Banana Bread Cupcakes

The cupcakes that I made for Colton’s birthday party are a favorite of mine.  From the minute that I saw the recipe on Eat, Live, Run I was in love!  I saved the recipe and thought about it and thought about it and finally made it.  They were gone the next day!  Even Lauren liked the “muffins”

So when we decided on Monkeys for the theme of Colton’s party I immediately knew that I wanted banana flavored cupcakes…THESE banana cupcakes.  I had been dreaming about them for weeks!
                                        



Banana Bread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
recipe adapted from Eat, Live, Run                                           
makes 1 dozen cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour                                        
3/4 tsp. baking soda                                                    
1/2 tsp. baking powder                                                    
1/2 tsp. salt                                                    
3 extra-ripe bananas, mashed 
1 tsp. vanilla extract                                                    
1 stick butter, softened                                                    
3/4 cup granulated sugar                                                    
1/4 cup dark brown
2 eggs                                                     
1/4 tsp. nutmeg                                                    
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon                                                    
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
                                                      
Directions

Preheat your oven to 350.  Line a cupcake pan.
Cream together the sugars and butter until light and fluffy, then add eggs, one at time, beating after each addition.
In a small bowl, combine the mashed banana with the vanilla and buttermilk, stir well until combined.
In a larger bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon).
Add the wet and dry ingredients alternately to the creamed butter, mixing well after each addition.
Fill muffin tins about 3/4th of the way full.  I find it handy to use a cookie scoop so that I get each cup filled about the same amount. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden. Cool completely and frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.                                      

Cream Cheese Frosting
                                           
Ingredients
1 stick butter, softened                                                      
8 oz. cream cheese, softened                                                     
3 cups powdered sugar                                                                                      
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions                                                                                                     

For the frosting, beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
For Colton’s party we added yellow to one batch of frosting and blue and green to make a teal color to another batch of frosting. 

Hip Hip Hooray!

It seems like so long ago when we first embarked on this journey of hip dysplasia.  And really our journey is far from over since Colton's amazing orthopaedic doctor will be following his growth and progress until he reaches skeletal maturity.  We go back to the doctor in 6 months {right before Christmas} and then we will go back around Colton’s second birthday.  After that the appointments will get spaced out to once a year until he is 5 and then even less frequent after that. 

 However, at his check up yesterday we received some great news!  7 months post harness and his hips look great on the x-rays, the doctor is pleased with his range of motion, and he is walking!  The doctor watched him walk around for quite a while yesterday, Colton even bent down to pick up a toy and then stood right back up with out so much as wobbling around.  The doctor was amazed, I wish I would have taken a picture of his face!!
The doctor told us again, as he did at the appointment three months ago, to make sure that Colton gets lots of vitamin D. He said to take him outside between 5 and 6pm in just a diaper and without sunscreen so that his body will produce and store the vitamin D. He did mention that earlier in the day is ok too but make sure to use sunscreen. Getting his body to produce as much vitamin D as possible will help his hips to stay positioned correctly and prevent future problems.

 

 

 

 

The doctor has had us massaging Colton’s back and legs since his very first appointment.  He said to continue with the massages to keep the muscles from getting tight which will help keep everything in place. 

I am so thankful for this good report that we have received and so very very thankful that the harness did its job!  I am so relieved to know that putting Colton in the harness was the right decision and that the brief months of enduring the harness were nothing on the grand scheme of Colton’s well being!  Thank you for all of your support, prayers and comforting comments!

Bagel Dip

I first tried this dip at a bridal shower several years ago for a friend of mine.  It was delicious.  I kept eating and eating and eating it!  Afterwards I begged her to give me the recipe.

 

Bagel Dip

 

Ingredients

 

 

2 packages Buddig beef
1 1/3 cup real mayo
1 1/3

 

cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
2 teaspoons dill weed
1 small onion chopped fine {optional}

 

bagels or other bread for dipping

 

Directions

Finely chop beef and combine with all other ingredients. Chill overnight. Serve with
bagels or your bread of choice

Burn

A couple of months ago I was making a pulled pork dish in the crock pot and when I went to test it to see if it was ready to shred I somehow managed to splash up some of the juice and a piece on meat on my hand.  This is what it looked like about 20 minutes after it happened. 

I was on my way to take Colton to his 9 month well visit {that was about a month late} so I didn’t have any time to put anything on it right then.  This is what it looked like a little over an hour after I got back home. 
 

 

 

About a week or so after it had happened I was visiting with my grandma and she noticed the  scar.  It looked worse than the picture below because all those nasty blisters had decided to pop.  I was changing Colton’s diaper and wrangling him to be still and I somehow managed to slice the biggest one open with my finger nail!  BOY DID THAT HURT. 


Anyways back to my sweet little old grandma.  She said “you know Aloe Vera is good for burns.  You should have put some of that on when it happened.”    Yes Grandma, I know but I don’t have an aloe plant.  My mom has one and had brought me a couple of pieces a few days later but by that time it had already blistered.

 

 

{this conversation happened almost two months ago}

 

My hand has pretty much healed.  I do have a scar but you have to look closely.  So when my grandma and grandpa arrived to my house on Saturday for Colton’s birthday party they came in with this
A giant aloe Vera plant!  Thanks Grandma!!!

I hope that I never have to use this thing now that I have it!

Par-tay

Yesterday we celebrated Colton’s first birthday with a bunch of our family.  It was a great day!

I made some appetizer type food for us all to enjoy including

Frog Eyes

Bagel Dip {recipe to come}

Bacon and Cheddar Pinwheels

and Banana Bread Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Icing.  {recipe to follow later this week}

I also made Cherry Limeade Punch.  I love this stuff!  It tastes just like Sonic.

Colton had such a great time opening his presents. He was more interested in the tissue paper than anything else though!

 

When it came time for the smash cake we headed outside.  I wasn’t sure how messy he was going to get!  I made him a yellow cake with the same cream cheese icing I used for the cupcakes.  He wasn’t quite sure what to think about the icing. 

After he was done with his cake he has lots of slick icing all over him.  So instead of taking him into the bathtub we hosed him down…in the front yard.  Yeah that’s how we roll!!!

He loved it when Brian turned the hose off he almost started to get upset.  He loves the water!!

  

I would say that his birthday party was a success.

Happy First Birthday Colton

It seems like just yesterday that you were making your debut into this world. Weighing 8 pounds 3 ounces. 

 

You have accomplished so much in the last year.  You wore a harness for your hip dysplasia for 14 weeks.  You started rolling over and hitting other milestones like crawling right on track!  You even started walking a couple of weeks ago!  Something that we thought may not happen long after you turned one.  You showed that doctor that having hip dysplasia wasn’t going to slow you down one bit!We could not be more proud to have you in our lives.  We love you so very much and have enjoyed watching you grow into such a little ham.  I love your big wide grin and the way that you wrinkle up your nose.  I love the way that you come running when I walk in the room.  I love YOU!!!  

 

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLTON!!!!

Jump Jump

 

 

 

The last couple of weeks have been very stressful around our household.  We have been dealing with the issue at the daycare and have heard back from the state regarding the investigation, or the lack there of I should say. 

The lady from the state told me that because of the age of the child that she would tal

k to me and talk to the boy’s parents and that would be about all that happened.

Even though I totally expected it to go this way I was somewhat shocked. This has been an emotional roller coaster for me and trying not to let Lauren see me upset I have bottled it inside and taken it out on undeserving people at the most horrible time.

We are returning our lives to normal as much as we possibly can, trying to have fun and enjoy SUMMER!!

!!  Colton’s birthday is Thursday, Brian and I have both taken the day off from work.  We are going to spend the day with the kids at the Zoo and then Colton’s first birthday party will be on Saturday!  We are looking forward to celebrating!!

Father's Love

Let me tell you a secret

about a father's love,

A secret that my daddy said

was just between us.

Daddies don't just love their children

every now and then.

It's a love without end, amen

it's a love without end, amen.

Those are the chorus lyrics to the song "Love Without End, Amen" by George Strait.  The song that I danced to at my wedding with my father. 

Happy Father's Day to my husband, the greatest dad I could have EVER asked for my children to have.

Happy Father's Day to my dad, the most amazing Dad I could have ever wanted!!