Mother's Day

This Mother's Day was a very special day for me that brought with it a lot of raw emotions.  First of all, it was my first Mother's Day as a mom, and second of all, I am so blessed to have the mother that I do.  I know I am biased, but I have the best mom in the entire world!  She has been by my side through the good and the bad.

This past year and half have been the most challenging of my life.  From our house getting broken into, to all of the complications with the girls, my surgery, bedrest, hospital stay, c-section, NICU, and having the girls home, we have definitely had a long and crazy journey.  But as I went through all of these challenges, my mom was and continues to be right by my side.  She was in Ohio with me during my surgery and hospital stay, she came a few days a week, EACH week of my bedrest at home, and spent most of the week with me at the hospital, so I wouldn't have to be alone.  She did all of this, while going through some really tough stuff on her own... but no matter what, she was always there for me.

She is one of the strongest people I know.. which I believe to be her best and worst quality. :)  Sometimes the strong turns in to stubborn, but I suppose she takes after my Nana that way.  Who knows, maybe I'll be like that someday, too.  With all of that said, I hope to give my girls what she has given me!  I want them to grow up knowing that I will be there for them no matter what... because life can sure get messy sometimes, and even though mom's can't fix everything, they sure do make us feel better while we go through the mess!

So many people have told me how "strong" I was or how proud of me they were for all that I went through for the girls, but as I thought about it last week on Mother's Day, I realized something.  I believe that God gives women strength and courage to do whatever it takes for their children.  We don't do it because WE are strong, but because God is strong, and he give us strength to do what we HAVE to do.  Any loving mom would have done the exact same thing I had to do put in that situation.  Throughout life we are all challenged in different ways, and as moms, we just do it and make it through because of the strength God has given us.  To all you moms out there, keep fighting and staying strong for your kiddos.  You are making a difference! :)

Here are a couple of pictures from my first Mother's Day!

With my girls! :)

Happy Birthday, Daddy! (Brett turns 30)

This post has been a long time coming, but better now than never, right?  I mean we do have two babies that keep us pretty busy.. so I kind of have an excuse! :)

Well, April 22nd, was Brett's 30th birthday, so I wanted to dedicate this post to him.  It was his first birthday as a daddy.  I have been SO blessed to have such a wonderful, supportive, and helpful husband.  I would be a completely crazy woman without him.  He has totally stepped up and has been a great father and partner the last six months!

I am thankful for him and I am thankful to his parents for raising such a great man.  I am realizing how hard and what true dedication it takes to raise children, so I truly appreciate all that they did for him growing up.

On his birthday, we celebrated by having some friends over!  I took a couple of pictures, that I will share. Here's to the next 30 years, my love!

 Tony, Brett,  (Ella) & Michael

Gina, Lindsey, (Eva), & me

Homemade oreo cupcakes and carrot cake

Oreo cupcake recipe:

24 oreo halves, with cream filling attached

2 1/4 all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, room temp.

1 2/3 cup sugar

3 large egg whites, room temp.

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup milk

20 oreo cookies, coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the wells of 2 cupcake pans with liners and then place half an oreo on the bottom, cream side up.  In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir together and set aside.  In another bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and beat on medium high until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.  Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each one.  Blend the vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients.  Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.  Gently fold in the chopped oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated.  Be careful not to over mix!

2. Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.  Use a toothpick in the center and only take them out when the toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool and then transfer to a wire rack.

Frosting: 

8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

6 tbsp. butter, room temp.

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 tbsp. heavy cream

3. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat on medium high until smooth, about 1 minute.  Blend in the vanilla extract.  Beat the sugar until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on low until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping the sides as needed.

4. Frost the cooled cupcakes, sprinkle with oreo crumbs, and refrigerate.  Serve cold.