what a zoo it was...

you don't really realize that even though you just invite your immediate families, that means 20 people.  it was a zoo, but stayed well with the theme.  and after christmas the day before, this mama bear is ready for a break.  i didn't get a chance to get many photos, although i did video them eating their cupcakes.  just like last year, liam was literally face in the cake, while finn picked pieces of frosting off one by one before he decided he really wanted to eat it.  kathy had the great idea of circus/zoo food, so we did peanuts, popcorn, kettle corn (which someone is going to need to take away from me, and soon), bananas, pigs in a blanket, caramel apples, and a sad veggie tray for good measure.  bryan's family came in early to help with the set-up and lisa beautifully decorated about half of the cupcakes as zoo animals.  these were a huge hit.  the other half, i had her do some bright colors, so i could use the animal toppers that inspired the theme.  because i was too busy eating running around to take pictures, here are a few of the famous cupcakes.  

and the birthday boys...

can anyone tell me how it is i already have two year-olds?

and how i'm going to survive this stage??

is there anything more beautiful?

hi.  i'm lily. and i love butter.  (hi, lily)

one of my best friends came to stay for a few days this week, and she brought along her little bear, noah.  he's about 6 months younger than the guys, so naturally, the bulk of our conversation is about all the little men in our lives.  (every once in awhile -- not often -- i long for the days of my two loud roommates getting ready for work at 5:30 in the morning while this night shift girl tried so hard to tell them nicely to shut the hell up!!)  i digress.  food is a huge part of our lives, and we got into a "discussion" about butter vs. margarine.  obviously, you can probably guess how it played out, so there's no need to explain further.  as i was downloading pictures from a pumpkin patch (they'll come once the camera and computer remember how to get along), i re-discovered these pictures of some cookies i made about a week ago.  i'm no foodie blogger, although i love tastespotting, but sometimes the situation arises and i can't help myself.  this time, it was butter.  i had to melt it, and i liked the way all the neat little cubes ended up in the bowl.  (i know, i have a problem)  if you care enough to leave a comment, i can remember the recipe and maybe even share it - these were chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies - 

with real butter.