Geocaching

M. and I went on our first geocache adventure yesterday. I only recently discovered this past-time myself and have since been chomping at the bit to get out and partake of it. In researching our proximity to geocaches, we found that there are numerous caches within a mile of our condo, so we hiked out to find a couple of them yesterday.This was the first of the two, which M. spotted. I won't

Pickles and Ice Cream

And chips and french fries and bacon and burgers and everything bad I can think of to consume...that's what I'm craving these days. 

You guessed it!  I'm preggers!!!

I still can't quite believe it's true even after 8 weeks of knowing, but then kicks in the urge to drive to Chick-Fil-A at 4 pm to wait in line for 15 minutes to get a kiddie meal (that's for me, not Izzy), or the rush to consume saltines in order to hopefully avoid a toilet hugging session, or the very strong desire to curl up in bed and take a 3 hour nap, or the tears that well up after the pampers commercial...and then I realize that there is indeed another life inside of me.  A little life slowly taking over my body and making me feel things I don't normally feel!

Nothing makes you realize it's really happening more than seeing a picture of the human inside you, or hearing the sweet sound of it's heartbeat.  It seemed like an eternity waiting to experience this, over 7 weeks after that April Fool's Day when we saw a barely there pink line on the home pregnancy test. 

When the news was first confirmed by the doctor it started to settle in, and telling our families made it feel more real.  This time it wasn't a painstaking process, and although it wasn't a surprise, it was surprising, which was quite a treat.  We just didn't think it could be the result of pure relaxation and lots of wine!  So, yes...there was most likely a little bean starting to grow while I was happily frolicking through a Sonoma winery, seen here.

 Of course I am a "rule follower" and the thought that I was consuming alcohol and high mercury fish and taking ibuprofen during a bad cold during the first days of gestation left me sleepless the first few nights after getting the news.  And thinking about where we'd find room for the junk and all the clothes stored in the extra room, or how in the world I would run a business with 2 kids, and wait--this is all happening in 2012!?! gave me great anxiety in the first weeks.

But now we are nothing but excited and grateful (and a bit nervous, of course) for this new life in creation.  Christmas will be very special this year and we cannot wait to welcome a little one (boy or girl...we are not finding out) into our lives in early December!

The big question is, will Isabelle be ready to be a big sister?  Not so sure about that yet, but she sure is showing us signs that she is growing up fast.
Last week was her last day of school and I can't believe how much she has changed since that first day I dropped her off.  She went from crawling to running, "ehhh"ing to talking, and she has changed from a baby to a little girl. 

Here is the precious class picture with her teachers Miss Derann and Miss Anna:

 The paci is still sacred (restricted to the crib only) and I don't see signs of that going away anytime soon, which is fine by me.  It's the one thing that is always predictable in this little girl's life...the paci can do wonders. 

Oh and there's not just one paci.  She prefers 2 or 3 nearby in the crib...good for clicking and for sticking in her eye (some sort of soothing ritual I guess!).

 I had to catch this on camera one morning - all things she could clutch in her crib, including sippy cup and yellow dog from the crane game at Pizza Peel.

Isabelle loves to wear a hat.  She sported it all weekend since we were outdoors most of the time playing in the baby pool.  In fact, she loves to wear anything on her head or face, sunglasses especially.  Can't wait for bows to actually stay put in her hair!

 Big girl wedgie.  I couldn't resist capturing what might have been her first wedgie experience.  She went diaperless in the baby pool, which allowed for this adorable view. 

 Big girl pigtails!!!  After seeing her cousin Betsy Grace sport some pigtails, Isabelle thought that would be cool to try.  Those locks barely fit into 2 little rubberbands, but she LOVED them.  Almost 2 is starting to look like almost 12!

 A happy Memorial Day!  We explored the White Water Center which was a huge highlight for Isabelle.  Lots of boats, rapids and people zipping through the air = great entertainment.

Favorite part was dinner with the parents.  This kid loves to eat out.  I swear she might eat spinach and caviar if she's in a restaurant with her loved ones. 

Wedding Cake Factory

The wedding season is in full swing and things are busy, busy here at For Goodness Cakes!  Since I haven't updated my blog with cake photos in a long time, here are some of the latest creations. 

Different textures are all the rage these days. This was a fun "plaster-like" textured design adorned with gumpaste peonies and greenery for a romantic garden inspired wedding.

 Since I am a perfectionist I actually ended up coming back to the bakement after dropping off the cake to add more color to the peonies by painting them with "petal dust" (edible powdered food coloring) so that they matched the real ones used in the wedding...real one on the left and gumpaste peonies on the right!

Lace design with M monogram

 Dogwood flowers with 2 birds perched on the top:

 Coral Flower Cake

 Shades of Green

 Gumpaste Flowers with porcelain bride and (angler) groom figurines

 Cute little black lab sitting next to the groom!

 More texture!

 "Cut-corner" design with lattice piping on the corners

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Pride and Gratitude

It's funny how the the more difficult times in life can make you more grateful.  I do my very best to live life with gratitude, which is one reason why I enjoy journaling and blogging.  By documenting my feelings and sharing my experiences, I hope that I can learn and grow from them.

 

When we got news that my husband's job position was going to be eliminated, I didn't feel much gratitude.  I was, quite honestly, an emotional wreck (thank you pregnancy hormones!) and felt sad,  scared, even angry.  I know that Brian did too, but he always does a good job of downplaying those emotions and seeing the positive.  Afterall, he had been discontent in the job and was already searching for new opportunities since it had become clear that the start-up he joined 2 years ago was not growing enough to offer a long-term career. 

 

With my upcoming maternity leave, a new person joining the family soon, and my hope to scale back my business a bit for the next year while adjusting to two kiddos, the timing for unemployment at first seemed devastating.  But, we'd been through this before....ironically while pregnant with Isabelle.  And when I remember that time we all spent at home together during Isabelle's first months, I think only of gratitude.  So now I wonder, maybe this is God's way of reminding us what's really important in life.  Once again, we have this amazing, miraculous "distraction" of new human life.  The baby that we will meet in less than a month, our flourishing daughter, the friends and family surrounding us with love and support, our faith, our health, and the strength of our marriage are the true essentials in our lives right now.  Those are all things I have no worry of lacking. 

 

Brian recently had a birthday, not a "milestone" year, but just 2 years aways from one (begins with a 4!). I don't think he felt very excited to turn another year older, but I know that with another year under his belt he should feel wiser, fuller, and more confident. The wonderful thing about getting older is the gaining of experience(s). I searched in my handy thesaurus (an odd hobby that I partake in frequently), and was interested to see that the first synonym for "experience" is knowledge. It might not seem fun to get a few more wrinkles or gray hairs, but it is a wonderful thing that growing older means gaining knowledge, which I think makes one a better person. 

 

For his birthday, Brian wanted to have a small celebration with family at our home.  We decided to make homemade pizzas down in the bakement (this is when it's great to have 2 kitchens!).  The girls had a ball topping their pizzas. 

Cute cousins eating at the table together. 

 I made homemade ice cream sandwiches for dessert (sometimes I get tired of making cakes for birthdays!).  Of course the girls had to be right there when it was time to blow out the candles.

 

Brun and Betsy Grace trying to console Isabelle after she was told she couldn't have a 2nd ice cream sandwich!

After dinner and bathtime, the real fun began when the girls discovered the dress up clothes.  Isabelle proudly displayed her favorite accessories.

Sutton is the accessorizer of her family...

...but Betsy Grace eventually joined in as a necklace wearing shark!

Another day of "accessorizing".  Isabelle loves her hats!

And the latest craze is helping daddy make fires.  She carried whole logs into the house herself! 

(Looks a little worn out from it!)

One morning Isabelle decided Crockett needed all of her toys.  She brought them out to her from her doggy toy box one by one....

But Crockett's favorite toy of all is Isabelle!

 A few weeks ago Brian decided to run the Charlotte marathon that was this past Saturday.  Yes, that's right, a few weeks ago!  He runs long distances, and had run 2 marathons before (10 years ago!) but I didn't quite believe he was ready to go through with it until I heard him leave bright and early that morning.  

My parents joined me and Isabelle on a wild goose chase to find Brian at a few points during the race to cheer him on. 

We caught him just in time at mile 11, and then found him again at mile 16 where he had joined his buddy, JQ.  They look way too happy to be on mile 16!

"Little" brother, Mac, was ahead of them by a mile or so, and here he is at full steam, approaching the finish line!  Not too shabby!

When I saw Brian running those last few yards, my heart surged with pride!  He was several minutes ahead of "schedule" and I couldn't believe that he had run a marathon in under 3.5 hours!  He looked a little worse for wear (who wouldn't?!) and I must admit that I panicked and started worrying that he shouldn't have done it, that he wasn't prepared, that he had hurt his body and was surely going to collapse.  But after a hot shower and a nap he was back to his old self in no time!

The fact that he ran a marathon amazes me.  The fact that he did it on a whim astounds me.  The fact that he finished it faster than expected, at an under 8 minute-a-mile pace is flabbergasting.  I am a very proud wife!

I am proud of my husband for way more than finishing this marathon.

I know I don't tell Brian enough how proud I am of him, but I am. And I am grateful for all of the paths in life that he has chosen. While most of his friends were applying to business school or climbing up the corporate ladder, my husband decided to take advantage of being in his 20s and traveled around the world for almost a year. When we met 9 years ago, he had a secure job at a bank, but he didn't drive a fancy car or try to wine and dine me. These were things that attracted me to him...he was smart and practical, and he cared more about people and life experiences than he did about appearances, his job title or the money in his wallet.  I loved that he was adventurous, and most importantly a good person.  These are all reasons why he is my husband today!
Shortly after we met, Brian decided to break away from corporate America, and since then he has worked for several small (trying to grow) businesses in a tough economy. He has taken some risks, and it hasn't always been easy, but I know that through all of these different employment experiences he has grown smarter and more well-rounded than he ever would have been if he sat in that same chair at the bank for all those years. We don't know what is next, but I know that someone will soon be lucky enough to hire this wonderful guy. 

Pride might not be considered a virtue.  But I am ok with saying that I am proud and grateful.

For this right here, and for so much more. 



Poetry, Meet Science

Science, you are poetry.

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A wise woman (not me) once said

You need a leg to stand on so the other can kick ass. And so, after a month of jobless freaking out, I've finally landed a gig! It's only part-time to start, but eventually, provided the economy cooperates, will become full-time.Other things are coming up roses as well, but I'll keep mum for the time being.

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Gentle milk based infant formula with iron. Read More >>

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