Urban Cookies

Joe and I were discussing the other day how "going out for dessert" frequently defaults to getting ice cream. It is readily available at Cold Stone, Marble Slab, Baskin Robbins, even McDonalds. It seems to be the easiest thing to grab when you are craving a sweet. Well, what if you are not in the mood for ice cream? What about those of us who prefer desserts of the baked-goods variety? So Joe did some homework and he found this place: Right off the bat I noticed that there are not a lot of options here. They sell 4 kinds of cookies and 4 kinds of cupcakes. That's it. I thought to myself: "How do these people stay in business?" Then I had a cupcake. Then I had another. Then I sampled one of my friend's cupcakes and 2 of their cookies. So this is how they stay in business: their stuff is delicious! All of their ingredients are organic and tasty. When they say that there are walnuts in the carrot cake or in the cookie, be ready for whole, wonderful walnuts. I admit that I was not blown away by their "simple" cookie. That's a pretty basic chocolate chip, even if it is organic. But let's be honest, I am not there for a chocolate chip cookie. I recommend getting the kind of cookie you would never make yourself. Get their "trail" or "urban." Or, even better, get one of these:

Oh, the goodness of a cupcake done right. I had the seasonal vanilla lemon (cake okay, but frosting delicious), and the carrot cake (Oh, my goodness!). I have never had cream cheese frosting this tasty. So often the cream cheese frosting at places that specialize in cupcakes (i.e. Sprinkles) tastes gross. It is too sugary and gritty and I wonder where on earth the "cream" in cream cheese got to. Not here. Creamy, sweet, and I could have eaten it with a spoon. So then I snagged a taste of Michelle's Brown Velvet with cream cheese frosting. So chocolaty, but so moist was this cake! The last time I had a "velvet" cupcake of any kind from a store (again, Sprinkles) it tasted like corn bread. Next time I have to try the chocolate chocolate.

Joe got a summer specialty of theirs, a FreezeBee. It's an ice cream sandwich with vanilla bean ice cream and chocolate cookies that taste like brownies! Holy yummy-afternoon, Batman!

If you live in Phoenix I suggest you swing by and get a tasty bite. If you don't, you could check out their website and order a box of cookies for a special occasion, or just because you want to.

Weaning

Is the title enough information for you to understand how I feel right now? Avery is doing fabulously. In fact, I think that she has been ready for this for a while. The first time I was mixing up a bottle for her, she nearly leaped out of my arms trying to consume the contents before I could even get the lid on. The whole process has not even made her blink. I, on the other hand...

Makutu's Island

On Friday we went to Makutu's Island for a play date. Think Chuck E. Cheese goes tropical. We met our friends, the Hobbs and the Coltons, there for an afternoon of crawling and playing in unusually dark areas with unusually loud music. Still, it was fun. I think that the entertainment value corresponds directly with the people you go with. So, Holly+Maggie+Josh+Anndalyn+Cam+Ellie = Fun.

Avery was too little for most everything, but they did provide a nice crawling area for small children. We spent our time in there with Holly Colton and Avery's friend, Maggie. Maggie is the baby closest to Avery's age in our ward so I thought it would be good for her to play with someone more her size. I think she was interested most in Maggie's to-die-for hair clip than she was in Maggie in general. Such is the way of a fickle baby. They love you as long as you have something interesting that they want to play with.

New Kicks

Aunt Stacie bought Avery some new shoes. I was worried that with winter coming and, hopefully, Avery walking soon, that there would be some difficulty in adjusting to wearing shoes. Living in the climate that we do, Avery almost never wears socks let alone shoes. These new kicks are nice soft leather and make me happy every time I see them.

Thinking that Avery would need some convincing, I was pleasantly surprised when I put them on her in the store and she didn't even flinch over them. Once we were in the car she just lifted her feet up high and stared at them like she was wondering why on earth her feet looked so funny. She hasn't given me grief over them yet. In fact, I think that Avery is all to pleased with her big-girl-self now that she has new shoes. She certainly prances and dances around enough to make you think she is heading for Broadway tomorrow.

Splash Park

You may remember a post from last year when I joked about Phoenix's "Water Parks." Those lovely little splash pads where water shoots up from the ground and little kids run through it to cool off and experience the excitement of running through sprinklers since they can;t do that at home. They still seem silly to me, but I see that they serve a purpose out here in the desert. That is why every major park and mall has one available for the overheated and cranky masses of children that populate this particular desert.

That being said, Joe and I took Avery to one of them this week. It was a waste of time. The water spouts were very fun for her as long as she was held. Once she was put down to explore on her own she decided that water shooting up in the air was not as cool as she first thought. I think the play time lasted all of 4 minutes when Avery called it a day. Lame splash park. I'm sure when she is older she will appreciate it more, but for now I think that I will just stick to taking her to the pool. It's a lot closer and a lot more effective at supplying fun for all.

When Dad Does Breakfast

Avery can be a picky eater. I think that she gets this personality trait from her dad. So when it is time for her to eat I frequently have to feed her just a few bites of several different things in order for her to really have a full meal. Breakfast can commonly consist of cheerios, fruit, and yogurt. Every meal is time consuming and can be quite a guessing game for me.

The other morning, Joe was taking care of Avery while I lingered in bed for a bit. This is a rarity so I was enjoying it. When I came out to find them playing together I saw that Avery had been fed breakfast already. Joe took some initiative and handled that chore for me. And what was it that Dad fed her? Based on this picture I think you can guess:

Donuts! Powdered donuts! OF COURSE she loved them and he had no trouble feeding her. What did I mean when I said that she would only eat a few bites of each food? Avery ate plenty of one thing for Dad. Honestly, men. I love especially that even though she had been done eating for a while, she was still covered in sugar for me to clean up. I should note that for lunch that day he also fed her ice cream. It's a good thing that Dad is not home all day everyday.

Busy Month For Avery

Avery turns 10 months old today and this month has been a whirlwind of new accomplishments.

She crawls now. She is into everything and follows me everywhere. Sometimes I find it hilarious, other times...well.

She cruises. I guess since she learned how to pull herself up last month it was only a matter of time before she started moving herself around.

She has a tooth, finally. I really could have waited a little longer for this to happen but it is really good that it did since...

She eats solids. Only solids. Well, you know all about it if you read my blog regularly.

She can climb the stairs. Again, I have mixed feelings about this.

She is turning into a copy cat. Make a funny motion or sound and Avery will do her best to imitate you. I guess it is time to get serious about the baby sign language.

And she is the happiest she has ever been in her life. She laughs and smiles more and more all the time and makes me laugh all day. I love being a mom.

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