A Few Firsts

This is the "a whole lot of us" portion of our blog. See, we haven't had many cakes lately so really it's just been...us. Us in our busy non-stop, pick up, drop off, kiss hello and goodbye with only one kiss exchanged kind of way. Anyways, enough of my complaining :)

So, the other day Little Man asked me to color with him. Which really just means, he's going to ask me to write someone's name and he's going to try to tell me which letter is which. However, this time he was really focused. He asked me to write his name first. He pointed to the first letter and said, "I can do that one Mommy, see." and sure enough there was a big 'G.' But, I knew he could get that much of it, because he's been practicing. "What's that one?" Every letter I told him, I walked him through how to "draw" it. Then the tears. Mine. I'm emotional. Actually that is the one word I would use to describe myself. Some people find that odd, but emotional doesn't always have to be a bad thing, right? It's kind of like the word attitude. You can have a good attitude or a bad one, but if someone says "Sally has an attitude," all of a sudden the world hates Sally. Poor Sally. Oh yeah, the tears. He wrote his name. His whole name. So there's a first.

Tonight was another first...but this one was for me. Here's a little bit about the Cake Lady. The reason I like baking is because I like recipes with measurements. Not just a handful of this and a scoop of that, but actually measurements! Is that so much to ask for Rachel Ray? I'll never forget when Baker Man and I first got married, my mother-in-law gave me a Rachel Ray cook book. She knew I couldn't cook. Well, she thought I couldn't cook, I didn't let her think any differently. I'm a good daughter-in-law like that. This cook book had lots of pictures (I like to know what I'm striving for) but NO measurements?! In the front of the cook book was a "dictionary". What Rachel Ray meant when she said a pinch or a handful. A pinch = 1/8 tsp. A handful = 1/4 cup. REALLY?!? What if I'm Andre the Giant and my handfull equals an entire cup? I could be a she-man! I don't want to use a translator when I'm using a cook book. Come on Rach, the reason I needed a cook book in the first place is because I want it to taste the same way the first time as it does the second time, and if I really like it, the third. I only want it to be different because I whoops-ed and used salt instead of sugar. Baking...not like cooking,. There's a science to it. An exactness. If one "secret" ingredient is left out, the whole thing caves in. Cooking...it's a guessing game. There is uncertainty about what might happen, but it will turn out edible 90% of the time. If you know anything about me (and if you do keep reading pretending like you don't) you know that I don't like walking into the unknown. I like to know what's coming and when it's going to hatch. So, the amount of times I've cooked without a recipes...I could count on one hand and not even need my thumb. Mostly, recipes from my Grandmother. I'm pretty sure she doesn't even know what a recipe is. Well, tonight, Baker Man is at the fire department. If I didn't have kids I would eat cereal. My FAVORITE food group!! But, I do have kids, and every third night serving cereal would probably not go well. I had a thought today. I'm going to try and make some orange chicken. How hard could it be? Turns out, not hard. I used the Wok (a first for me as well), tossed a few things together, and SHAZAAM! Chicken with a whole wheat pasta tossed in a delicious orange teriyaki sauce. I liked it so much, I saved the left overs. Little Girl, ate everything on her plate (not a first), Little Man even said, "Mmmm, yummy Mommy," (might not be a FIRST but it doesn't happen often). Yessssssss, successsssssss! When your dinner gets approval from your two year old...you know you have arrived! Look our Rachel Ray, you've got nothing on me!

Now for Little Girl! We were getting ready for bath time and I, being the brilliant one that I am, sat her on the potty since she always pee pees on the floor while the bath is filling up. She's sitting there and...tinkle tinkle. "Yeah, pee pee potty," Little Man and I started clapping and cheering. Her face lit up with her crooked little smile. She's ready for potty training but I'm not. The diaper stays, for now.

A first for me and Baker Man, we will be going to Haiti on a mission trip with our church. God is good and proves it more and more every day! My passport is in the works, the paper work is ready to go, and we're trusting that God will help us come up with the rest of the money. $1200 per person and we're more than half way there. I have never been on a mission trip. Baker Man on the other hand, spent a month in Panama and came back blue. The tribe accepted him as one of their own, and died him from the eyes down...smurf blue. I wish I could've seen it. This was long before my time. Now we get to go together. I can't wait!!!!!!

Upcoming cake:
MSD - You want to know what that stands for? Stay tuned...