how to make a birthday cake with your family

Making a chocolate cake as a family activity is good fun (not clean fun, but good fun). Here's how to do it.

First, find a recipe that you can actually make with the ingredients you have in your house. Or plan ahead. We did the former.

Sit at the computer in a comfy chair while you name ingredients and quantities to your daughter and husband, and watch them assemble it. Very entertaining. Show them where the blender and baking ingredients are, when necessary.

Hand everything that is dripping with chocolate batter to the two year old. Also good entertainment.

Remember not to clear the timer on the microwave, so you actually know how long the cake has been baking in the oven. (In our case, it got a little dried out. Oops.)

After all small people are in bed and you've enjoyed a good movie (the kind that makes you laugh and cry alternatively), ice the two layer cake with much more icing than required. Yum.

The next day, after your toddler has shared her excitement about having cake for lunch with most everyone at church, invite your husband to assemble candles on top of the cake. Thank him for putting on far less than the required number. (Ignore the fact that there weren't that many candles in the house, and assume he's done it as an act of love.) Blowing out candles alone is not nearly as fun as inviting a toddler to join you, so make that a family event too. Teach your toddler an important life skill: how to lick off the chocolate on the bottom of the candles without getting any wax.

With each bite, count your blessings.

I have more than I can count today.

Thanks to so many of you for your lovely birthday greetings and thoughts. It's been a great day.

first field trip

Thought some of you would enjoy a little glimpse of Maia's first Nursery School field trip. (Didn't I just have her? Suddenly we're going on field trips?!)


It was a great little trip to a local apple orchard.The kids were given a plastic bag and invited to pick apples from the low branches. Maia loved it.

When we got home it was a neat opportunity to explain that the little wee tree in our backyard is an apple tree that I planted when she was born, and that it too will one day have apples she can pick and eat. Over dinner tonight, we talked about planting raspberry bushes in the backyard for next year, and then Maia launched into all the fruit trees she thought we should grow in our backyard: apples, pears, oranges, bananas...

How do you explain climate zones to a two year old?

tri tri and tri again

At the risk of embarrassing my honey, I'd like to take a wee moment to congratulate Tim on a great summer of racing, and to again thank all of you who were part of that by outfitting him on his new bike earlier this year! It sure makes a difference. It's been fun as a spectator watching Tim in three races this summer -- and to see him achieving the time goals he's set out for himself. He used to get hammered on the ol' bike and then suffer for it through the run, but now it's fun to watch him keep up with the big boys. Last weekend, they turned the Wasaga Beach course into a duathlon (run, bike, run) instead of a triathlon (swim, bike, run) because of the undertow at the lake that morning -- good call. It was neat to watch the athletes make the mental adjustment to their race at the last minute, as they hit the sand instead of the water when the gun went off.

I find it so inspiring to watch the participants at every race -- each one of them has clearly faced personal giants and overcome. Some of the obstacles are obvious (diability, weight, equipment, etc.) and some are hidden, but it's a joy to watch people of all ages and backgrounds test their limits, dig deep and come across the finish line.

Makes me think of joining in the ranks of those crazy triathletes again one day...

new gear

Ah, the pleasure we can have in simple things.

Maia leads the way for me in this. Her pure delight in a new song, a cheery 'hello', a new discovery, is one of the great pleasures of being around a small person.

Yesterday, we spent the day together doing something we rarely do: shopping for something other than food. We picked out a backpack for her, as we've been asked to have one for nursery school. (By the way, why does it seem impossible to find a backpack without some kids TV star branded all over it? After eliminating Barbie, Dora, Shrek, Thomas and the Backyardigans (who did get some consideration), we settled on Max and Ruby -- two rabbits I'd never heard of. Almost just an ordinary backpack!)

Well, not only did she don that little backpack in the store, but at the checkout the cashier seemed to 'get it' and pulled the tags off so it didn't even need to slip it off her back. She has worn it ever since... well, barring short stints in the car seat, high chair and bed. Though she would have worn it then too had I let her.

This video will give you a glimpse into her excitement right before bed...




(Disclaimer: Now before you go thinking our daughter runs wild, we do let her jump on the chair, but we don't let her say "no" to us... we do have boundaries!)

And today was also the first day that Maia tried out her new helmet. (It came with matching knee and elbow pads for later -- how cute!) She was so delighted to finally get to wear her new gear when we took our first family bike ride out with Tim pulling Maia in the bike trailer we were given for her birthday. Great family fun. Why haven't we done that before now? Here's to more fairweather biking days this fall....

redeeming september 11

Yesterday, Tim and our dear friends Joel and Mel had the privilege of baptizing Kim and Jeff -- friends who have been on a beautiful faith journey in the last year. It was an incredible evening (which I had to miss because it conflicted with my teaching schedule ... boo!). So rather than passing on the details second hand, I'll let you hear it from Kim and Mel themselves!

We can easily go through our days without an awareness of God's presence, but at the baptism last night, He clearly made His presence and blessing known. Tim said it was hard to put into words, but that even the chilling Lake Huron water (with approaching thunderstorm) felt inviting... "comforting" is the word Kim used. Another friend summed it up this way:

"In the midst of waves crashing, thunder booming, lighting flashing and the wind blowing there was a peace that can only be described by those that have experienced it."

And when rain and thundershowers were forecasted for yesterday, both Mel and Kim had prayed for specific acts of creation -- Mel asked for the sunlight to stream through dark clouds and Kim asked for a rainbow. I'll let you read their stories instead of giving it all away here.

What a beautiful way to redeem September 11.

first day of ... gasp... school!

What? You thought the first day of school was a couple of years away? Yeah. So did I. Until I decided to enroll Miss Maia in the local nursery school two mornings a week this year.

I think it will be great for us both. I can't remember the last time I had time in the morning carved out for songwriting. It was a lovely morning. And I think she loved it too. Right now she's in her bed boycotting a nap. I think she's still reeling from the excitement of the morning.


Maia makes me laugh as she makes a valliant effort at counting to ten. About every three numbers, she likes to make a special declaration, as though she's reached ten. It won't be long before she really can do it on her own... so I thought it would be fun to capture the journey along the way. Be sure to catch the thumbs up at the end.