Zoo trip

Lake Michigan

When I happily announced that we reached the beach, Elle looked around and started whining, "Not here! This is not the beach!". Oh boy, my 3-years-old was driving me nuts! Even though I kept assuring her that was the beach, she shook her head kept saying NO in tears. I begged her to tell me why she thought this was not the beach and finallly she blurted out, "SEE! That is OCEAN!... and ocean has SHARKS!". Oh boy, her response surely amused me and made me speechless at the same time. Lake Michigan indeed looks like an ocean!

Regardless of the drama we had upon arrival, she was having a blast playing with the sand and crashing the waves in the water. Her smiley face and bubbly giggles made my heart sings.

Bluey goodness

Breakfast time: Blueberry pancakes smothered in blueberry sauce.

Tea time: Fresh from the oven blueberry cake. Smells like a bakeshop. Heavenly.

Blueberry cake recipe:
- 8 oz (1 cup) unsalted butter, soften to room temperature
- 6 oz cream cheese, soften to room temperature
- 2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and let dry
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tablespoon salt
- 1 tsp lemom juice

1. Heat oven at 350F.
2. Butter and flour a bundt pan.
3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and salt until combine.
4. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Beat sugar, butter and cheese until fluffy.
5. Add egg, one at a time, beat egg into batter until fully incorporated and then add lemon juice.
6. Sift flour, salt and baking powder.
7. Turn the mixer to low speed, add flour. Beat until just incorporated.
8. Using a spatula, gently fold in blueberries.
9. Pour batter into bundt pan. Batter will be thick. Use the spatula to smooth out the top.
10. Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean.

BBQ

Blueberry u-pick

Plucked a handful of these bluey yummilicious, stuffed as many as she could into her mouth and munched away.

Criss Cross Apple Sauce

Every new parent knows what it means.

Bubbles fun

Cupcake faces

38 month old

Dear Elle,

When you're hungry, you rub your tummy saying "I'm so hungry".

When you get angry, you stomp off saying "I'm not talking to you anymore. You're not being nice to me!".

At playtime, you say cheerfully "Comeon! It's going to be fun! You want to play together with me?".

You look so adorable holding both your arms up saying, "I'm strong!".
We love to take turn listening and talking to the animals inside our belly.

The feeling of being massaged by a 3-years-old is so wonderful. You stand on our back, walking from our toes to head and then jumping off. What a great way to practice your balance act!

You cracked mama up coming down the slides in your own creative animal style: ant, octopus, snake.

You were curious about dada's Adam's apple on his throat and applied pain relief cream on it trying to make dada felt all better.
You love to ask, "What I do now?".

Love,
Mama