A lot. I have at least one every day…when I actually have all 3 components. (I’m usually lacking graham crackers.) When I worked at a summer camp, I had the opportunity to perfect my s’mores-making methods.

I love S’mores.

So, I made S’mores ice cream.

My husband loves custard. And, technically, this was a S’mores Frozen Custard.

I made S’mores Ice Cream.

I am in one of my Heavens.

(One of my other heavens is whiskey. I was there last night.)

I love having ambitious cravings. And I love it even more when they work out!

S’mores Ice Cream

Ingredients:
1 qt half and half
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
2 oz 70% chocolate, chopped finely
4 oz 60% chocolate, chopped finely
8 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 cup graham cracker crumbles
1 cup mini marshmallows

Method:
1. Add the cocoa powder to a large, sauce pot. Slowly add in enough half and half to make a paste. (This takes time and patience) Slowly, pour the rest of the half and half in and mix well with a whisk.
2. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds out. Add the seeds and the bean to the chocolate mixture. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture is scalding.
3. Remove from heat and remove the vanilla bean. Stir in the chocolates until it is completely mixed. Set aside.
4. In a separate bowl, whip the egg yolks and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy. Slowly pour in the chocolate mixture, tempering the eggs.
5. Return the mixture back to your pot and heat on low-medium heat, stirring constantly. The mixture will thicken and should coat the back of a spoon. This takes about 5 minutes. Do not cook over 8 minutes and do not cook on a higher heat or you eggs will cook!
6. Pour the batter into a bowl and cover. Allow to cool in the refrigerator overnight.
7. The mixture should be very thick like custard once cooled. Process in your ice cream maker according to instructions.
8. While the ice cream is churning, melt the marshmallows in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
9. When the ice cream is finished churning, add the graham crackers and marshmallow and fold into the ice cream.
10. Cover and let the ice cream freeze for a few hours before enjoying.

We got to sleep in a bit due to the fact that we went to a cookout the night before and the girls were up waaay past their bedtime!

After the girls woke up, they joined us in bed…

I was given my sweet Mother’s Day cards…

Booty took over Pancake Sunday duties, and we got ready for Sunday mass.

After mass, the Knights of Columbus presented all the mothers with carnations…

My own mother was out of town, but we were able to spend time with my mother-in-law. We headed to Booty’s parents house after church to enjoy Mother’s Day Waffles and Eggs Benedict. My sweet sister-in-law got me a couple nice gifts…

Later, we left the girls in the hands of their aunt so Booty and I could have a date night. As some may know, I am a dinner-and-a-movie type of gal!

We ate sushi and drank sake at our favorite Japanese restaurant…

I love this stuff! The first time we had it, the manager/owner had sent us home with a couple of free bottles…

After dinner, we headed to the movies to watch “Iron Man 3″…

Booty had told me that he did not get me a “gift” gift – as in, a tangible one. I told him that I never, and will never, expect a physical gift from him or our daughters on Mother’s Day. I remind myself of one of the sweetest things that a mother says to a child when they are given a sloppy, painted, misspelled Mother’s Day craft:

It’s the thought that counts.

That is what I expect of my family on this day. I just want to feel appreciated…a little bit more than any other day! I want it to be like any other day of the year, but with more gratitude! Allow me to put my feet up and indulge in laziness! I’m not asking Booty to pick up the slack, I’m asking him to join me in enjoying the family we’ve made.

The fun, crazy, entertaining, temperamental, sweet, loving family we call ours.

But, alas! One of our whiskey-loving friends was having a cookout, and I found the perfect crowd to share this recipe with!

The whipped topping was a hit!

Derby Pie
Ingredients:
1 frozen pie crust, not deep dish
2/3 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 325F
2. Combine flour and sugar. Whisk in butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in pecans.
3. Sprinkle chocolate chips on the bottom of the pie crust. Pour pecan mixture on top.
4. Bake for 1 hour.

Bourbon Whipped Topping
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp bourbon whiskey (I recommend Early Times Kentucky Whisky)

Method:
1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Whip at high speed until thick and fluffy.

The past month has seen many milestones…

Cadence is a (forward) crawler! She also pulls herself up to a standing position! She practices walking along furniture, but it’s a work-in-progress. She is also learning to balance standing up without any support.

Of course, my back is happy that Cadence is more mobile on her own!

She is mastering self-feeding finger foods. She loves her Cheerios and Mum Mums! Along with self-feeding comes exploration. This child puts EVERYTHING in her mouth!

I’ve decided that Cadence is the kid that is the reason to childproof. Gavyn wasn’t like that, which is why I’m so amazed with the behavior! One night, I sat her on the kitchen floor while I was washing dishes. I turned around and saw that she had crawled to the nearest drawer, opened it, and pulled out all of its contents (kitchen linens and oven mitts)!

Cadence is now in the throes of separation anxiety. Again, Gavyn didn’t really display any as an infant (or ever), so this is new for all of us.

While I’m making Gavyn out to be the perfect child, let me brag a bit more on her. She is the most nurturing 3-year old big sister! When Cadence cries, Gavyn goes to her to comfort her. When Cadence drops a toy from her high chair, Gavyn runs to fetch it for her. Gavyn greets Cadence in her room very morning after Cadence wakes up. Gavyn plays peekaboo and pat-a-cake with Cadence. Gavyn can always make Cadence laugh…sometimes just by looking at her!

Now, if only Gavyn would share toys with Cadence rather than snatching a toy from her and replacing it with a baby toy….

Back to Cadence…

She has a third bottom tooth! And one of her top teeth is starting to poke through! She loves textured food. The chunkier, the better!

Since I’m a fan of baby schedules, I’ve found a daily schedule that suits Cadence (and myself). We struggled at the beginning of the month because she didn’t like to consolidate her meals. She was eating small somethings almost every hour! Now, I’ve gotten her down to 3 regular meals, plus scheduled snacks (bottles of milk) in between.

We’re consolidating naps as well. Her late afternoon nap is disappearing. Her morning nap is usually less than an hour. Her midday nap, if timed right, lasts a couple hours.

Predictability is near!

Cadence also got her first haircut! Her bangs were out of control! Constantly in her face, and hairbows weren’t doing the job.

BEFORE

AFTER

And, Cadence finally got to meet her great-grandmother! So sweet!!

Three months to go!! Time to start planning a first birthday party!!

I have misplaced my sheet, but here’s the gist…

In the last 30 days, I’ve made it a point to get at least 30 minutes of exercise/physical activity each day.

There were 6 days that I didn’t meet my goal. Usually, it was because I had the girls and/or my back was in pain. Overall, I’d say I met my challenge!

My next challenge will be different. I’ve already started it.

It won’t be a 30-day challenge…it will be a 49-day (7-week) challenge.

Stay tuned!

Dance class

Backyard s’mores

Buttercup Festival

Silly Gavyn

Cadence stands up!

Cadence crawls!

Swim lessons

Cadence stands on her own!

Miniature golf

First haircut

Great-Grandma Audrey

I looked back at some old blog entries, and found one that sums up my emotions:

Cayenne

I’m feeling all of the above.

It was at this point after having Gavyn that I started going to an Orthopaedist (after months of seeing my chiropractor), then receiving epidural injections, then having a microdiscectomy on 2 herniated discs in my lumbar region. (The surgery was a few weeks before Gavyn’s first birthday.)

After becoming pregnant with Cadence, one of my fears was that I would experience all of that pain all over again.

Hello, fear and pain. I’ve been expecting you.

It’s frustrating. I feel helpless. I can’t get relief. I cry most days because I feel the pain shifting like before. I feel the pinched nerve. There are some days that I lose sensation in my left foot.

Déjà vu.

I try to stay active, which is what I believe has kept the progression at bay. Medicines don’t help. They never have. Ibuprofen, Percocet, various muscle relaxers….

And to complicate matters, this time I have an infant AND a toddler. While I suffer when tending to Cadence (lifting, carrying, holding), the pain causes me to have a short fuse so every little thing Gavyn does pisses me off.

I spend all day yelling at my 3-year old because I’m angry at my back. I scream because it’s all I can do. I’m close to launching breakables across the house. I’m that angry.

I hate this. I feel myself sinking further down and I can’t get enough relief to get my head above water.

I don’t want to go back to the Orthopaedist. I’m sure he’ll prescribe physical therapy first. I can barely find someone to watch the girls once a week every other week so I can go to the chiropractor. How am I gonna find someone to watch them 2-3 times every week? I can’t even find that now!

I give up. You win, pain. I am destined to be your bitch.

Gavyn played on her swingset while I sat on the deck feeding Cadence. Afterwards, I brought Cadence to the grass. I usually set her on a blanket, but this time I opted not too since she always rolls or scoots off of it anyways.

Gavyn asked to play hide-and-seek, so I told her to hide first. After I counted, I decided to leave Cadence sitting on the grass by herself. She was content touching the grass.

I walked off, and very quickly found Gavyn. (She was under her slide.) When I turned around to Cadence, something was wrong.

Her eyes were wide and full of panic. Her mouth was open. Her arms were flailing and reaching towards me. I was confused. She looked like she was crying, but no sound was coming out.

In her clinched hands were grass and flowers. I quickly connected the dots.

Oh shit! My baby is choking!

She was 10 feet away from me. Ten feet in which I swear I took with one bound.

I knelt down next to her and scooped her up. I quickly noticed a skinny brown object in the back of her throat. I could see an inch of it.

Was it a stick?!

I flipped her over onto my forearm and started pounding her back.

Five back blows.

She made a gagging sound. I flipped her over to face me. Her mouth was still open, and gurgling noise was making its way out. The brown thing was more visible, and I could tell what it was. I went against protocol and pulled it out.

A dead leaf the size of her hand. The stem was about 2 inches long.

Cadence started coughing. Then she swallowed. Then she rubbed her eyes.

And that was that.

Thank you First Aid classes from waaay back! (Thank you near-flawless memory!)

I can’t wait to mow the grass have Booty mow the grass this weekend.

Cadence is mobile! Sort of.

She gets in the crawling position and can inch forward…before scooting backwards. Away from her intended target. Queue frustration! She has transitioned from lying down to sitting up only a few times on her own.

Now, she prefers to not be held. So she can sit. Then fall over. Then roll over. Then attempt to crawl. Then fall again. Then cry with frustration until I pick her up. So she can cry because she wants to sit.

I cant just sit her up after she falls. She has to be picked up. It’s like she needs to reset.

Cadence is using her hands more and more. She loves to bang toys together. And now we’re playing the timeless classic: drop the toys on the floor so mommy/daddy can pick them up, just so they can be dropped again. My favorite!

Ugh.

She’s getting better at tipping up her trainer cup to get every last bit of milk. She feeds herself Mum Mums, and we’re working on yogurt melts.

Her diet has lots of variety now. We’ve moved beyond veggies and fruits and blends. She loves her macaroni and cheese. And her yogurt! She enjoys dry toast, too! She loves most anything she’s given.

One thing that Cadence can’t get enough of: Mangoes. I was so intrigued by this. Then I realized that I lived off of mango juice while I was pregnant! I guess that explains things!

We’re slowly working on a good nap and feeding schedule. Cadence’s appetite is increasing, and she is losing her early evening nap. So, we have to find the balance! Fortunately, the past few days have been successful. Happy Cadence = Happy Mommy.

She has become so vocal lately! She babbles to communicate with us. I love our “conversations.” She has this cute squeal/screech when she gets excited or wants our attention. It’s also how she greets Gavyn!

This precious girl lights up my life!

March was a busy, eventful month!

Dr. Seuss Celebration (and naptime afterwards!)

Silly, loving sisters

Dancing on stage with the Nashville Ballet

Riding the train at Ryman’s party

Enjoying beautiful weather

New playground area

Trying to crawl

Easter egg hunts

Moving to a sitting position

More food

The Color Run

Cadence’s first Easter