resistance is futile

first, i saw the puppy sweater.

and i tried to resist.

the cute little shoulder buttons.

the brown patches on the elbows.

oh man.

and that cute spotted puppy kept looking at me.

you know, with those puppy eyes?

he wanted to give ME that paper i just know it.

he wanted me to take him home.

i picked it up.

put it back down.

picked it back up.

then put it back down for good.

"too much money" i told myself, although it broke my heart a little.

i almost made it out of there without it.

and then....

i saw the matching hat.

oh that little puppy beanie!

and after that it was all over.

you see, i have a weakness for hats.

especially little boy beanies.

can you blame me?

the littler cheering section

ethan loves going to the lacrosse games, he's usually part of the cheering section. i pack perfectly good snacks for him, but he mooches kristy's snakcs because hers are always better. he loves having his own tiny little chair to carry and sit in. thinks his chair is the bee's knees.

saturday we played at an elementary school, with a playground, so of course, he wanted to hang out there instead. i could only get him to focus on the game and eating kristy's snacks for so long before i had to let him go play. you know, i hear the playground is a good place to pick up chicks.

ethan: so, uh, do you come to this play ground often?

cute little girl: oh ya, i come here all the time, it's like, my FAVORITE hang out!

ethan: cool.

cute little girl: but i also really love clothes, check out my darling tights and hair.

ethan: cool.

cute little girl: oh my gosh, this wind is like, totally destroying my cute golden locks!

ethan: ya, that's why i wear a hoodie.

cute little girl: um, who is that with the camera? is that like, the paprazzi?

ethan: no, that's just my mom.

the cheering section

for the past several weeks, lacrosse has taken over our saturdays. besides the fact that i haven't had time to paint allie's bathroom, it's really ok with me, i know cheering on spencer is a worthy time investment. the painting will ALWAYS be around, but spencer will eventually leave the nest. it's been a few years since either of my boys did any sports, at least the outdoor kind of sports where you bring your own chair and cheering section. it's something that i've fallen back into naturally, i had forgotten how great it is to sit on the side lines in all kinds of weather, and yell like crazy for my kids.

from a cheering section perspective i have to say that lacrosse is one of the more fun sports i've watched.

it's pretty exciting, and i seem to have a hard time not yelling, so i do, a lot. usually too much for rich. things like, "get him!" or, "hit him with your stick!" or my new favorite, "forget the stick, use your body!" i wonder why rich doesn't like to sit with me? heck if i know.

spencer is definitely enjoying himself, although one of these days i need to photograph his bruised and beaten body the day after a game. despite the bruises, i mean, battle scars, he is loving this new sport of his. the timing has been perfect for him, he has needed this outlet in a big way and it seems to be a really perfect fit for him.

it's only his first season ever playing, so he's still trying to pick up the skills, but i see a lot of potential for him to be really good. he's such a natural athlete, tall and thick and super strong. he gets that from me of course.

one BIG bonus of being part of lacrosse this year, i get to sit next to kristy and alternate chatting and cheering for our athlete sons. just like old times.

 it's crazy to me, to think that EIGHT years ago, this scenario is originally how kristy and i met. spencer and kyle ended up on the same soccer team in kindergarten, we chatted and cheered way back then too, and we've been friends ever since. lucky for us.

so i can paint another day, for now i'll be the cheering section. it's way more fun than painting anyway, and when the game is over i don't feel like i want to burn my clothes.

yum

i spent more than half my day in the kitchen today, which is really one of my favorite places to be. at least, it is when i'm feeling creative. and today i was, so i really enjoyed myself. allie had requested white cupcakes with strawberry frosting for her birthday. what? i've never made strawberry frosting before, but i consulted with janae and decided to make a cream cheese base, minus the vanilla, and then puree strawberries in the blender to use in place of milk.  they turned out FANTASTIC!

i have to say, these are maybe my favorite cupcakes that i've EVER made, they were so, so yummy. unfortunately, i never follow a frosting recipe, so next time i crank these babies out, i'll be sure to keep track of how much of each ingredient so i can post it on blogger moms cook. until then, you'll just have to enjoy the pretty photograph. of course, it was not just these cupcakes that kept me in the kitchen. i helped lauri with a primary cupcake project and made dinner early because i knew the evening would be hectic.

as a side note, i also baked cheesecake flavored pie filling (pudding) in the middle and i think i will continue to experiment with this, it was pretty good i thought. and i am loving the giant round tip i found yesterday at orson gygi for piping the frosting mostly because it makes it look like a pile of whipped cream on top, so cute. aren't they gorgeous!? YUM.

for my muffy girl

happy happy birthday alexandra girl!

helpful

funny

hard working

smart - she's a 4.0 ya know

(say this like you're from fargo ya know)

kind

zaney

creative

talented

friendly

darling

...just to name a few things that i love about her.

i am just so crazy about this sweet young lady,

who is as lovely on the inside as she is on the out.

have a wonderful fourteenth birthday allie!

oh my gosh. i can't believe you're fourteen!

i LOVE you muffy girl!

(a bushel and a peck and a hug around your neck!)