Ging Ging's Fruit Pizza

Summer just isn't summer without Ging-Ging's (my grandmother) Fruit Pizza. Just one bite can take me back to my childhood. We would go over to my grandparent's house every Sunday for lunch and most summer holidays. We would swim all day, but when she came out of the back door onto the porch holding that fruit pizza, we would scramble out of that pool faster than lightning. I got the recipe from her shortly after I got married, and I will use any excuse to make it. It is a pretty simple recipe and the longest part is washing and slicing the fruit. I don't think I have ever taken it anywhere without being asked the recipe. So here goes!

Ingredients

1 package sugar cookie mix

8oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup orange juice

1 TB cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

strawberries

blueberries

kiwis (1-3 depending on how much you want)

peaches (1 large or 2-3 small)

1. Mix sugar cookie mix according to directions (omit water if called for and use butter instead). Press into a 13inch pizza pan. (keep your fingertips wet to keep from sticking to you). Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Let cool.

2. Mix 8oz. of cream cheese with 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Spread over crust.

3. Arrange the fruit however you please.

4. Mix 1 cup of orange juice with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1TB of cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil for 1 minute then let cool. Pour over pizza and refrigerate.

Life's a Beach!

To kick off Memorial Day weekend we went to New Smyrna Beach with the Hunnicutts yesterday. It was a gorgeous day and Leyton LOVED the water. I think he is going to be a water baby like his momma. We had so much fun! Here are an obnoxious amount of photos:

(this was an oops photo, but for some reason I like it!)

(practicing for their wedding)

Words, Words, Words

I have such a smart little boy on my hands. It is so weird that he can now communicate so well and we can just about have a conversation. Yesterday, we were going to play outside and he wanted to bring his elephant lovey (which he would tote everywhere if we let him. He still doesn't understand why "ellie" can go in the bathtub). I told him "The elephant can't go outside, but if you bring it to daddy he will take care of it while we play outside." So he runs into the other room where Jeremy was and hands him his elephant. I was shocked that a. he did it without fussing and b. that he understood me so clearly. He just isn't a baby anymore. sigh.

Here are some of his most recent words:

Dirty ("duddy")

Silly ("siddy")

Car ("cah")

Sky ("die")Everytime we go outside he points up and says "die!" He hasn't mastered the "sk" sound yet.

Yes Sir! ("sess suh!")

Green ("neen")

Blue ("boo")

Bobby - He randomly started saying this. He named one of his construction worker figurines "Bobby." Whenever we ask where Bobby is, he runs and gets him. Borderline creepy.

Honey ("hun-ay")

Melon (for Watermelon) ("menon")

Side (for outside) ("side")

On - He says this when he wants us to turn on one of his toys.

Door ("do-uh")

Shoes ("soos-y") He likes to put a "y" on the end of some words.

Booty ("bood-day")

Done

Please ("pees")

Thank You ("tank tu")

Why? - He doesn't know what this means yet, but he must have picked it up from one of us.

Love you ("Wuv oh") :)

Cookie ("dookie") Don't even think about saying this word in his presence if you don't have one to give him.

Night Night ("nigh nigh")

Bird ("burd-y") He will drop what he is doing outside and point to a bird in the sky and yell "burdy!"

Pretty ("petty")

Bite ("by") He is such a mooch with our food. And he is really serious about his "by!" when there is dark chocolate, popsicle, or ice cream involved.

Whoa - he says this when he falls or runs into something.

Family pics

This weekend we met up with the Perreault clan for an afternoon of babies, food & pictures. Kristen trusted me enough to get some shots of her and her boys and she was nice enough to get some of me with mine. I must say, my little man wasn't quite down with cooperating, but we managed to snag a few frameworthy pics. Thanks, Kristen!

my favorite

A big hat to fill...

Baylee Anne

Long story short, I had to go home this past weekend for an unexpected trip. My grandmother is not doing so well, and the doctors didn't think she would make it out of her latest episode. So I went home to say goodbye. She did, however, pull through but is still in the hospital. We don't know how much longer she can hang in there, but I'm so glad I got to see her. She is so precious to me.

And lucky for me I got to spend some time with my sweet niece, Baylee. She is such a happy, smiley baby and rarely fusses. She looks so much like my brother in some of these pictures it is creepy.

Baylee & her granddaddy

Baylee & Gran

Watermelon

We have had quite a picky little eater on our hands lately. However, he is not fickle when it comes to watermelon. He will shovel it in his mouth before you have time to blink. I think he gets it from his momma. I would pick fresh watermelon over chocolate most days.

>

chasing Leyton

We have a nightly tradition around here of playing "chase" after dinner while Leyton yells "do do" (go, go) amongst other squeals of excitement. I thought I would involve some video camera action for you.

90 second mood swing...

disclaimer: No children were harmed or pinched in the making of these photographs

These were literally a few minutes apart and in order. Anyone want to babysit?

A Fine Mother's Day

1. Slept until 8:00. That's gold these days.

2. Jeremy surprised me with a canvas photo print of he & L.

3. Leyton took a hefty 3 hour nap.

4. Jeremy brought me take out of my choice for lunch.

5. I didn't change one poopy diaper today.

6. Leyton gave me lots of hugs and one big, fat kiss.

7. I wore no make-up and did not blow dry my hair.

8. We spent part of the afternoon at the pool. One of my favorite places, where Leyton kept saying "waaaaaaattttter" and "booo-ty." He has a perfect balance of fearlessness and caution in the water. And I must say, he has quite the butterfly kick.

“A Mother's love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible.”

-Marion C. Garretty