flamingo baby

My sister bought this flamingo onesie for me years ago, hoping I would someday have a baby girl who could wear it. The wait is finally over!

I'm loving Abigail's rosy cheeks these days. And look at all of her hair! 

Happy Birthday, Robert!

Robert turned 34 today. He wanted Abigail to wear her new onesie from our friend Clara. Go Buckeyes! ;)

This year, Robert asked me to make the Cookies & Cream cake from a recent Food Network Magazine: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/cookies-and-cream-cake-recipe/index.html

This cake is soooo sweet. I love desserts but I think I met my sweetness max. The frosting had 6 oz. of white chocolate melted into it and the cake + the frosting used a total of FIVE sticks of butter. :/ Yikes. Here's my finished product:

We had a very chill day at home as Robert said he just wanted to hang out with his girls. Here's Abigail getting used to her high chair. We haven't started giving her any food yet, but she's happy to sit with us at the table and keep us company. We love you, Robert! Here's to a wonderful year ahead. 

Daddy/Daughter Time

These pictures bring me such joy!

 Abigail is very attentive when we read to her.

Heart. Melting.

Miss Flexible

Abigail found her feet!

 

Mmmm those look tasty. 

Aaand in the mouth!

Clara's Visit

We had a really fun President's Day weekend! Our good friend Clara flew in from Columbus on Saturday night and the theme of her visit was: CHEESE. 

On Sunday, we made Risotto with Mascarpone & Prosciutto from the latest Food Network Magazine. This particular part of the magazine featured "light" recipes or "rich" recipes...we chose the "rich." :) Along with the mascarpone, the recipe also called for gruyere. The prosciutto that topped it off was baked in the oven and turned into delicious crispy shards of saltiness. 

If you're in need of a meal that's rich and comforting and not-so-great for your health, here's the recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/risotto-with-mascarpone-and-prosciutto-recipe/index.html

Clara and I also stopped by Cheese Please, a locally owned business right around the corner that hosts wine and cheese parties. The employees in the store are always very nice and friendly and we ended up sampling 6 different kinds of cheese. Each cheese was also paired with different flavors of pepper jellies, making them even tastier. Our favorites ended up being 2 different kinds of goat's milk cheese from Holland...one with marigold (yep, the flower) and one with potato "chips." Not potato chips that come from a bag, but slices of potato? Something like that. We also bought a jar of pomegranate pepper jelly that paired with both of the cheeses beautifully...er, deliciously.

Robert was off work on Monday and we had yet more cheese for dinner: a salad topped with slices of baguette with warmed goat cheese, herbs de provence, and honey served alongside goat cheese & pistachio ravioli. Good. Ness.

After dinner, Clara and I had a date at Bern's (a fancy steakhouse here in Tampa) Dessert Room. We ordered the Bern's dessert sampler and a trio of molten chocolate cakes. Yum.

This post wouldn't be complete without a few cute pictures of Abigail. She warmed up to Clara right away and loved giving her big smiles.

2 beautiful girls!

This afternoon, we girls drove out to Clearwater Beach. This was Abigail's first trip to the ocean! She is not a fan of either 1. bright sun or 2. wind so she didn't seem very happy; however, once we got close to the water she seemed to really like the sound of the waves. Here she is buried in the Ergo carrier. She's still too young to wear sunscreen so I made sure to keep her safely shaded in her sun hat. Hopefully next time we visit the beach she can splash around a little in the water!

Solo & Ensemble

I was running all over town yesterday listening to my horn students play their solos at contest. They did a great job! 5 of my middle school students and 1 high school student performed. All 6 ended up receiving Superior ratings, so I was one proud teacher! Watching them get nervous as they walked into the room and then seeing their beaming faces when the scores were posted brought back a lot of memories from my own contest days. Playing an instrument teaches so many important lessons about discipline, perseverance, and having confidence in yourself. I'm grateful to my former teachers and thankful now to be able to play the same role in my own students' lives.

Here are 4 of my Rampello Magnet middle school students. Adorable kids, no? 

4 month measurements

Happy Valentine's Day!

Poor Abster spent the morning getting shots. She's still growing like crazy and remains at the top of the charts in her measurements.

• Weight: almost 18 pounds! 17 lb, 13 oz. (4 pounds gained in 2 months)
• Height: 26'' (1 1/2'' in 2 months)
• Head circumference: 17 1/2'' (1'' bigger)

We're supposed to have her eat her first foods before her 6 month appointment. Very fun!

4 months old

Our sweet little girl is 4 months old today! Abigail threw me for a loop this morning and didn't wake up at her usual 7:15/7:30 time. I got up around 6:30, made my coffee, read a magazine and then realized it was 8:30. Baby girl slept THIRTEEN hours straight last night! Crazy. She is definitely a good sleeper. If she were a skinny little thing I might be worried about her going that long without eating...but that's definitely not the case. ;) We look forward to finding out her measurements at her doctor's appointment tomorrow. 

Here's our little sweetheart at 4 months. It's pretty much impossible these days to get a picture of her without her hands in her mouth.

Love those chubby leggies!

A little blurry but I love this one so much.

Nadia & Cora

Sadly, our cats are a bit neglected these days. In need of company, it appears they've been spending more time together.

Friday Picnic

The weather has been beautiful this week and I realized we had better take advantage of it before summer hits. It will be hot and sticky and uncomfortable in just a matter of months.

I told Abigail we were going to have an adventure and we headed out to Wright's Deli to pick up food and drinks for a surprise picnic with Robert. While we waited for our sandwiches, Abby attracted the attention of several nice ladies who commented on how sweet, calm and well behaved she was. Robert met us at the park right after work and dinner consisted of sandwiches, pesto pasta salad, root beer and a carrot cake cupcake with perhaps the best cream cheese frosting I've ever tasted. Yum. 

I love the Spanish moss.

Look at those similar expressions!

Tummy Time

Abigail seemed to enjoy her tummy time today. It looks like she's getting stronger!

So. Tired.