Last week's drama and news

Last Thursday, I came home to discover that Riley (our yellow lab) had basically speared or hooked his face with a piece of decorative fencing. Fortunately, Eric and Annika had come home about 10 minutes before, so the window of his injury taking place was a known entity. After panicking and somewhat running into our fence with my car (oops - no damange, luckily) to get to him quickly, I freed Riley and rushed off to the vet. While we were at the vet, Eric took a wrong step on our stairs and wound up spraining his right foot. Mind you, Eric doesn't bruise; it just isn't in his nature. When I got home (with a clean bill of health and some antibiotics for Riley), Eric's foot was already swelling and turning purple. I was pretty convinced he'd at least fractured it, but he wasn't exactly interested in going to the ER. We decided to wait until the next day to get his foot looked at. Fortunately, it was diagnosed as a sprain... whew!!

On Friday, we had our big ultrasound to do the "how is baby doing" measurements and to (hopefully) find out the baby's gender. Our dear friend Nicole came in on her day off to perform the scan (is that friendship or what??) and was pleased to tell us that our baby was doing perfectly. She also got to tell us that we're going to be welcoming a little boy into our family next spring! Yup - Annika is going to have a little brother and Eric and I are going to have to figure out how to raise a little boy. Let the adventure continue! :)

Fall

Fall has definitely descended. I've pulled out sweaters and have begun layering clothing. There's something comforting about this time of year. It encourages snuggling up under cozy blankets, wearing bulky clothes, and drinking hot cocoa. We have a chance to slow down a bit because this time of year often brings a lull in the schedule of activities. Summer is a go-go-go time and the holidays are a close second in terms of having things to do. Fall, especially early fall, is a time to regroup, stop for a quick breath, and look around. As I drove home from work two days ago, I was struck by the glorious red the trees that line the drive to my office have become. They aren't simply red; they almost glow because their color is so vivid. I love the new life associated with spring, but there is something magnificent about the colors of fall and all that goes along with this time of year. Before long, it'll be time to pick out our Halloween pumpkins and get to my long list of holiday baking (hurray!), but for right now I'll just stop and enjoy the peaceful nature of this time of year.

Mama's Helper

Recently, one of Eric's co-workers asked if I'd make a 50th birthday cake for another co-worker. Me turn down a chance to bake? HA!! So, I decided to make my standard white cake (with a hint of almond), fill it with chocolate, and cover it with chocolate fondant. My very smart girl has quickly discovered that when Mommy takes out the big Kitchen Aid mixer that good things soon come forth. She grabs her step stool, stands next to me and asks for a taste as soon as the 1st ingredient goes into the bowl. Eric now has learned that he has to be mighty quick to get the job of licking the beaters in this house - and he frequently loses because of Annika being poised on her step stool ready to pounce.





The final product!