COCONUT CUPCAKES

Mmmm.... Oh man these cupcakes were so simple to make yet incredibly moist and bursting with flavor. The recipe came from "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World"- my absolute favorite sweet treat baking book. The author is Isa Chandra Moskowitz, a Portland based vegan chef and author. Oh if only I could meet her! You know how they say we are just 6 degrees away from knowing practically everyone? Well funny because I am only one degree away from knowing her. I know the woman who owns Herbivore Clothing in Portland and she is good friends with Isa. Hmmm maybe I could work some Sunny magic to meet Isa :)

I made these cupcakes today while Damien was at work. When he came home I left specific instructions to not eat any of the cupcakes while I was at the store to purchase items needed to make enchilades for dinner. Hmph...when I arrived home mysteriously one was gone. He said it was our sweet peacefully sleeping Sula who ate it but I know better :)

Well, the recipe was super easy. I will share here. If you love coconut and cupcakes I definitely recommend making these! For the frosting I took a chance and made my own from scratch without a recipe and I have to say it was the best frosting I have made.

Cupcake Recipe:
1/3 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup rice milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp coconut extract

1 tsp lemon extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup coconut flakes- unsweetened

Preheat oven to 35o. Melt the coconut oil and mix with sugar. Add coconut milk, rice milk, and extracts and mix well. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and mix until smooth. Mix in coconut flakes and pour batter into baking cups. Bake for 23 minutes.

To make frosting use 2 TBS room temp vegan butter and mix until the color turns to a pale yellow. Add 2 cups powder sugar and splash with coconut milk (enough to get the consistency desired). Blend until very smooth. Mix in coconut flakes and add to the top of cupcakes.

Eat and be happy :)

MY DECISION

Choosing a college, being with Damien, buying my house, choosing to have a baby, purchasing a car, moving to Hillsboro, accepting job offers- those were all easy decisions that were made with little hesitation or stress. Choosing to work and put Sula in daycare or be a full-time mama and quit my job was the most difficult decision I have ever made. I really enjoy my job and the opportunity I have to be so involved with the community and work on programs that truly make a difference. I have grown so much for my experiences and am now a confident, skilled, professional woman. However, what I have to give up to be at work just doesn't seem right. I know that not everyone has a choice or a desire to raise a baby and I have nothing against daycare but for me it is not a good fit. For me it doesn't feel right to create this little miracle and then pass her off to someone else to "raise" while I'm gone at work. I tried returning to work and stuck it out for 6 weeks. All the while Sula was being cared for by my sister Lindsey for the first 4 weeks, Damien the 5th week, and my good friend Courtney the 6th week. It was a constant struggle for me to pass her off each morning. I felt as though I was tag teaming being a mom and was relying on the "other mom" to take my place and care for Sula the way I would. So ridiculous, I mean it's not like Sula can take care of her self. Someone has to be there for her to take care of her, feed her, watch her, teach her, etc. Why shouldn't that be me? I feel that for so many staying home is viewed as the lesser of the two, somehow 2nd rate. When it is the opposite. It is the most honorable, noble thing to do. I feel as much as I enjoy my job I love Sula more than my heart and mind can even process. Sula is my everything and will always be. Jobs come and go, friends and houses and money and stuff comes and goes however the one thing that is and will always be is family. I want Sula and I to develop a strong and everlasting bond like the one I have with my own mama. No matter what happens in my life I know that I can always count on my own mama to be there and to support me. She is my best friend (aside from Damien) and I appreciate everything she is and everything she did and still does for me. If I could have that kind of relationship with Sula I would be the happiest version of myself I imagine. Everyone asks me what will make me happy. After months of going over all senarios, and many many tears shed and ache of the stress in my heart I have decided that the only thing that will make me truly happy is to be able to be fully devoted to my little girl Sula Rain. I am proud to say that I am now a full-time mama!

3 MONTHS OLD

The changes that occur when you are a baby are continuous! It seems like everyday something new happens whether it is Sula discovering something new in the room like a ceiling fan or toy, figuring out how to move her body is ways she wants, or physical changes such as height and length growth.

At 13 weeks Sula weighed 11lbs 13oz and measured 24 inches long. Her 0-3 month pants and onesies still fit her however the sleepers are way too short. Even the 3-6 sleepers barely fit her in length, however are swimming on her in width! We have one tall girl on our hands :)

Her favorite things right now include the ceiling fan, sea horse toy that lights up and plays music, the giraffe toy that plays music and hangs from her activity mat, her activity mat, her new moon krinkle toy that plays music, her crib music box that blows bubbles into the water, and her thumb.

Sula has discovered so many new things just this past 2 weeks!

1. She started sucking on her hand last month but now she sucks on her thumb. At first it was just if and when the thumb happened to make it's way into the mouth. Now she can put her thumb directly into her mouth when she brings her hands to her face.

2. With a little patience and persistance she takes the bottle with no problem. At first she thought we were torturing her by offering her a plastic thing to place in her mouth. It took about a week of trying and offering it to her and then one day with ease she figured out how to suck. I was so proud of her! The first bottle her aunt Z gave her she drank the entire thing!

3. When it's time to change her diaper she pulls her legs up and places her hand just above her knee and holds her leg up for me. She will also roll over to one side so I can pull the diaper out from under her bum. Dang my baby is so smart and considerate!

4. She also learned how to grasp a toy and bring it to her mouth to suck on. I was so excited with that one that I grabbed the video camera and filmed it. She first did that with her moon toy, then her wooden ring/cotton butterfly toy, then her bath toy. She grasped on to the toy with one hand and slowly brought her other hand to the toy. Then with both hands firmly grasping the toy she moved it to her mouth.

5. She laughs! Not just random laughing but knows how to interact and respond to people. While visiting my parents last weekend my mom was holding Sula on her lap and my dad was making funny faces and noises at Sula. She looked at him and each time he would stick out his tongue and make a funny noise she would laugh this incredibly happy laugh.

6. I put Sula on her activity and when kicking her legs she bumped the arch that holds the toys overhead and all the toys moved. She was so happy and pleased with herself that everytime she is on the mat she moves her body around so her foot rests on the base of one of the arches and kicks it over and over.

7. She rolled over twice in a row the first time she rolled over!

It is amazing to think that just a few short weeks ago everything was brand new and she had very little interest in toys and didn't really understand what her hands and arms were for.Each day she amazes me even more with how smart and talented she is. I don't want to miss a single moment with her. Sula is my everything and I love her more than words could describe.

KEEGAN & SULA

We absolutely love our nephew Keegan! He is all boy and yet so sweet and cuddly at the same time. When he walks in the room and sees someone he knows and loves his face lights up with the biggest smile. He starts to bounce up and down with excitement. His hugs are incredibly loving. When he knows we are in the place he is walking into he runs in and asks about "baby Sula". I love how happy he is to see Sula. Keegan is a great, no that doesn't even describe it make it the BEST cousin ever! He is so gentle with her and give her hugs and kisses all the time. I am so glad they are so close in age that they will be able to grow up together and play and create amazing memories!

SULA & AUNTIE Z

Sula LOVES her auntie Lindsey! Just look how happy she is with her. Lindsey loves baby Sula too. They are so great together.

Sula was hanging out with Lindsey while she was listing ebay ads and playing on Facebook. Of course Sula was sucking on her hand (one of her new favorite things to do!)

Sula sleeping on her auntie Z.

I cannot thank Lindsey enough for being such an amazing sister and incredible aunt. She always makes herself available to help out and is extremely supportive of her family members. Family is everything to Lindsey as it is to everyone in our family. When I was stressed out about leaving Sula to return to work, Lindsey without hesistation volunteered to stay with us for almost 4 weeks while I transistioned back to work. That meant leaving her job, her friends, her house, and helping me out with our baby. Damien was sent to the Netherlands for work for 2 weeks during that time and I don't know how I would've made it through without her support. Lindsey was amazing with Sula and the bond they developed over the time they spent together is so strong. Sula lights up and smiles her big Sula smile when she sees Z. There is no one else I would've trusted leaving Sula with around here. I know Lindsey was getting so sick and tired of hearing me talk about breastfeeding, bottles, bathtime, pregnancy, giving birth, the stresses of deciding whether to return to work or stay home, and more but she never complained and listend to me talk about them over and over. I love Lindsey so much and cannot even explain how much she means to me, not only as a sister but as a friend. I am extremely appreciative of her time and support during this difficult time of being seperated from my baby. Thank you Lindsey!

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY

Two happy Irish girls enjoying Saint Patrick's Day by wearing lots of green! Look at Sula's beautiful smile! This is her very first St. Patty's Day!

QUOTE 1

"What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal." -Albert Pine