Oreo Cupcakes

It has been far too long since I baked anything, and even longer since I posted something fun like this. I love baking, but I always end up eating entirely too much of whatever deliciousness I created. I have tried the single-serving mug cakes and cookies that you can find on Pinterest, but they just don't cut it. Totally not worth the 3 minutes it takes to whip them up. And definitely not worth the 200 calories. So I figure --why not. I'll bake up a little something delicious, and then I'll get rid of the rest. And rather than throw them in the trash or give them to my non-existent friends, tomorrow I'm going to make Mike take them to his office. I'm not sure if his coworkers are into delicious treats, but surely there are some hungry interns lurking around there somewhere.

So, without further ado, here are the results. The Treat of the Week.

Oreo Cupcakes
via

For the Cupcakes
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 package Oreos

Mix up the cake batter according to the directions on the box [hey, i've got to ease my way back into baking]. Line cupcake tins with paper liners, and put an Oreo into the bottom of each liner. Take half of the remaining Oreos, crush them, and stir them into the cake batter. Fill cupcake liners and bake according to the package.

For the Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 package Mini Oreos

Cream together the cream cheese and butter once both are room temperature. Add vanilla and then powdered sugar, a little at a time. Send the rest of your regular-sized Oreos through a food processor, then mix them into your frosting. Frost each cupcake, once cooled, and top with a mini Oreo.

And there you have it. An Oreo cupcake. Because, really. Oreos.

Ella {15months}

Holy cow, could I get any more behind?! Sometimes I feel like I have a lot of things on my plate, but I really don't. I just like to spend my free time with Mike and Ella and doing fun, memorable things. What suffers? The blog. Woops!

Anyway...

Ella's 15th month was a busy one. Mike's Grandma Dee came from Florida to visit for almost a week. We had loads of fun hanging out. She brought books and toys that made noise, and they quickly earned favorite status. Ella loved having Great Grandma Dee here, and they were both worn out by the end of the week. We were sad to see her go!

The following week, we left for the Midwest. We were able to spend nearly two weeks visiting family and friends. First we spent a couple days in Omaha with some of our dear friends. We got to meet a new baby, and we barely missed the birth of another. It was so fun visiting friends - we always pick up right where we left off.
Next we headed to Iowa, where we spent nearly a week with my family. Santa even found us there on Christmas morning!

Next we went to Kansas City, where we spent several days with Mike's family. The Chiefs were in town, and we were able to go to the game. Ella and Grandma Marie had an in-the-car tailgate of fruit and drinks, while the rest of us were outside having brats and a different kind of drinks. They were definitely the warmest of us all!

On our way home from the Midwest, we made a two-day stop in Pittsburgh. Penn State was in a hockey tournament again this year, so we stayed in town for those games. Unfortunately they didn't do so well, but we had a great time anyway.

New Year's Eve was pretty low-key. We got back from Pittsburgh on the 31st, so we spent most of the day relaxing and catching up on life. That afternoon, our friends Chris & Carrie came over for dinner and some sports-watching. We wore sweats instead of the typical NYE glam, and they still like us. It's true friendship. Ella went to bed early, but the rest of us [barely] made it to midnight. Win! [side note:  The NYE countdown shows aren't nearly as good as I remember them being. The hosts were less than impressive, and they were all over the place. Was NYE just that much better as a kid??]

Ella's latest big news is that she started daycare! Her first day was actually on the 5th, so it was a full 15 months before she went to any kind of daycare. After that many weeks and months together, it was time for both of us to branch out a little. I needed to get back to nursing [a little, anyway], and Ella needed to play with some other kids in other environments. Mike and I were pretty nervous about sending our baby girl to daycare, but it has been just perfect. The first day, as Mike was dropping her off, Ella ran to play with the little boy, Cooper, and didn't even want to give Mike a goodbye hug. It was great that first day, and has gotten even better since then. Ella naps well, eats well, and she loves playing there. She gets a good report card every day, and she has even brought home art on two occasions!

We also had one huge accomplishment this month. We're bottle-free!! At Ella's 12-month check-up, the pediatrician told us that we should aim to be done with bottles at 15 months. She's been taking fewer bottles since she starting eating real foods and drinking milk out of a sippy cup, but she was still taking one bottle in the early morning, and one at bedtime. Ella really liked both of those bottles, so we were pretty certain that we wouldn't be completely done with them by 15 months, but we still knew that was our goal. During our trip to the Midwest, we were able to stop the early morning bottle. It was a huge pain to warm a 5am bottle in someone else's home [no bottle warmer, and i can't navigate another kitchen in the dark], so we would get up early with her and forego that bottle. In just a couple days' time, she didn't even seem to miss it. And a couple days after we returned home, Ella had eaten a late evening snack. When it came to bedtime, she didn't want to drink her bottle. It was the first time that had happened, but she slept all night anyway! So we decided it was time. The following days, we gave her a bedtime snack and no bottle. She was confused the first few days, but within a week it was our new routine. Three days before the 15-month mark, we were done with bottles!

I think that pretty much sums up Ella's latest month! It's been a busy one, but definitely fun for us all.

Quick Update

Heyyy! I do realize that another month has passed and you've been waiting to hear from me. So patiently. You're on the edge of your seat, aren't you?

No?

Ok, whatevs. Anyway... things have been busy around here. I'll get into more detail soon, but here's a quick overview.

We went to the Midwest for Christmas and visited lots of family and friends.
We spent a weekend in Pittsburgh.
Ella turned 15 months.
I started a new job.
Ella started daycare.

And that's that. We're in the midst of a very busy two weeks, but I promise I'll squeeze in some blogging time soon.

Any requests??

ok, now off to find a blanket in attempt to stay warm. thanks for sending the cold weather, midwest peeps.

Ella {14 Months}

It has been another month full of growing, learning and having fun. Ella continues to entertain us every day. She's learning new words and new activities and visiting new places.

This month, we finished up the fall story time at the library. Ella loved doing that each week, and we hope to be able to do it again in the spring. Except next time she will probably be in the Two's group... yikes!

We've still been going to some playgroups in the last month. Each week there are a few scheduled playgroups for small children around town. We've met some nice people, and Ella really enjoys playing with children her age. And of course she likes the new toys!

Ella and I made a trip to the Midwest without Mike. Unfortunately my aunt passed away after a fairly brief fight against Lymphoma, so we went back for her funeral. It obviously wasn't an ideal reason to go back, but I'm glad we were able to go. We were able to see many family members [many of whom Ella had never met] and spend some time at "home". And although it's never fun, I'm glad I was able to appropriately say goodbye. If I hadn't gone, I'm sure down the road I would have wished I had.
It was the first time I had flown with Ella but without Mike, so I wasn't sure how the trek would be. But it actually went really well. Ella is at an age where she doesn't really want to be contained to one person's lap for four hours [shocker], but I was prepared with a bag of tricks and she did great.

my twenty-first flight and i finally get my own seat?!

playing with cousin alice for the first time!

it snowed, but she didn't have her boots or snowpants. so gary brought the snow to her. she loved it [and ate the whole cup]!

We were able to take another trip this month. In early December, the three of us went to New York City for a Penn State hockey game at Madison Square Garden. We had a fantastic trip! If you missed it, here's the recap.

exploring times square

It seems like Ella learns something new nearly every day. Every week, for sure. She has a new way of going down the stairs. She doesn't like to go down on her belly anymore, because that's not how the big kids do it. She likes to sit on her bum and plop down from step to step. She is pretty unsteady doing it [and makes us nervous every time!], but she has only tumbled down the stairs doing it once. And thankfully, no injuries.

she started doing a little baby yoga

with our first snowfall, we built an ella-sized snowman

and played in the snow

For Thanksgiving this year, we weren't able to go home. Instead we had a Friendsgiving! We had a couple friends over for the day.. we ate way too much food, watched too much football, and went on a fun walk.

going on a walk around the neighborhood

Ella is still doing a few animal sounds:  a cow, a lion, a monkey, and she's working on a cat. However, the cat sometimes says "HI!". Oh yes, that's her favorite [and her first!!] word. "Hi!" She says it all the time. It's too cute. She also points to something [anything] and says "This?"

She's eating mainly soft table foods. Nothing really new here. Fruits, some veggies, and pasta and bread. She still has a hard time chewing meat, so we haven't pushed that. She loves her whole milk, yogurt and cottage cheese, so she's getting plenty of protein. She even has an occasional grilled cheese sandwich, which she likes.

Other than the mullet cut she got a few months ago, she hasn't had a haircut. Her hair is getting longer and more in her face, so we try to keep it contained with a ponytail or barrette. She doesn't usually leave them in though, so we may have to cut bangs sometime. Nooooo!

Some things she likes doing around the house are helping unload the dishwasher and dryer. She thinks she's really helpful in folding the landry too, but I beg to differ. She also really likes helping in the kitchen. She obviously isn't able to do much, but she likes to watch everything you do and to carry things like spices and containers.

Since it's Christmas season, we have our Christmas tree and stockings up. It's a daily struggle to keep her out of them, and it has turned into only the top half of our tree being decorated. Whatever works... 'tis the season!

We're looking forward to a very fun month ahead. Ella's Great Grandma Dee will be visiting from Florida, we'll be going to Iowa and Kansas for Christmas, and we'll be going to a hockey tournament in Pittsburgh.

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas, wherever you are. Sending love and blessings your way!

Weekend Adventure: New York City

It's Sunday night, and we just returned from a hugely fun weekend in New York City! The PSU hockey team was playing in The Frozen Apple - a hockey game that's played at Madison Square Garden each year. The game was Saturday night, but we made it a long weekend and went Friday to Sunday.

We knew we didn't want to drive into Manhattan [we made that mistake once before], so we took the advice of some local friends on how to get there. We drove to New Jersey, parked there, and took the train into NYC. It was much easier and cheaper than driving and parking in the city, and it was kinda fun, too! 

waiting at the train station in new jersey

a little chilly, but the train was right on time!

ella was soaking it all in

After navigating two trains and one subway, we checked into our hotel. It was really close to a lot of exciting NYC things, so we walked to Times Square for a couple hours. We found somewhere for dinner, then we walked around and checked it all out. There were so many lights and so many people, and the video screens were much larger than I remember them being. They were just huge! Ella especially liked all the commotion; as we walked around she kept saying "Hi!" as we walked past people.

Saturday morning we headed out to find Rockefeller Plaza. We saw where the Today show is filmed [too bad it was the weekend!], the Rockefeller Christmas tree, and the skating rink. We also walked by Radio City Music Hall and The Tonight Show, and we walked down Fifth Avenue and checked out some shops.

mike and ella by the rockefeller christmas tree, which is from pennsylvania!

ice skating at rockefeller plaza

some lady with limited english offered to take our picture.. what a sweet stranger!

outside of radio city music hall

inside of st patrick's cathedral on 5th avenue. such a beautful place!

we even ran into santa at the hotel! ella wasn't so sure at first...

but a candy cane and sticker helped, and he even got down on the floor for her!

Saturday afternoon we relaxed for a bit and let Ella take a nap, then we headed to the hockey game. We met up with some PSU friends for dinner and drinks before the game, then we headed to Madison Square Garden. We got to sit in the PSU President's Suite [no president there, just his suite] during the game, which was great fun. It was great for Ella too, because she was able to run around and enjoy herself. She stayed awake sdthe entire game, and finally fell asleep on the subway ride back to the hotel. Even though Penn State didn't win, we had a great time!

Sunday we headed to Macy's to see their holiday displays. They set up window displays that tell stories, complete with moving parts and the entire story written on the windows. The top floors of the store were dedicated to Christmas as well, with SantaLand and an entire floor of Christmas trees and decorations. It was just so fun! 

they had a station where kids could write a letter to santa

ella mailed her letter... we'll see if santa finds her on christmas!

the front of macy's [recognize it from the parade??] and the empire state building 

After checking out Macy's and a couple rides on the subway, we made our way back to Penn Station to catch the train to New Jersey. We had an incredibly fun couple of days. It was great to see so many iconic places - ones that we visited together a few years ago. It was definitely different navigating NYC with a toddler in tow, but it was just as enjoyable. Ella was the best traveling toddler there is! She didn't mind all the hustle and bustle, and she loved looking at everyone and everything. 

ready for a nap, but patiently waiting in the train station. what a champ!

Ella {13 months}

I feel like I've been M.I.A. for a while. Did you notice?     [you didn't?  ok then....]

We have had quite the busy, fun month since Ella turned one! We've been soaking up a lot of fall weather and making some new friends. Now that Ella is walking, interacting, and really able to hold her own when playing with other kids, we've been getting out and socializing a lot more. Here are some fun pictures to document our adventures of the past month.

Hockey Games

We have gone to several hockey games, and the season is only beginning! Ella is much more active than she was last season, so we don't always last the entire game. But she seems to enjoy going, and she's even starting to not hate the goal horn!

Ice Skating Show

We were fortunate enough to go to the Musselman's Family Skating Tribute again this year. It was a great show with former Olympic and world champions, and Amy Grant performed live. It will be broadcast around Thanksgiving -- you should tune in!

Arboretum

On one of the super-nice October days, our friend Carrie asked us to join us at the Penn State Arboretum. Neither of us had been there before, but it was a great place to walk around and enjoy the weather. They had a fun kids' area that Ella loved, and they had fun pumpkin displays all around.

Library Storytime

The local downtown library has a great storytime that meets weekly for a chunk of time in the fall. The registration fills up ridiculously fast, but we were fortunate enough to get in this year. We go a little early so that Ella can play with some of the fun library toys, then we enjoy the half-hour of stories, songs, and rhymes. Kids' librarians are so fun!

Playgroup

I found three playgroups for us to go to this fall and winter. The weather is getting chilly, and Ella and I both need to socialize -- and this is the perfect solution! We've met some very nice people already, and Ella has a blast every time we go.

Pumpkin Farm

A few weeks before Halloween, we went to one of the local farms for their fall festival. They had hayrack rides, a corn maze, farm animals, baked goods and soups, and loads of pumpkins! 

Halloween

Last year's Halloween was pretty low-key, but this year was so fun! Ella was a ladybug, and she got to dress up five days that week! There were Halloween parties for playgroups, hockey games, and of course our own with friends. We didn't go trick-or-treating [let's be real... i didn't need the candy], but we went to my friend Kristi's house to hand out candy with her.

Hangin' at Home

Here are some random photos from when we were just hanging out and playing at home. Just a few cute & fun moments I thought you might enjoy!

Man oh man, we've had a fun month! Ella is learning so much and growing so quickly. 

She is starting to eat many of the same things we eat for dinner, but we're taking things slowly. She enjoys fruits & veggies, pasta, soup, grilled cheese, and pancakes. 

She babbles all the time, but she still isn't really saying any purposeful words. We're working on it! The pediatrician says she should have five purposeful words (or partial words) by her 18-month check up. 

That's about it for this month.

Happy Fall, Y'all!