Knowles Notes

Shaggy.

2012-01-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

Notes on a 1 Year Old

2012-01-18T12:52:00.001-07:00

My little Ayelet Belle was born on a wintry morning just one short year ago. I remember the drive to the hospital. Snow was gently falling and all was still and peaceful. There were few cars on the road and I just took it all in. The soft snow blanketed the ground, the trees and the rooftops. Our neighborhood looked like a winter wonderland. Ayelet's birth was the highlight of 2011 and every day since has been amazing. She is such a blessing and completes this beautiful family of mine.

I enjoy watching her every move and seeing her big personality revealed. She is humorous, opinionated, strong willed and oh so sweet. She loves to be with her siblings, play with toys, read books and play peekaboo. She likes to be chased and to play with the curtains. Her favorite activity is bathtime and it's all the more fun if one or both of her siblings is in the tub, too. And mostly, she loves to love, giving kisses and hugs to her family. Sometimes, she reaches out to strangers with a hand and a smile, all 8 teeth in view. She is ticklish and the sound of her laughter can turn any day into a great one.

So many things make my little girl unique, but one thing I love is the little mole on her tiny tush. I have tried so many times to wipe it off during a diaper change, only to find myself laughing at its permanency. It's funny how much I love that little birthmark.

And somehow, I love her more every day. Mom says she has to be the most kissed baby in the world. I can't help it. Her little checks are a magnet for my lips. But I'm not the only one who finds her irresistible...

Ayelet Belle, you are a ONEderful ONE!

A Pretty and Pink First Birthday Party

2012-01-10T15:34:00.000-07:00

Secretly, I love pink. I do. For Ayelet Belle's first birthday party, it just seemed fitting to have a "Pretty and Pink" theme. My delicate baby girl is always wearing pink and I love the look of a monochromatic color scheme. Two shades of pink filled our home, from the decorations to well, our outfits! Here are the details of Ayelet Belle's very special birthday party.

The Cake

The most important component of any birthday party is the cake. It is the grand finale, the fireworks, the oh so sweet ending that will send guests on their way thinking sweet thoughts before their sugar crash. Instead of going the bakery route, mom and I got to work in my kitchen. Mom baked a triple layer strawberry cake and made a Swiss buttercream icing. After covering the cake in a thin layer of icing, I topped the two bottom layers with strawberry filling. Then, I decorated the ruffle cake. It turned out pretty well, considering it was my first attempt at decorating a cake. I know. It was a risky move but it turned out almost as good as Martha Stewart's. Almost. I considered making a practice cake earlier in the week but that would've been too safe. Sometimes, you just gotta go for it. That's my philosophy in the kitchen and in life. We also made a smash cake and cupcakes. Without further ado...

Strawberry Ruffle Cake

Smash Cake

Treats and Bags

While cake pops are all the rage, I decided to make marshmallow pops. These are super easy to make and a great alternative to cake. They looked very pretty in vases on the table and the kids loved them!

For the kids' special activity, I set up a candy bar. The kiddos scooped candy from various bowls into clear treatbags. I tied them with ribbon, slapped on a pre-made "thank you sticker" and stuck them in the treatbags. Each treat bag also included an old fashioned pink swirl lollipop and a marshmallow pop. Voila'! A big hit with the kids.

The paper treatbags were also used to decorate the mantle. I just love the pennant banner that says, "Ayelet is 1."

The Decorations
I snapped this photo before the table was completely set but you get the idea. I layered a bright pink runner made of wrapping paper over a pale pink tablecloth. The runner was a little wide but it showed more of the pale pink tablecloth than can be seen in the picture. The background on the wall is also made of wrapping paper, strips of ribbon and balloons. So easy! The chair cushions were covered in cuts from a pale pink tablecloth. I especially love the pom poms!

The Menu
Yes, even the food was white, pink, or close!
Mozzarella cheese cubes
Strawberries
Strawberry graham rounds with strawberry cream cheese
Pink iced animal crackers
Mini pimiento cheese sandwiches
Smoky gouda dip and crackers
Cream cheese topped with red pepper jelly and crackers

The Outfit
Last but not least, the birthday girl must be dressed for the occasion. Ayelet Belle was ready to party in her pink cupcake onesie with pink rosette skirt and leggings. My little fashionista found style and comfort in this cute outfit. As for me, I couldn't resist wearing pink too.

Happy 1st Birthday, Little Ayelet Belle!

Ayelet Belle's 1st Birthday Party!

2012-01-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Cake!

Pretty in Pink

Doting Daddy

Proud Mommy

Cake Time!

Some of the crew

Faith at the "Candy Bar"

Grammy and her girl

Wren

Yesterday, we were delighted to celebrate Ayelet Belle's first birthday with family and friends. It was so much fun to watch our baby girl at her very first, VERY PINK birthday party. She was happy and loved all of the action! Of course, she also loved CAKE. The Broncos game was on during the party (they won!) so it was an especially exciting afternoon. Happy Birthday, Ayelet Belle!

LSU Pride at One Mile HIgh

2012-01-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

It's game day and there's no doubt who my kiddos want to win the BCS National Championship! They donned their LSU outfits for preschool and shouted, "LSU! LSU! LSU! GEAUX TIGERS!" all morning. There is lots of LSU spirit in the Mile High City.

One Year Later

2012-01-03T14:07:00.000-07:00

Dec 2010

Dec 2011

One year ago, I was 9 months pregnant during Christmastime. I didn't know if the baby in my belly was a boy or a girl. Now, I can't imagine life without my little Ayelet Belle. The last year has been fun, challenging, great, exhausting and a beautiful journey. I have learned and grown and had wishes come true. And my baby belly is almost gone. What a difference a year makes.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

Christmas-- that wonderful, magical, glorious, yet exhausting time of year has come and gone. I made a special effort to enjoy this beautiful time with my three small children and was careful not to overbook my calendar. Still, I was wrapping presents on Christmas Eve while Santa (a.k.a. Dear Darling) was assembling the last gifts. All in all, it was the perfect holiday season.

The holidays were extra special since Grandma Sue, Grandpa Ron and Grammy Pat were all here to share the Christmas joy. We went to church on Christmas Eve and then had gumbo and German Chocolate cake. Next, we all donned our Christmas jammies and the bears opened their gifts from Fairy Godmother Tina and Dan. Then, the kiddos left a plate of sugar cookies for Santa and an apple for Rudolf on the dining table before heading to bed.

I love the hours on Christmas Even between the time the bears go to bed and I awake in the morning. I get so excited, anticipating the chaos that will occur bright and early the next day. Dear Darling and I usually enjoy a glass of wine while stuffing stockings and enjoying the Christmas tree lights. Every year, I encourage the adults to meet in the living room early so that everyone can watch the sleepyheads racing to see what Santa brought. With coffee cups and cameras in hand, we waited for the kiddos at 5:45 a.m.

Christmas morning was amazing! Ainsley got up first and I told her she had to get Cedar before coming into the living room. At four years old, Ainsley was able to take it all and enjoy the insanity of Christmas morning. She immediately went to check out her new Barbie townhouse and believed Santa had made her wish come true. At three years old, a sleepy Cedar was a little overwhelmed by all the surprises. He couldn't believe Santa brought him such a big workbench. He warmed up quickly and soon, wrapping paper was flying through the air! After the big bears and the adults had opened their gifts, Little Ayelet Belle woke up and we got to do it all again. It was so nice to celebrate our baby girl's very first Christmas in this special way. We opened her presents and all of the attention was on her. She had a great time and was so happy to be a part of the fun.

That night, we enjoyed a German style Christmas dinner with the Kurz and Goetz families. We are grateful and blessed to have such good friends. I love big holiday gatherings filled with laughter, friends and good food.

This might have been the best Christmas ever.

Ayelet is 11 Months Old!

2011-12-16T14:22:00.000-07:00

My baby girl's first birthday is just around the corner. Time is flying by but I am enjoying every second. I'm so grateful I have the opportunity to watch her grow and witness her many "firsts." She learns something new every day and so do I.

Little Ayelet Belle is one active baby girl. She is pulling up and crawling all over the house. She gets a kick out of crawling away from me. She plays very well independently but really loves to be with her siblings. Ayelet likes to be in the middle of the action, whether the bears are playing on the floor or in the bathtub. She claps for me when I walk into the nursery to pick her up in the morning or after naptime. We both laugh after she imitates sounds (coughs, etc.) or hand gestures. She is a funny girl and full of energy.

Ayelet is growing, growing, growing! She has 8 teeth but is a picky eater. She is growing up but not out. Her personality is becoming more and more apparent. She is so loving and sweet but also has an assertive side. She lets her desires and opinions be known. I love that she knows what she wants and is able to communicate her wishes.

Ayelet Belle is such a delight! I'm looking forward to celebrating the big ONE!

2011 Preschool Christmas Program

2011-12-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

The Bears were really excited about their Christmas Program at Preschool. Cedar was a shepherd and his class sang, "Go Tell it on the Mountain," complete with hand gestures. Ainsley was a little drummer girl and her class sang, "Little Drummer Boy." She was so cute playing her drum! They enjoyed being on stage and smiled when they spotted their family. I was so proud of them!

2011 Winter Dance Recital

2011-12-11T21:33:00.001-07:00

Today was Ainsley's Alice in Wonderland themed dance recital. Her Pre Ballet 1 class performed to, "We are the Loveliest Flowers." It was beautiful and magical and amazing to watch my tiny dancer on the big stage. My little Ainsley moved gracefully and her sweet spirit was on display. She takes my breath away.

Ainsley spotted Dear Darling, Cedar, Grammy Pat and me in the crowd. And she smiled that crinkled nose smile that I love so much. It's that smile that lets me know she is truly happy. Dancing fills her spirit so much that we nicknamed her, "Dancing Feet." I hope she always dances for the sheer joy of dancing.

Ainsley has given me so many precious moments in four short years. Today, I was glowing with pride and couldn't wait to kiss her little round cheeks when the recital was over. Dear Darling and Grammy Pat were also proud of their little angel and Cedar couldn't wait to present her with pink roses. It was a special day for our family.

Ainsley Knowles, you are the loveliest flower.

Sneaux Buddies

2011-12-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

They wanted to stay home from school and play in the snow. I am not that nice. However, I will treat them to homemade hot chocolate and let them build snow people in the backyard. I'll even give them carrots for the noses.

Crepes

2011-11-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

Nutella Crepe

Where's MY crepe?

Oh! There it is!

While Ainsley was in ballet class, we strolled into the crepe shoppe. Cedar and Ayelet tasted their very first crepes and were in heaven. I'm sure Cedar will ask to go again next week. Who am I to deny my only son? Besides, crepes are baby friendly and happy hour prices make them impossible to pass up. Now, if only the nutella crepes weren't so messy....

Ayelet Belle is 10 Months Old!

2011-11-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

Ayelet Belle is such a sweet, dreamy baby. She is so affectionate and loving. She lays her pretty little head against me and gives me kisses. I just can't get enough of her. We all adore her and even Cedar thinks she's a keeper.

My littlest bear is growing so fast that I can barely keep up with her! Meanwhile, she is trying to keep up with the big bears. Ayelet is a super fast crawler and wants to be in the middle of the action. Sometimes, it looks like she is just going to stand up and walk. Instead, she does little hops on her knees or tries standing on all fours. It's so cute seeing my three kiddos playing together. I never imagined this scenario but it's oh so sweet.

Little Ayelet Belle celebrated her first Thanksgiving! The Kurz family of 6, along with Nathalie and Lisa, joined us for a wonderful dinner. Ayelet Belle put her 5 1/2 little teeth to good use during the holiday. She especially loved my butternut squash risotto and Grammy's cornbread dressing. It was a special day and I am thankful every day for her.

I am blessed beyond measure to have Ayelet Belle. I enjoy the day to day moments, playing peekaboo and watching her do silly things like crawling around with toys dangling from her mouth. She is funny and smart and even temperamental at times. She feels loved and readily gives love. This little girl is some kind of special.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T11:04:00.000-06:00

The Gang

Spider Girl

Pirate Cedar

Little Cinderella

Halloween was a blast! We enjoyed dinner with neighborhood friends, followed by an evening of Trick or Treating. It was so fun to watch our little ones run from house to house, unsuspecting that their treat bags would later be raided by the adults. It won't be long before they figure out our tricks.

MT State versus Northern Colorado Football Game

2011-10-24T21:49:00.000-06:00

Supposedly, there was a football game.

Jumping

2011-10-23T21:33:00.000-06:00

Ayelet Belle is 9 Months Old!

2011-10-23T21:18:00.000-06:00

My little Ayelet Belle is 9 months old and growing so fast, figuratively and literally speaking! She grew 3 inches in three months, putting her in the 99th percentile for height. She is only in the 19th percentile for weight (17.5 pounds) but that is normal for her body type. Looking at her, I get to imagine myself as an infant. Already, we are having clothes issues for her long and lean body. She does enjoy eating and already has 4 teeth! Ayelet skipped bottles altogether but does well drinking from a regular cup.

While Ayelet is trying to keep up with her siblings, I am trying to keep up with her. She is so active! On the hardwood floors, she crawls on one knee with her other leg sticking straight out. On softer surfaces, she crawls on all fours. Either way, this girl is a fast mover! She effortlessly goes from crawling to sitting and is into everything! Note to Dear Darling: Please install a new baby gate.

Ayelet is still a great sleeper, getting up only once or twice a night. Sometimes she can be found sleeping face forward! She is so flexible and a natural at yoga. I think she is going to be naturally good at a lot of things.

My favorite thing is watching Ayelet make "Pretty eyes." She blinks those beautiful eyes, knowing that she is such a charmer. I can't help but smile and kiss her pretty little face. Listening to her talk and watching her play with the big bears also make me smile.

Little Ayelet Belle has brought me so much joy. I can't imagine life without her.

A different way of cooking.

2011-09-25T21:55:00.000-06:00

I've been experimenting with recipes that don't require animal products. I hesitate to say "vegan" recipes because I really don't like labels. I do, however, like to eat and to eat well. So, today was a day of cooking plant based foods.

For breakfast, I made a tofu scramble. I know, tofu just sounds terrible. I have always shied away from tofu but thought I would give it a shot. I sauteed onions, red bell pepper and spinach. Then, I added crumbled tofu and turmeric, cooked for about 10 minutes, and voila! I had a healthier version of scrambled eggs. Of course, it wasn't exactly like eggs but it was good. I don't think anyone would have noticed the tofu if I had made a breakfast burrito with the tofu scramble. Thankfully, I'm not regretting buying the Costco sized amount of tofu. It just takes the right recipe to make a sceptic into a believer.

For dinner, I made meatless meatballs and spaghetti. My Southern mama, Montanan husband and two preschoolers devoured them! There were no "strange" ingredients (onions, garlic, black beans, brown rice, spinach, mushrooms, sunflower seeds) in the meatballs but they were time consuming to make. The whole family asked that I make them again! As for little Ayelet Belle, well, she had homemade white peach babyfood instead. Have I mentioned how much I like to puree for my princess?

With the leftover rice, I made brown rice pudding for tomorrow's breakfast. I cooked brown rice with almond milk, cinnamon, brown sugar, walnuts and raisins until creamy. The kids tasted it and said, "Yummy!" This is an easy fix to cut down on the processed cereals that we love so much.

Cooking healthfully makes a lot of people cringe. The thought of cooking Vegan makes others want to jump ship. Finding healthy, plant based recipes that my whole family will eat makes me happy.

Frisco, CO

2011-09-25T21:18:00.000-06:00

Frisco, Colorado is one of my favorite little mountain towns. It has a beautiful lake for Dear Darling, majestic mountains for me, and an awesome playground for the bears. And, we all love the Butterhorn Cafe. We are hooked on this town.

A Brush with Nature

2011-09-25T21:01:00.000-06:00

My girl loves the mountains and runs fearlessly through tall grasses. She feels alive against the mountain lake backdrop. I love this girl.

Fall in Breckenridge

2011-09-25T20:50:00.000-06:00

The leaves they are a changin'.

Just a boy in the woods.

My big bears.

Bluest sky.

My Beau and my Belle.

The road less traveled.

My nature girl.

Fall is my favorite time of year in the Rocky Mountains. There is nothing like going for a family hike in the crisp air, taking in the beauty of the golden aspens. Ainsley and Cedar love exploring the wilderness, picking up sticks and looking for animals along dirt trails. Little Ayelet Belle loves being in nature, tagging along with the big kids. She may be little, but she understands it's a big, big world. Dear Darling and I love watching our three little bears playing in the wilderness, this beautiful God created area that we are so fortunate to have as our playground. Their laughs and excitement make all of this worthwhile. I feel so small against the tall, tall trees but feel big, big love when I'm in the mountains. It's my favorite place to be.

Pre Ballet 1

2011-09-07T20:02:00.000-06:00

Ainsley decided that she only wants to take ballet this session so she moved into the Pre Ballet 1 class for 4-6 year olds. The class requires a white leotard and hair must be in a bun. It feels like my little dancer is growing up, making her own decisions and just getting too big too soon.

Back to School

2011-09-07T19:48:00.000-06:00

Today was the bears' first day of school. Ainsley started Pre K and Cedar is in the 3 year old class. They were excited about the new school year and moving to new classrooms. I am really happy with their teachers and am looking forward to getting back in a routine. It's going to be a great year!

Ayelet Belle's Christening

2011-09-05T16:01:00.000-06:00

Proud Parents

Godparents

Precious Baby Girl

Shining

Baptism

Daddy's little angel

Sunday was a very special day for our family. Ayelet Belle was baptised at St. John's in Boulder. It was a beautiful ceremony for our precious baby girl. We were blessed to have Godparents (Tina H. and Mike F.) in town, as well as the grandparents and Tina's husband Dan. Afterwards, we had a lunch reception (thanks Grammy Pat!) at our home. At Cedar's request, we had a strawberry cake with strawberry filling, topped with buttercream frosting. It was a sweet ending to a very sweet celebration.

I knew God was in the house but it wasn't until later that Grandpa Mike showed me a photo he had taken during the church ceremony. The sun shone through the stained glass windows directly on baby Ayelet, lighting her up for all to see. It was as if God was reaching down from the heavens, touching our little girl and welcoming her. I looked at various photos taken and Ayelet Belle is indeed, shining. What a special day for our family!

We had an awesome weekend with our friends and family. Ayelet Belle, you are one loved little girl.

Belle in a Bonnet

2011-08-15T21:36:00.000-06:00

Baby Ayelet Belle was not amused by the smocked dress and matching bonnet. One day, she can choose her own outfits.