More baking

Baby Bear really liked baking the other day. The other morning before school, she asked for her apron and a banana to. Well, it was a perfectly good banana that I did not want to waste. Instead I gave her some flour and water to stir. We will have to try baking muffins again very soon.

Potty training

We have been trying to work on potty traininig. Baby Bear is showing a lot more interest. At school and daycare, she has been sitting on the potty. We encourage her at home. She did go pee at daycare last week and so we are really excited. She is interested in it, so that is a huge step. In fact, she is training her doll, Baby Stella to go potty.

Baby Bear's personal style

Baby Bear is adamant about what she does and does not wear. She has her own style and she only wants to wear certain things. I have learned to let go in most cases and to let her to develop her individual style. Most days I am just happy to get her out the door in something other than her pajamas. She does not like to wear sweaters or socks (even when it is freezing outside). Every morning, I try. I should just give up but what kind of mom would I be without trying to put a sweater on her as we walk out the door.

Her princess style. We were going to a birthday party and this is what she chose to wear. I talked her out of the heels before we left.





Pajamas with a tutu and a hat



She really likes her tutu. Here she is with her red snowflake tights and her tutu and a magic wand (aka a pink swirly straw)





Then there are days she just wants to wear her footsie pajamas. Hey even I would choose that on cold days.

A little baker

Baby Bear and I baked some banana muffins over the weekend. It was a great opportunity to use the new apron I bought her at her preschool's harvest sale and make something yummy with some bananas that would have gone to waste anyways.

Baby Bear was in charge of mashing the bananas.



While I put together all the dry ingredients.



She really got into mashing the bananas.



"I did it!"



We mixed everything together, scooped the mixture into the muffin pans, and put it into the oven. The I realized that I forgot to mix in the baking powder. Yikes, that is a pretty important ingredient. Needless to say, the muffins turned out to be pretty dense, but they were tasty. Oh well, we will have plenty of opportunities to bake together again.

Color inside the lines

The other morning as we were getting ready for the day and to go to school, Baby Bear was coloring quietly. I looked to see what she was coloring and found her coloring in her coloring book.



I was pretty impressed that she was making an attempt to color inside of the lines. Not too shabby.

Celebrating Great Lola's Birthday

Saturday, we celebrated Great Lola's 91st birthday. We were all very excited to see her. Baby Bear loves birthday parties. Friday evening, I received a call from my mom, Lola Bear, and we learned that Great Lola was in the hospital. She had some chest pains and was admitted for observation. We all prayed that she would be discharged in time for her party.

I called Saturday morning to check on her and there was a possibility that she was not going to be discharged since the doctor wanted to run more tests. Regardless, she wanted us all to go to the party as planned since there were 100 people attending. An hour before the party, we learned that she would be discharged and they were waiting for the doctor to give the orders. She was looking fine. She made it to her party and we were able to celebrate her 91st birthday. As always Great Lola is beautiful.

Happy Birthday Great Lola!!



With Lolo Bear, Great Lola, and our cousin, Hanna.



With Lola Bear



Baby Bear is a shy and slow-to-warm up girl.



Although she had been talking to Great Lola on the phone and wishing her a happy birthday on the car ride there. When we got there, she clammed up and didn't say a word. She finally started taking about the birthday party again once we got back into the car.



We love you Great Lola!

Thanksgiving 2011

We celebrated a feast on Thanksgiving with some family. I started off the morning with a 5K Turkey Trot through Claremont and then I was ready to gobble up som turkey and all the fixings with the family.

I successfully made my first layered cake, a layered red velvet cheesecake (click here for the recipe on my food blog). It was a sucess and really yummy. We had turkey and all the fixings. It was a yummy Thanksgiving.

Baby Bear enjoyed herself and enjoyed turkey and mashed potatoes. She also managed to snag a few red velvet cake balls when I wasn't looking.



It was a beautiful day.



Enjoying the view



She does love her cousins, but I guess she was not in the mood at this particular moment.



Cooking in the kitchen.



and cooking outside.



We had two turkeys, one in the oven and one on the rotiserrie.



now for the eating.



After dinner we enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

Pre-school Thanksgiving Feast

There is so much to be thankful for. Most of all I am thankful for Baby Bear and daddy. They are the best family anyone can ever ask for. We had a busy Thanksgiving week filled with fun and much to be thankful for. It all started with a Thanksgiving Feast at school on Wednesday. Grandma Bear came and volunteered to help in the class that day and join in the fun.



At school, each class contributed by making something for the Thanksgiving Feast. Baby Bear's class baked muffins. The baked the day before and it was very yummy.

Enjoying some food with her classmates.



She loves school and is so comfortable there, that she didn't even want to sit with me or her Grandma Bear.



After the feast was time to play.

Running errands with mommy

I took Friday off for Veteran's Day since Baby Bear didn't have preschool. So we spent the day running errands. On Friday, Baby Bear got her flu shot, went to Trader Joe's, stopped by mommy's office to meet with a couple of students, went to the dentist for a cleaning, had lunch at CPK, and went shopping. Whew, then we got home and had a nap.

Saturday was a great gloomy day to stay home and stay in pajamas all day. We watched a few movies and enjoyed the warmth of being home. It was great.

Sunday, Baby Bear went to breakfast with daddy while mommy we to get a manicure and pedicure. The last time I went out to get it professionally done was the day I went into labor, about 2 years and 5 months ago. It was definitely nice to have some one else do my nails for a change, I can never get it as nice as the professionals do.

That afternoon, daddy went off to run a few work errands so Baby Bear and I went to Costco. Baby Bear insisted that her baby ride in the cart next to her.



After having a few samples and buying a few needed items and a couple of Christmas stocking stuffers, we had a hot dog for lunch then headed home for a nice nap.

It was nice for nice to have no obligations or events to attend. With the holidays around the corner things will start getting busy...

My Boat!

Daddy brought home the mini boat last week to get it worked on. Daddy told Baby Bear it was her boat and Baby Bear really liked her boat. Just like her daddy she loves boats.





Please excuse the messy hair, we just got home from day care and Baby Bear decided she no longer wanted her pony tail.



Showing Papa her boat.



And this is what happened when we told her it was time to get out of the boat and go back in the house.



Baby Bear really likes her boat.



The next morning she was quite distressed that the boat was no longer in the driveway.

While I was gone...

While I was gone, it looked like Baby Bear and Daddy had a pretty good time...











Fun with daddy





I guess they went to a petting zoo too.