Madeline vs. Cake

Today we partook in the traditional 1st Birthday event of having Madeline sink her hands and teeth into her very own birthday cake.  Much to our surprise, Madeline licked a little bit here and there and then nibbled on some cake when daddy offered it to her via a fork.  This is the same girl who spits out her food when she is done (often half-chewed) and/or throws it on the floor when she does not feel like eating anymore (I guess we are lucky that she did not do the same with the cake).  Admittedly, it was questionable that this would be a successful event as she cried hysterically throughout the singing of "Happy Birthday" and did not calm down until the cake was placed in front of her.

 

Overall it was a fun afternoon with our friends celebrating Madeline's Birthday and it was a great excuse to get baking!

Mmm...

Kit Kat Cupcakes for the kids

 Kit Kat Cake

Happy Birthday Madeline!

Happy 1st Birthday Sweet Girl!

Ringing in the New Year in Edinburgh, Scotland

 We decided to end 2012, and ring in 2013, with a short, but fun-filled trip to "Edinburrah" (as the locals call it) for their annual Hogmanay festival (http://www.edinburghshogmanay.com/).  It was a bit chilly and the short daytime hours made it seem colder as it was dark and windy by 4:30 pm, but we managed to enjoy some good food, ride some rides, hit up some Starbucks, and tour the castle in our short 2-days and 3 nights.  Edinburgh devotes great attention to the Holiday season with the Hogmanay celebration as well as they have a winter wonderland (http://www.edinburghschristmas.com/) that lasts from around Thanksgiving until Three King's Day on January 6th.  The city was very alive and it was nice (and a bit refreshing) to be in a country in which English is spoken.  Since we (Mike and Lindsey) traveled to Edinburgh in August 2004 it was neat to visit this city again and to see some of the same sights - one would not deny though that our wonderful and always sometimes well behaved children made this a very different trip!