Olivia's Pick--5 April 2009

We had a festive weekend at our house, complete with a fancy dinner out. It was Olivia's first experience in fine dining (read: not a diner, pizza joint or Mexican restaurant). An early reservation (6:00 PM) coupled with persistent promises of birthday cake to be had as a reward for good behavior made the whole evening rather manageable.

And she couldn't have looked cuter, in her pretty pink sweater dress and black Mary Janes. She even carried a purse--a vintage, ivory, beaded evening bag that was my grandmother's.

It would seem that Olivia has embraced her more elegant side. ("This is a very fancy restaurant" she said as we stepped into the powder room for a potty break.) It was sweet to watch her negotiate this new environment, especially because she did it with such class.

My little one acted just like a little lady (with enough squirm thrown in to make sure you know she's still a kid). She charmed the pants off of the entire staff and made Mama & Papa very proud. Sharing an evening like this with her was the best birthday present this Mama could get.

Olivia's Pick--2 November 2008

I suppose it had to happen, sooner or later. As much as I tried to put it off, I knew that one day, Olivia would discover the magical pleasure of chocolate.Yep, that's right. She went trick-or-treating on Friday, with the rest of America. And she came home with a bucket full of candy. I sifted through her stash and removed all the the jaw breakers, Starburst, and bubble gum that are too sophistacated for her little 2 year-old jaw. But after all her hard work and excitement, she deserved a taste of her earnings. And she had it, in the form of several small Hershey's bars. She jigged. She ambled. She smeared chocolate on her face, her hair, her costume. She was, I'm afraid, totally blissed out.

So, that's it. The seal has been broken. She now knows the meanings of the words "candy" and "chocolate" and there's now turning back.

I just hope she'll be kind hearted enough to share a Hershey's or two with me.

Olivia's Pick--19 October 2008

We've been baking some seriously delicious pumpkin bread around here lately. Olivia is in Seventh Heaven while we bake together. She holds the eggs gingerly, before I break them. And she helps to stir our batter to silky smooth perfection. She watches with glee as I pour our mixture into the pan and put it into the oven.

I think that my little gourmet has fully graduated into Little Kid-dom, because today, I caught her reaching up to the counter top to dip her tiny finger into my freshly poured brown butter glaze that was dripping over the sides of our freshly baked loaf.

Olivia's Pick--20 July 2008

Nothing says summer like bowl of fresh blueberries! Olivia can't get enough of these delicious treats. I'm loving that she's loving them because they're a really healthy food, full of antioxidants and vitamins. She'll eat them plain, in yogurt, over ice cream or in whole wheat pancakes. Yummy!