weekend festivities: the pier & our pan-Asian potluck

Dare I say there is a hint of Fall in the air? It still reaches 90 degrees most days, but the mornings and evenings are finally starting to feel a bit less swampy. 

After Robert got home from work on Friday we took Abby to Ballast Point Park for a little fresh air. The park has a fun water splash pad for kids that I'm sure Abby will love checking out someday soon; however, this was a quick trip and we spent most of our time looking at the Tampa skyline and listening to the seagulls. 

Clomping her way down the dock...

...and having fun chasing her shadow.

On Sunday, Robert invited a group of his co-workers over for a potluck dinner. The dinner unintentionally ended up having a pan-Asian theme: one friend made Korean ribs, another made pork adobo, and a third brought over some amazing fried rice. In need of another side dish, Robert and I stumbled across a recipe for sweet and spicy peanut noodles that ended up being a big hit. (We recommend adding matchstick carrots and julienned red pepper for some added crunch -- yum!)

How did Abby prep for the party? By taking a nice, long afternoon nap: 

I know, I know...her legs! We used to have a crib bumper on that side of the crib, too, but she would push it down and get her legs even more tangled. 

Speaking of our little munchkin, I decided to use this gathering as a test opportunity for the birthday cake I'll be making in 3 weeks. Robert and I saw a Strawberry Dream Cake on a recent episode of America's Test Kitchen that had Abby's name written all over it. Strawberry cakes were always my favorite as a little girl and it doesn't hurt that it's a lovely shade of pink. 

Oh yes, that's a whopping 22 tablespoons of butter! 12 for the cake and 10 for the frosting. I bought cake flour, too. So fancy!

No food dyes or fake strawberry flavor here. The recipe calls for both fresh and frozen strawberries. 

That last photo wasn't particularly appetizing, was it?! I forgot to document the rest but here's the final result. It's A-MAZ-ING. And so pretty, no? 

I love how food brings everyone together!

trip to the park

Robert was able to take the day off today to spend a little more time catching up with his family. What'd we do to celebrate? We took Abby to the park! I picked up her first pair of "real" walking shoes during Stride Rite's Labor Day sale a few weeks ago and now nothing can stop her. We get a kick out of hearing her clomping around in them. :)

The park is so exciting!

Time with Daddy is the best.

Checking out the Spanish moss.

She was a little scared of the slide. And the swing resulted in tears, so sad!

Where are these feet going to take you, little girl?

11 months (+ 2 days) old

We finally had a full weekend together as a family and it was wonderful! Yesterday I stopped by one of our favorite Tampa establishments, Cheese Please, and picked up a special treat for a Saturday date night with Robert. After Abby went to bed last night we watched the movie Argo and enjoyed our selection of French Bucherondin goat cheese, Pecorino with black truffles (!!), and a cheddar cheese from Georgia. It felt so indulgent, particularly when we paired the Bucherondin with the rum caramel sauce. Sounds strange, I know, but I promise it works. We also paired the cheddar with some pepper jelly we had previously purchased -- always a winning combination.

Argo was pretty great, too. Robert made the point that regardless of the fact that you know how the 1980 US hostage crisis in Iran turns out in the end, the movie still manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. 

Abby turned 11 months old on Friday and we finally got around to taking pictures this afternoon. Oh, Abigail. Why won't you cooperate with your mommy and wear the monthly stickers I bought for you? It used to be so easy when you were a little baby! Instead, I now have to resort to this:

Such a little cheeseball!

I love watching her look through her books. Her Baby's First Bible from Aunt Bethany is always a big hit.

Love these big smiles!

Our daily game of peekaboo.

Can you believe her birthday invitations are ordered? Just 1 month until we have a 1 year old -- how in the world?! We love you more every day, precious little girl.

yoga baby & peekaboo

The Midwest girl in me believes that it should start feeling just a little bit like Fall in September. Alas, no such luck when you live in Florida. To make myself feel better I bought an "Autumn Celebration" Yankee candle and I've been making some soups and stews in the crockpot. The house currently smells like sweet potato chili, a recipe recommended by my friend Marci. 

Abby has been tons of fun today. The amazing little girl took both naps while a trim trimmer worked just a few houses away. They kept feeding entire stumps of trees through a woodchipper, which was incredibly loud and annoying. I could stand to learn a few things from her laid back nature.

We had some crazy hair going on this morning that I thought you would enjoy. I didn't sculpt the mohawk -- it was purely natural bedhead!

A bit blurry, but fun.

Abigail recommends that we should all try reading in more...flexible...positions. She really loves stretching out backwards and hanging upside down. Maybe the baby yoga classes we attend on Fridays at the library have been teaching her few things?

Check out these precious curls -- help! Someone will need to give me a tutorial soon on how to work with curly hair.

The best game of all, however, is still peekaboo. 

Where's Abby?

Peekaboo!

I ran up to the chair where she was hiding, surprised her, and got these happy reactions. I wish you could hear the accompanying squeals of delight!

In other news, we received some fun mail from my Aunt Bert today. I had seen the sweetest little play tea bags on Pinterest and I showed the picture to my Aunt when we were back home in Kansas City. I was caught by surprise when these showed up today. Adorable, no? I can't wait for little tea parties with my munchkin. Thanks so much, Aunt Bert! We're touched that you remembered!