Belly Sneak Peek

After attending a recent workshop by the incredible Sandy Puc' I needed a model to try some new ideas on. My beautiful subject here is due in about a week (if she hasn't delivered already) and was wonderful enough to be a model for me. Doesn't she look incredible? Especially at 38 weeks!

Happy Birthday Collin!

My baby turned one recently! We had a small family party before his birthday and he got to eat cake for the first time.

Big brother blew out the candle for him.
He wasn't very interested at first.

But then he dug in

Hopefully, I'll be able to do cake smash pictures this week and share those with you soon.

Mmmm....cake!

The day before Collin's birthday party, Ethan helped me make his brother's cake. I make a big mess when I bake, luckily I don't do it often.



Collin seems to have an issue with dairy, eggs, and soy, so we had to find a good recipe. Betty Crocker has one called "Chocolate Snack Cake" that dates back to the Depression when such staples were harder to come by. It is really yummy and fits the bill. I usually double it and serve with a vegan (only because it is safe for Collin) chocolate icing, but this time I had to find a mock buttercream frosting recipe.

Chocolate Snack Cake

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup cold water

1) Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 9-in round or 8x8 pan, lightly flour.
2) Mix dry ingredients together in medium bowl. Mix wet ingredients together in smaller bowl. Vigorously stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until well blended. Immediately pour into pan.
3) Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Vegan Chocolate Icing
2 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp corn syrup
1 cup powdered sugar

1) Warm all but sugar in a saucepan over low heat. When mixture begins to bubble, remove from heat and add sugar.
*I think it needs a little more chocolate so I add a little more cocoa and powdered sugar.

Mock Buttercream Frosting
1 cup shortening (can use half shortening, 1/2 margarine)
3 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk alternative (soy, rice, almond, etc)

1) Beat shortening until fluffy. Add sugar and beat 3 minutes. Add vanilla and milk and beat for 5-7 more minutes.

My babies are getting too big!

Here's a few of my favorite recent snapshots of what keeps me so busy!

About a month ago my youngest started walking. He's pretty much running everywhere now and he climbs on top of the coffee table, too.
Look at those eyes, who could resist!My oldest wanted a turn at wiffle ball with his daddy and uncle and managed to actually hit it a couple times. The white spot on daddy's leg is the ball, heading away. And here they are swimming. I'm just so proud of them!

One of many catch-up posts

My grandpa turned 80 in May and my family threw a big party for him about a week ago. Due to higher fuel prices and flooding where a lot of them live, it was much smaller than originally expected but it was nice to see those that were able to make it.

This is my grandpa. I love this look. It's a mixture of pride and love as he watches the grandkids play. There's a slight smile at the corners of his mouth and his hair is unruly.

I've always wanted to try this effect on a photo. It's almost vintage looking and it really emphasizes the toll that years of hardship and physical labor have taken. He recently has had a lot of health problems that no longer allow him to work and that has been very hard on him.

And I had to throw in a photo of Collin saying his favorite word, "Ohhh". It reminds me of those martians on Toy Story. Also, look how orange he is! Big reason to lay off orange foods before portraits. And this was after a couple days of no orange foods, he was way oranger before (think oompa loompa)!

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation

My sister Rachelle is training hard for a half marathon on July 20th to raise money for Crohn's research. As some of you know, Rachelle was diagnosed with Crohn's disease last fall while living in Louisiana. This is the same disease that our father has. Crohn's disease is an immune disorder that has no cure and the cause is still very unknown. The symptoms of Crohn's include persistent diarrhea, extremely painful abdominal cramps, fevere, fatigue, and loss of appetite. The treatment includes corticosteroids, immune suppressants, and anti-inflammatory drugs all of which can have serious side effects and have high costs.

Rachelle needs to raise $3500 to meet her goal and participate and is in need of ANY donations that you can spare. Every dollar counts. Whatever she doesn't raise, she has to come up with on her own to participate and is asking for your help. Please help Rachelle achieve her goal of making and completing this 1/2 marathon and continuing on her path to remission.

Please visit this website and support Rachelle in anyway you can!
http://www.active.com/donate/napa08southwest/rachelletaylor

Sorry I'm missing again!

Life has been crazy lately with tons of birthday parties and Father's Day celebrations to attend. I will try to catch up in the coming days and share pictures from my baby's 1st birthday party!