Gavin's 1st Birthday Party!!

WOW! I can't believe it's been a year since my precious Gavin was born!

It's been an amazing past year watching my son grow and learn.  I am such a proud mommy!  Time definitely flies by fast, it's easy to get emotional to think that he's no longer a baby, he's now a toddler!  But he will always be my little baby :)

Saturday, I started baking for the party!  I borrowed this awesome #1 shaped pan from a friend to make the guests cake with.

the first cake was not a success. lol.

But finally the 2nd batch turned out perfectly!

And here are the cupcakes I made: 

and here are the pictures from the party!  I was so happy that all my friends and some family could make it and celebrate with us on such a special occasion. 

Happy 1st birthday Gavin!  Mommy loves you so much and you give me so much joy!

Apple Spice Cake - made from scratch! (Egg/Sugar Free! My son's 1st Birthday Cake!)

When making my son's 1st birthday cake I wanted something with no sugar and no egg,and I came across this awesome recipe!

As with any "non traditional" cake, the batter for this cake will not seem "right" so don't panic!
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-3/4 cup flour
1 tsp ginger
Mix the molasses and applesauce in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Bake in a nonstick 8 x 8-inch baking pan or one sprayed with a non-stick spray, in a 350° F for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it tests done.
**The batter may be a bit dry and you may need to add more applesauce or a bit of water. Try adding 1/4 cup of applesauce first then gradually add a bit of water by tablespoon**

I made my own applesauce here

Homemade Icing!!

and here's the recipe for the homemade icing!

Sugar-Free Cream Cheese Frosting - Frosts one 2-layer cake

½ cup apple juice concentrate
1 pound light cream cheese
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup finely chopped raisins
1 ½ tsp unflavored gelatin

1. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the juice concentrate.
2. Process the remaining juice concentrate, the cream cheese, vanilla, and raisins in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
3. Stir the gelatin into the 2 tablespoons juice concentrate in a small saucepan; let stand 1 minute to soften. Heat to boiling and stir to dissolve gelatin.
4. Beat the gelatin mixture into the cream cheese mixture until well blended. Refrigerate just until the frosting begins to set, about 30-60 minutes. Frost the cake

Homemade Apple Sauce!! Perfect baby food!

I love when I can make Gavin babyfood!  

It's so simple and inexpensive!

Here's how I did applesauce!

Peel the skins

Remove core

Chop into small bits

Boil for 30 minutes

Drain water (leave some water in)

and just mash them up using a potato masher

And I just pour it into ice cube trays and place them in the freezer and they are perfectly proportioned!

Late Night Snack?

I just love it when babies do funny things!  I was in the kitchen getting something out of the fridge, and left the door open, I turn around and this is what I see!!

Gavin's First Teeth!

My precious baby got his bottom front teeth in today!!

A Beautiful Day at the Park!

Hey everyone!  It's been a few days since I've blogged about Gavin and I, we've just been so busy!  Over the weekend, we helped a friend set up for her baby boy's 1st birthday Party!  Then I took Gavin to one of my photoshoots, and he enjoyed watching from his stroller :)  On Sunday, my niece had her 6th birthday party!  Gavin had such a great time with her, I think they will be best cousins lol.

Yesterday, I took Gavin to the park!  This is the first time he's played/interacted on a playground.  

He LOVED it!

I think I spent more time blocking rocks from going into his mouth, but other than that, I had a great time watching him explore!

Here are some photos from our playground adventure

I finally caught this on camera!  Gavin standing with no help!!

Munchin' on a cookie, since all he wanted to do was put rocks in his mouth. lol

He played with this spin wheel for like 20 minutes.  He loves wheels!!!

Chillin' on the swing!