20 months 4 days

We have been a family for a 20 months and 4 days and you know what, it has been by far the hardest most rewarding 20 months 4 days of my life. When we started talking about having kids we found out real quick how extremely unprepared we were and had no clue what we had in store for us. Lincoln is a ball full of personality and quite frankly sometimes a little hard to handle. If he is not tossing the ball around, he is throwing rocks, collecting sticks and playing in the dirt. We spend every waking minute outdoors. Outside is the one request he can verbally communicate with us. (Well that and cookies. You know the important things.) I'm hoping all this outside play will lead to an amazing imagination and one day an amazing human being.  

 Slowly but surely we are figuring things out. I think... Most days we are flying by the seat of our pants. I'm not sure if we are always right, but I know everything we do is out of love and that's what counts. 

In the short time we have all been together, we really have not taken any family pictures. (I would much rather be behind the camera, than in front of it.) So spontaneously I decided come hell or high water we were going to take some. Well, it was a crap shut the minute out the door. I really picked a bad time, Lincoln had gotten sick at lunch and we were both on edge from that, but we trudged on. During the shoot Linc started throwing a colossal fit and got sick again all over his Easter cloths. All I could think was GREAT JUST GREAT, ALL I WANTED WAS A FEW STINKIN' PICTURES!! In the end we did get a few beautiful ones, puke and all. 

It's all about the memories we make, and this one will stay with me forever. I am so in love with this sweet little family it takes my breath away. 

Even with all the tears he is still pretty stickin' cute in that bow tie.  

Muffin Monday Maddness

Sometimes the food we pick tells a lot about our personality. This weeks pick was from my dear friend, Rachel. I've known her her whole life, and there has yet to be a dull moment. Just this Sunday she payed me a great complement she told me that I taught her it was ok to act goofy. I thought that was so sweet, and if I was able to get through to her I can teach my son the same thing. Don't live life to seriously you don't get out alive...  I was so happy she thought of this silly little blog and sent me a muffin pin on Pinterest, and true to Kristin fashion I tweaked the receipt to make it my own. Speaking of personalities this one screams rachel. Fresh and sweet of the orange and then that bite of the raspberry. A lot like her, fresh and sweet and snappy when she needs to be.   I liked the Blood Orange Raspberry muffin so much that I am going to add it to my normal muffin rotation. Hope you give it a try and enjoy. 

Blood Orange Raspberry Muffin

Prep time is about 10 min.

Makes 12 muffins

1 3/4  cup all-puprose flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup cooking oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

Zest of one blood orange

2/3 cup of frozen or fresh raspberries (I used frozen. In a bag I beat them until they were broken up into small pieces. I thought it made it easier to spread them throughout the batter.)

Turbinado sugar (sprinkle over the top of uncooked muffin, gives it a nice crunch)

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Grease or line a 12 cup baking dish

3. In a small bowl beat egg, then add vanilla, oil, milk, and zest. mix well

4. In a large bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder. mix well

5. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. stir until just combined. DO NOT OVER MIX!!!

6. Fold in raspberries. 

7. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Filling each 2/3 full. sprikle with turbinado
8. Bake at 400 for 18 min or until the tooth pick test comes out clean.
9. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 min. Best served warm, but just as good cold :)

Oh man look at that sugar!!! am I the only one that thinks this is beautiful :)

My little helper. Hopefully someday all this "helping" will come in handy.