Lydia is Four!

My baby girl is four. Four!

Was it really all that long ago that I posed for one last pregnancy pic?

And I met my baby girl face to face?

Our sweet girl is growing up.

We had no idea the roller coaster ride we'd be put on regarding allergies, asthma, and epilepsy. But that is only a part of her story. She is strong willed, incredibly funny, has a giant imagination, and gives the sweetest hugs. She loves to be rocked before naptime and squeezes my face into hers when she hugs me. She tells on herself when she's tired by telling me, "I don' wanna goa bed." She loves doing her schoolwork, asking for her "animals". (Each unit starts with a new animal.) She's convinced she's a real princess, and her daddy is her real life prince. She has him wrapped around her cute little finger. Bill loves watching her dance like a ballerina before bedtime. Lydia's sisters and brother adore her, even though she tries to boss them around sometimes.

Lydia's favorite shows are Doc McStuffins and Sophia the First. She couldn't decide between the two for her party, so I went with Doc McStuffins. We can't use store-bought cakes because of all the food allergies, but I'm determined that she will always have fun cakes. Over the past three years, I've realized how much I love baking and decorating them myself. For this cake, the doll and doctor bag posed in front are toys, but the rest was decorated with royal icing, sugar paste, and fondant.

Lydia recently passed her very first food challenge: wheat! We are still celebrating that fact many weeks later. (Her current allergy list is still extensive- if anyone is so moved to pray per allergy, here they are: peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, soy, shellfish, melons, garlic, beef, and red dye. And hornet stings. Oh, and cats.) 

 I was so excited to bake a cake with white flour!

Mommy's former profession made it onto the cake. Subliminal messaging never hurts.

 I've been on a crocheting kick lately. 

Our sweet girl who we love so much!

Practicing the finger count.

Cousins and best friends.

Reliving my childhood through my own children. Calico critter love! 

 We are looking forward to another great year with our Lydia Kate. Prayers for her total healing, and thanks to our Lord for bringing her into our lives. Love you, precious girl!

Time to Celebrate!

We had a mini celebration in our house tonight! 

It was originally planned to celebrate Lydia passing her wheat challenge.

Plans had to change. She didn't pass the challenge, and we also found out about two new allergies to garlic and beef. Yes- beef, as in hamburgers and steak and chili and spaghetti sauce.

I was bummed. Really bummed. Party cancelled. But then the pity party cleared, and I realized we had plenty to celebrate. So- instead of wheat, we celebrated our amazingly blessed life. 

We celebrated living in America. I start each day knowing that I can provide my kids with clean sheets, clean water, healthy food, education, a home, and a whole bunch of other frivolousness that we often confuse with "needs". Lydia has nine different food allergies, and yet I still have an abundance of safe, healthy food to buy for her. 

Yep, lots to smile about!

She was wondering why we were staring at the cake instead of eating it. 

Wheat free, dairy free, nut free, soy free, artificial dye free,  and very, very yummy. Even ultra wheat-free critic mama thought it was good. Namaste chocolate cake mix- allergy friendly, not cheap. 

Prayers for our little girl are always welcome. Her allergies are getting worse, not better- and it can be very frustrating. Bill and I are constantly on alert to protect her. We skip eating out altogether unless we pack her meal separately. Movie theaters feel like death traps with all the peanut M &Ms and buttered popcorn. Meal planning is- well, a challenge. Most of her allergies cause severe rashes, but a few of them do try to kill her. Several weeks ago she took a sip of cow's milk from a cup that somehow made it past my paranoid, watchful eyes, and she reacted immediately. Hives popped up over her face and torso, and by the time I ran her up the steps to shower off her skin, her lips and tongue were swelling. We had to use her epi pens and call 911. Food allergies are no joke. I remind myself every time I start to drown in self pity that I am a child of the Almighty, and she's in His care. I trust Him implicitly.  I also think of the orphans in Haiti and Africa who would look at our life and think we live like royalty.  And that's just looking at material things. There's the story of the poor man who sat at the table with his bread and water, and gave thanks saying, "All this, AND Jesus?!"

What if I woke up tomorrow and all I had left was what I gave thanks for today?

Self pity, go away. Cake tastes way better.

She's Seven!

My little girl is seven! Unbelievable. It feels like we just brought her home from the hospital, and yet she's growing up into a beautiful young lady. She likes to goof off and tell jokes, is into crafts and painting, and loves ballet and tennis. She is kind, generous, and all around a cool kid. For her birthday this year, she asked to go to the pottery place in my hometown. I was glad to be responsible only for a cake, and not have to decorate the house. 

The original cake she picked out was a character cake with nearly a dozen 3 dimensional mice and cats in ballerina outfits. (I'll pause for laughter...) I was actually up to the challenge- until the week of her party when I completely chickened out. I had a talk with Brooke, and we looked online together for more cake ideas. I was so excited when she picked out this cake. Easy peasy. I chose a white base icing color, and violet roses.

I placed the cake on a cooling rack to make it easier to apply the roses on the sides of the cake.

Finished! This was one of the easiest cakes I've ever done, and one of my favorites. I really got the hang of it by the end, and contemplated scraping the roses off and making it more "perfect", but Brooke loved it so much I didn't bother. It was her opinion that counted the most to me anyway.

Painting at the party. There were some adorable group shots with her friends, but I don't know how their mommies feel about me posting their pictures online. I need to remember to ask them...

My two other pretty ladies painting with mommy.

Playing hide and seek while waiting for everyone to finish painting.

One of her friends bought her a caboodle!!! Blast from the past. I was super excited.

She has precious friends. Several made her homemade cards and books. I love her girls.

Is she really seven??

Adorable, aren't they?

Happy birthday Brooke! Mommy and Daddy love you so much, and we are so proud of you!!

Hoo*ray!

I decided this week that I like fondant. I enjoy making cakes, but with no formal training or experience, I feel pretty limited in what I can do. I have wanted to try fondant for awhile though, and finally mustered up the courage for Lydia's second birthday party. I use the word "party" pretty loosely, because I didn't do much decorating, and there weren't any party games or favors. The theme was owls, because Lydia is pretty much infatuated with them right now. Her face lights up anytime she sees one. She especially loved the owl cake I made, which made the hours in the kitchen so very worth it. My first attempt is definitely not perfect, but it gave me the confidence to keep trying. Next time I plan to buy actual equipment for cake making- my first purchase will be a cake leveler.  

I know it isn't the best picture, but I wanted to throw this in here- these are the plates and napkins that I stamped- I couldn't find something I liked, and this was an easy (and cheap) solution. 

She didn't want the cake- just the fondant. I know fondant has a bad rap for tasting terrible, but this marshmallow fondant was amazing. So yummy. Friends on facebook gave me the recipe to make it myself, and tips on how to work with it. It was so much fun creating this cake- why was I so afraid of fondant?

Happy second birthday baby girl!! 

Oh- and our great friends from out of town drove up to see us- and yet we took not a single picture of us together. Boo. Maybe next time. She has a great blog if you want to check it out- Three Boys and a Girl. Thanks for coming guys!!