Bonjour, mamma.

Jane, you are one-year-old today! Happy birthday sweet Jane Alexander. Your papa & I really love you. It's a crazy kind of love. It's like a love-sick thing.  It consumes us, body & soul, in the very best way possible. You do so many lovable thing these days.  We love the way you love others. You really do have a tender heart of gold.  We love walking into your room in the morning & hearing your sweet voice greet us with "mama & dada."  We love the way you nod your head in approval of raspberries, blueberries & bananas.  We love it when you give us "huggies" and wrap your sweet arms around us tightly.  The world literally stops in that moment. You are a courageous little cub, and you really continue to amaze us. You can do absolutely anything you want in this world. Papa & I promise to be here for you when the world fails you.  You will need love & support even when you think you do...

The struggle is SO real to get your baby/toddler to eat veggies.  Jane will entertain the idea of a little green bean here, a little bake cauliflower there etc. But I hardly feel like she is getting enough veggies in her daily diet. My favorite thing is to hide her veggies in something more exciting like a muffin or a pancake.  In this recipe, I swapped out nearly everything unhealthy with a more nutritious option. Here is my version of a zucchini muffin. 2 small zucchini trimmed, grated, then drained with paper towel 2 cups almond flour or whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground allspice dash of salt 1 1/2 cups apple sauce * no sugar added 3 tbs melted, cooled butter 2 eggs 1/2 cup greek yogurt (plain or flavored) 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/3 cup chopped walnuts *optional Step 1: Preheat oven to 350. Spray or line muffin tins for easy removal Step 2: Wh...

Step 1: Buy 10X25 foot roll of painter's plastic from Home Depot Step 2: Fold the plastic in half & seal closed using a very hot iron (*tip: never iron directly onto plastic as it will melt all over the place. Use a long piece of parchment paper as your barrier between iron and plastic.) Step 3: Leave small hole open to fit hose into & fill with water. Step 4: Add food coloring to water for added flare! Step 5: Use strong duct tape to seal water hole. Step 6: Let little one play & bounce around. They will love it! This mom thing is a blast.