Life of Larisa or LOL

Our little guy turned nine months old on Monday. So, I have three months to get my act together for his first birthday party. Not. Enough. Time. Speaking of which, the past nine months flew by. Zach is standing, crawling out of his crib, throwing toys, biting mom, having laugh attacks, busy, the Lance Armstrong of crawling, and exploring everything. He keeps all of us active and entertained. Here's nine photos of our Z-man. Happy 9 months little rascal.

...and you have a fussy, teething baby, you don't feel up to going to the store. But you DO feel up for chocolate cake. So that's what Zach and I did today after our inaugural visit to TJ Maxx. Zach loudly banged my pots and pans while I made eggless chocolate cake...with cherries...and Nutella for frosting. These cupcakes, otherwise known as "Sweet Jesus" cupcakes (thanks Sheri), came about as a result of trying to get rid of random ingredients before our townhouse gets tented (fumigated for you mainland folks). When life gives you bugs, make eggless chocolate cake. And add in a can of cherry pie filling for an exciting bonus. Behold a sinful trifecta. Perfect for rainy days and Mondays...and moms with fussy babies. Recipe: 1 1/3 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 dash salt 3 tablespoons softened butter 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs, beaten (or not if you are me) preheat oven to 350°F put cupcake l...

...brought to you by the Majors. I went away for a relaxing mommy/baby vacation (which seems like an oxymoron) and returned home to this amusing safety feature for the stairs. Gotta laugh. The railing and posts are coming, but for now there's this...

...it was bound to happen sooner or later, I was just hopeful it would be later. Zach was attempting to walk (it's too soon!) and toppled over, bumping that soft baby skin on a hard chair leg. The first of many scratches, bumps, and bruises to come, but the first one is always hardest for...mom. For several days my cute little Zachy looked like Locke from LOST...or affectionately known as Scarface. Not that either picture does the new nickname justice, but I was trying to find the humor in an otherwise pout worthy event. Luckily babies are resilient and heal quickly...now he's as good as new...ready for the next big bang.

...on the cupcakes, in the name of the restaurant, and most likely in Jessica's belly. Today we showered her with food, gifts, butterfly themery, and girl time before baby number two makes her appearance next month. I always love a shower (the baby kind) and an excuse to eat at Mariposa in Neiman Marcus. Although today was boys day, it felt a lot more like girls day...even have pictures to prove it. Congratulations to Jessica, Brian and big brother to be Dylan. We can't wait to meet baby Joni.

...turned photo shoot. I am obsessed with my baby. Taking pictures of his blue eyes with the ocean in the background never gets old. To break up the monotony of the same old same old, we packed up the boys for a middle of the week beach adventure...with a stop at Wendy's. The weather was perfect for a dinner picnic on the beach...and a little reading while the boys played in the sand. Lucky we live Hawaii. Lucky I have three beach boys.

...or Pinterest Baking strikes again.  I found a recipe for a two ingredient, supposedly delicious cake on Pinterest.  I decided to give it a try.  Then, I decided to go one step further and tweak the recipe I found on Pinterest.  That is how the peach bundt was made.  Hang on to your hats, here's the recipe.  Pour one bag Betty Crocker Angel Food Cake mix into a bowl.  Open one can or jar of peaches (can't find the fresh ones here).  Pour the peaches in the bowl with the mix.  Stir.  Pour into greased bundt pan.  Cook on 350 for 20 minutes and you have yourself a masterpiece.  You have yourself a recipe you can make while holding an eight month old baby.  You have yourself a recipe you can remember due to sleepless nights from said eight month old baby.  You have yourself a recipe your eight your old son can make when you are in the mood for something sweet. Ta da!  My work here is done.

With a lame foot and a baby who is the opposite, I need recipes that are quick and easy, but still have a WOW factor. Enter Pinterest. On Wednesday I tried the recipe that I am calling the triple threat.  I followed the three step recipe for an end result that wowed me and the hubby's coworkers. Step one: place chocolate chip cookie dough in the bottom of the cupcake pan. Step 2: place Reese's Peanut Butter cup on top of cookie dough.  Step 3: place brownie mix on top of cookie dough and peanut butter cup.  Bake at 350 for 18 minutes.  Run marathon everyday for a week to work off the fat.

New mantra? New pit stop... New teeth... New favorite... New flavor... New friends... New (to me) show...Curb Your Enthusiasm. Larry David is a genius who has made another t.v. show about nothing and everything all at once. Isom has been taking both boys for daily afternoon walks. I get an entire hour all to myself. And sometimes I choose to sit down and watch hilarity unfold in half hour episodes on my iPad via HBOGO (two of my new addictions).

...not the season. The embarrassing and traumatic event of last week Thursday. I am not known to be the most graceful of my friends and family but I can usually do a good job walking a straight line. And I did take dance for a lot of years growing up. So, I'm going to blame the series of unfortunate events on the parking gods. They were not on my side at 1:50 p.m. last Thursday. As many of us stay at home moms do, I have a schedule. It may seem chaotic to those not in the know, but for Baby Z and me, it works. Until it doesn't. As part of our new routine, Thursday we hosted a new hui group at our house. Great gals and babies. We chit chatted, ate (of course), and enjoyed the company of other moms and babies. It was a hum out loud kind of day. Until it wasn't. We hopped in the car to pick up big brother and that was the last I'll be hopping for awhile. It was just starting to rain and the asphalt was wet. And my usual parking spot in front of the school...

...or as I like to think of them, Cinnabon, book, and CD Tuesdays. A little something for Zach in the morning and a little something for me after. Zach, being the "advanced" baby that he is, has moved up to level two of Gymboree Play and Learn classes. (We've got the Harvard application all filled out.) We enjoy spending one morning a week with other babies in a space that is virtually worry free...at least for 45 minutes anyway. He can crawl, pull up, wander away without me worrying for his safety every second. The padded mats and toys geared for developing babies is a welcomed break from our hard wood floors, glass front entertainment center, shelves of books...in other words, we have not baby proofed. After our Tuesday morning class and free play it is now our tradition to follow it up with a pit stop at the mall...how can I not when it is literally feet away?! First we pop into Book Off to see what's new. This week I scored with an old favorite Pearl Jam...

Two weeks have passed and I'm finally getting around to posting the last several pictures from the March Photo Challenge. It's been challenging to keep up with Zach (Gabe too for that matter), let alone blog. But here's something! I contemplated participating in yet another April Photo Challenge, but maybe I can do that when I actually have the ability to sit down at the computer for more than five minutes. Day 26: Key ...Key to my heart enjoying his keys. Day 27: My Name ...it's not "lights", but it's something... Day 28: Trash ...this big box to our newest kitchen appliance went to the trash... Day 29: Feet ...one of my all time favorite shows... Day 30: Toy ...Zach's newest and favorite-est... Day 31: Where I Relax ...wherever this cutie is...

The time is really flying by. It's hard to believe we have two boys now. And I'm not even in the loony bin yet. Zach is a happy guy despite the bumps and bruises that come with starting to stand, crawl, sit up, and pull up. He is an active guy. Our time at home is spent discovering things. What the couch looks and feels like. (It's my favorite place to relax). What is the screen door made of? Wow, this grass in the backyard is cool. What's that momma is eating? (A dessert) What's that square electronic box that music comes out of and momma won't let me touch? (iPhone) What's that momma's drinking? (Starbucks)...so you see I'm busy sharing the finer things in life with him. Most recently, Zach has hit a couple of big milestones. His first two teeth popped through. Boy are they cute! Boy was he mad. Zach has also discovered that he can pull himself up to standing. We've got some work to do around the house to make things Zach frie...

Majors March Madness consists of "Eat the Street", a new tooth, Lucky Charms and green milk for breakfast, four leaf clovers, and the beginning stages of crawling and pulling up to stand. Here's the past few pictures from my Photo Madness Challenge as a glimpse into the life of the Majors in March... Day 16: Sunglasses ...he wears my sunglasses at night...and during the day when he is shielding his eyes from burning holes in leaves in the backyard with a magnifying glass! Day 17: Green ...on St. Patrick's Day Isom found me a lucky four leaf clover. Perfect. Day 18: A Corner of my Home ...music corner. Everyone needs one. Day 19: Funny ...the old Larisa. Please, LOL here. Day 20: Before/After ...these cartons amazingly turn into ICE CREAM! Day 21: Delicious ...I made whoopie pies in my new muffin top pan. Day 22: Kitchen Sink ...I carry everything but in my purse day to day. Day 23: Moon ...my latest purchase from Goodnight Moon holds the diapers that co...