so 7 months went out the window.

but here's what's happening now:

• speed crawling. and i mean it, as in i have never seen a baby crawl so fast. clark zips to and fro like there is no tomorrow.
• cruises along furniture.
• stands unassisted for several seconds at a time.
• has two more teeth! S L O W L Y , but surely these teeth are working their way in.
• says "mama" and "dada" (dada came first) and whines what sounds like "nigh nigh" when overly tired.
•  signs "all done"
• walks with push wagon and becomes all kinds of angry if anything stands in his way (i.e. a wall or doorway)
• jumps up a storm in his johnny jump up
• loves yogurt
• loves bathtime, but hates when it ends
• STILL wakes 3-5+ times every single night

i am exhausted but i get to be his mama and that in it's self is worth it. extra snuggles and night nursing when all else is still is how we fill our nights, and come morning he beams with joy. joy has been his constant, making it near impossible to resent the many restless nights.

once upon a time, deep in the blog world, i stumbled upon this recipe in a place i have never been able to find again. i was intrigued at the thought of baking with lavender. after a quick trip to a local spice store i baked a couple cakes up, fell in love, baked a few more up, and the rest is history...that was five years ago.

this cake has become a part of our home.

this cake is dense, but moist, sweet, yet balanced with tang of a lemon. it is easy enough to serve with breakfast. warm with a pad of butter, of course, or great room temperature with coffee or tea. if you're feeling fancy pair it with a heap of fresh, whipped cream and a handful of berries.


lemon lavender cake
yield: 1 spring form cake

ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 tablespoon culinary grade dried lavender

icing:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk or water
1/2 teaspoon culinary grade dried lavender
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest 
juice from one lemon


method:
in a kitchen aid or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. add eggs one at a time. add vanilla, milk, and lavender. turn mixer off and gently fold in flour. pour into a greased or sprayed spring form pan. bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean when pricked.

cool on wire rack for 30 minutes. 

while cake is cooling, whisk powdered sugar, milk or water, dried lavender, zest, and juice from one lemon together in a small bowl.

when cake is nearly cool, remove from pan. drizzle with icing over a cooling rack. leave cake to sit out a hour or two allowing icing to cool, crack and harden a little. transfer to serving dish and serve warm with a pad of butter or room temperature.

***if cooking for a larger crowd, i often double this recipe and cook in a single bunt pan. it works well. note that this adds about ten minutes of cook time, but watch closely as oven time may vary.

day trips are my favorite, the kind when you feel a world away but  really are only hours from your home, if that. the kind where the drive is beautiful, the kids are behaved, and the drive home is silent with two little bopping heads in the backseat. the kind where you quietly pull-up to your favorite drive-through coffee shop because you are nearing home and the kids are still sleeping. the moment at which you smile at your husband, grab his hand and just keep driving because the late afternoon has now turned into what we like to refer to as a car date. talk goes uninterupted, you arrive home sandy but caffeniated, and begin to unpack as sleepy eyes slowly open, only to feed, plop in a bubble bath and tuck in once more. those days, those are my favorite.

even now i scroll through these photos, grow warm inside and smile. reminisce.tThe day was utterly perfect. the sky grey, but without wind. friends, mimosas, the beach, a bonfire, passing by dolphins. giggling toddlers and a happy babe. i could not ask for more. i want to remember this day for a long, long time. if i could relive it daily, i would. even the part where holland collected the creepiest of sand critters.