First

Eli turns One today! One! My baby is growing right before my eyes - literally. His sweet adventurous nature has him getting into EVERYTHING, and his big gummy grin gets him out of it all haha! For Eli's first birthday cake, I made a new coconut cupcake recipe, Darius choose to use his special dinosaur cupcake liners, and together we made one very special little boy very happy! If you have a birthday cake to make soon, read on for the recipe, and enjoy some sweet photos along the way!

Clean Coconut Cupcake

an original recipe created by me!

1 1/2 c. stone ground whole wheat flour

2 tbsp. baking powder

pinch of sea salt

1/2 c. shredded coconut

1 tbsp. honey

1 c. coconut milk

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce

Mix all ingredients together ensuring that the flour is evenly distributed through the batter. Scoop the batter into cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 of the way full. Bake in a 375*F for 12-14 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the centre of the cupcake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing, take a look at this post. Whipped coconut cream is a delicious alternative to icing!

For a little bit more creaminess, I cored the cupcakes, and filled them with coconut cream pudding - so yum!

 Most of our swimming time was spent with Eli in tears, cuddled right into me - poor baby was so overwhelmed with the noise!

The past year has been incredible, getting to know and love every little bit of you has been an adventure, and I am so happy to be your Mommy! Thank you for brightening my day, teaching me new tricks, and laughing along the way. Your smiles are contagious, thighs are rolley-polley, and teeth so tiny yet you still manage to grind them incessantly! Darius loves you so much, and you and Daddy are inseparable!

Happy Birthday Sweet Eli!

Armani

Yes, today is Halloween, and there will be a full recap of our Halloween festivities later this week, but today I have a little baby shower recap from Saturday. If you remember last week I posted about party planning, and the baby shower I was currently planning. Well, baby Armani's safe arrival was celebrated on Saturday and here's a photo recap of all the love for this little sweetheart.



I made this coconut cake, and it is AMAZING! If you're interested in the recipe I can definitely share!





beautiful Ariana, Armani's Mama




Armani needed another chance to wear her Halloween costume [isn't she a gorgeous Monkey!?!] and enjoyed lots of snuggles from all who came to show her some love!



Armani you are so very loved [as is your Mama!] and I look forward to seeing you grow. Thank you for letting us celebrate you sweet daughter Ariana - she is so blessed to be born into your family. And don't worry Paul, Darius and Eli will protect her along with Crew - she'll have a little army of men to keep her safe.

Did you enjoy any non-Halloween events this weekend? Or has your time been eaten away by ghosts, goblins, and vampires alike?