family. A month apart sure makes you cherish it even more. Now we are all in Wilmington, DE while Dillon works for the summer. Vince and I have full days too, but more on that in the next entry...

Vince has been SO excited to play and cuddle with his dad again

 Memorial Day Weekend (our first all together again) we took a little road-trip 2 and a half hours down to Washington DC. We took in the main sites last year when we went, but wanted to see it again. My buddy Addi and his wife Kaitlin live in DC so I invited them to lunch one day. Instead they invited us to stay with them in Virginia for the night! Libby was in town too! I lived with Addi & Libby for 8 months my senior year of high school so it was a great family reunion!

Libby, Me, Dillon, Vince, Addi & Kaitlin on Memorial Day

We asked Kaitlin where we should go if we had already seen the major sites in DC and she recommended Mount Vernon (George Washington's Estate). We were stoked and headed out after getting to spend Sunday night and Monday morning laughing with, and catching up with some of my very favorite people on earth.

It was great weather for a day out. We stopped at the Gristmill & Brewery on the property first. Now I worked really hard to play with Vince when Dillon was gone (Dillon is Vince's favorite toy/playground) but seeing those two together walking around let me know pretty quick that I was a poor substitute! Those boys have so much fun together!

Vincey's favorite way to travel!

Dad and Vince watching the corn get milled at Mount Vernon

Best Buds!

 After that we went up to the estate and got to tour Washington's home and the grounds. There are a lot of buildings making up the estate: kitchen, smokehouse, laundry, green houses, slave/servant quarters, barns.... it was staggering!

Vince flying and giggling in the gardens with Dillon.

Vince & I in front of the house

For the most part Vince was a champ either riding on Dad's shoulders, in the stroller or running around but at the end Dillon and I wanted to walk through some of the exhibits inside the Education Center. Our poor little guy was fussy until he fell asleep in my arms (which he NEVER does anymore). I was such a delight to cuddle with my sleeping Prince!

Our sweet, sleepy boy

A New Hobby

Since I wrapped up at BYU last fall I wanted to be sure I didn't stop acquiring new skills/knowledge so I signed up for a cake decorating class. I love the idea of being able to make cute birthday cakes but up until now my attempts were laughable if not totally depressing (Who knew store bought frosting was a sin?)

I was nervous but have taken every opportunity I can to practice in the last few months (shown below in the pictures). Many times I delighted the office staff and teachers at my school with left-overs if I wanted to make a cake/cupcakes but didn't want them around the house to tempt me.

Since February I have done two weddings, two birthday parties and a bridal shower. In addition to the cakes and cupcakes I also make cake-bites. I prefer the cupcakes (because I love the flavored frosting) but the cake-bites are a really big hit with everyone else and fairly easy and cheap so they get made too.

Below are some of the cakes/events I have done this spring. I hope to get to do some more!

Thanksgiving was my first attempt at cake-bites, I wanted to practice for my mom's wedding, they were an instant hit with the family.

Tori helped me make 200+ cake-bites for my mom's reception chocolate, lemon, and red velvet. Took HOURS but again turned out really well and cute

Our cake-bites on display at the dessert table at my mom's reception

The dessert table at the reception.

My first cake from class. The first lesson was just making the cake and frosting and then frosting a two layer cake with filling. We only had 15 minutes to do the actual decorating so I consider this first swing a triumph only for the white base, the rest was just rushed practice at coloring frosting.

Third lesson: filled cupcakes (chocolate mousse filling) then I went a little crazy practicing some frosting techniques we had been learning with different consistencies of frosting.

More practice.

This was the "final project" for my class. Wilton roses, two layer cake and chocolate butter-cream frosting with raspberry cream filling. 

For St. Patrick's Day I wanted to make Key Lime cupcakes. Lime cake with a lime glaze and then my first attempt at flavored buttercream frosting (lime of course) with lime zest on top. My new favorite!!!

For the bridal shower I hosted for Gaetana I made a 2 batches of cupcakes. The first was a lemon-lime cupcake. Lemon cake with Lime buttercream frosting and lemon/lime zest on top. (SO GOOD!!!)

The second batch was a vanilla bean cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. (My sister's favorite).

Before I took the decorating class I had it in my mind to make a football cake for Vince's first birthday. I was ecstatic that it turned out the way I had envisioned (that never happened before my class)! Vanilla cake with a raspberry cream filling and chocolate buttercream frosting.

Vince's little cake to make a mess with.

For the sports birthday party I also made 50 cake-bites as baseballs and basketballs.

Our ward has a cake auction every year as a fundraiser for the young women. I made two cakes: the first a duplicate of the one I made for Vince's birthday.

The second cake I made for the auction was a practice cake for Kyle's wedding cake (that same weekend) to try out some ideas and to work with molded fondant for the first time. I was SO glad I practiced since the cake was perfect until the next day when the extra weight of the cake pushed some of the filling out between the layers. I was able to touch it up a bit but then fix the problem before Kyle's wedding cake got made the next day.

I catered Kyle's wedding and made 24-DOZEN mini-cupcakes. Chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream frosting, vanilla cake with coconut frosting, ad lime cake with key-lime buttercream frosting. It was quite the project but Dillon says the frosting tasted like sherbert. They flew off the table and were SO GOOD!

Kyle's food table I did for his reception

My first two layer cake for Kyle's wedding. Vanilla cake, raspberry & chocolate chip cream filling, with coconut buttercream frosting, and fondant trim. Luckily there was a lot to take home because we could not get enough of this cake, so tasty!

My sister-in-law Gaetana loves "bling" so I put some gems for leaves on the frosting roses and put on some turquoise diamonds for her.