Happy Monday to you all! After such a great weekend (much better than last weekend) I’m really sad to see it come to an end. Needless to say, getting up this morning for work was definitely not fun. But rather than dwell on the Monday blues, I’d much rather recap some highlights from the weekend!
Starting with a Friday night in with my two best boys. Take out Panera for the adults (BBQ Chicken salad + turkey chili…omg YUM) for the adults; peas + apples for the babe.
There wasn’t a whole lot more happening on Friday…pretty sure I was asleep not long after 9pm. No shame.
Saturday morning included an insane workout and I loved every. single. minute. of it.
I was recently sent this R.I.P.P.E.D. DVD to try out and WOW, it was crazy. It’s 48 minutes long and includes resistance, intervals, power, plyometrics, endurance, abs, and a cool down. I will definitely be doing this one again in the near future!
Oh, and post workout scrambled eggs + cheese + ketchup is always a highlight, too.
Later that afternoon, Jay had to go out for a little while so that meant Mommy & Lucas time. No complaining from this mama.
At one point, I grabbed myself a banana to snack on, but somebody else had other plans for it…
While we usually do purees with him, I have no problem with him trying out something like a banana in its regular form. As you can tell, he thoroughly enjoyed it for a while.
Sunday morning started out with a favorite…pancakes!
I was recently sent these flapJacked protein pancake mixes to try out and, honestly, I was a little skeptical about ‘em. Point being, I know plenty of you love your protein “pancakes” but I’m sorry…egg whites + protein powder + a banana (or something of the like) is not a pancake. It may look like one but it does not taste like one (at least not from what I’ve experienced!).
But anywho…I was thrilled when I discovered that this mix does not taste at all funky and they really DO taste like delicious pancakes. I topped mine with some Justin’s vanilla almond butter, banana slices, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Another perk of ‘em? They kept me full for a good five hours, which was good since we had a busy afternoon…
It was Lucas’s baptism!
Lucas did absolutely amazing the entire time and was so calm and chill. Father Butler (who is actually my mom’s cousin) even wound up taking him for part of the service and he just hung out with him, taking it all in. It was totally one of those ‘proud mama’ moments.
Jay and I had my brother, Dan, and our cousin and BFF, Sarah, stand up with us as Lucas’s godparents, and it meant so much to us to have them there on his special day.
After the baptism, we invited the grandparents and godparents back to the house for some lunch, where we all feasted on lots of goodies. I made salad and BBQ Pulled Chicken with mini slider rolls; my mom made some baked ziti and kielbasa and pineapple.
Seriously…so much good food.
But, of course, we had to save room for dessert! Now you guys know (although it’s been quite a while) that I’m usually more of a cupcake baker), but I decided I really wanted to attempt to make my own cake for Lucas’s baptism.
So I made a scratch vanilla cake with strawberry filling, and my favorite vanilla buttercream frosting, and then I had a little fun with the decorations.
Thankfully, it turned out delicious and everyone really seemed to enjoy it, so I was happy with that.
The rest of the afternoon was fairly low key and everyone just hung around for a couple of hours before calling it a day.
Oh, I love those boys. <3
So yeah, I’d say it was a pretty great, and pretty special weekend over here.
How was your weekend?? Do anything fun?
Erica @ For the Sake of Cake says
Lucas looks so sweet in all of these pictures–what a cutie!!!
That cake looks amazing, too!
Suzanne @ Mix it Mom says
The cake is absolutely beautiful and looks just as tasty!!! However, Lucas in his Christening outfit, he stole the show!!!
I have to agree about protein pancakes. Eggs and a banana do not create a “pancake”. Bleck!!
Madison says
What a beautiful ceremony! Such a gorgeous and glowing family. :)
Linz @ Itz Linz says
wow that cake looks amazing!!! well done, girl!! and congrats on lucas’ baptism! (do you say congrats for a baptism? i’m jewish and not sure lol) glad he did well – gorgeous pictures! :)
Haley @Cupcakes and Sunshine says
Oh so sweet! I love his smile! :) and I’m with ya on the whole banana-egg “pancakes”
Shel@PeachyPalate says
Awh congrats on the Baptism!!! Beautiful group shot…love the dress!!! You look stunning! That workout sounds crazy good too!
Shari says
What a special weekend you had! :)
Lindsay @ Lindsay's List says
you make THE prettiest mama!!
(i’ll take a piece of the cake please!)
Carol T. says
Courtney:
What a beautiful ceremony…. you are very blessed with your family and wonderful friends. The cake look great, would love to have a piece of it… you are one talented lady.
Have a great week… try to stay warm. Us Upstate New Yorkers are getting snow again!!!
Sara @ LovingOnTheRun says
Awww love the pictures of his baptism! We had a pretty low key weekend nothing crazy going on here! I spent some time refocusing and resetting for a new week :)
Ash Z @ Ash's Right Direction says
You should try the food nets – http://www.amazon.com/Munchkin-Pack-Fresh-Feeder-Colors/dp/B000GK5XY2
We had these and put bananas in them all the time. You can also put other fruit in them, but we did not really try too much.
Beautiful photos at the baptism – a friend of mine took photos of ours with my camera and though the focusing click was the camera taking a photo. It was not so we did not get a lot of photos from his baptism. Oops.
I love your dress!
FitBritt@MyOwnBalance says
Lucas is so adorable! Such a good baby during the baptism and the photo with his legs in the air? I die!
Isn’t Justin’s Vanilla the best!?
Chelsea @ A Fit LittleOne says
Love the first picture you captured of Lucas, so cute :). And yum those pancakes look super good! Justin’s Almond Butter is the best!!
Amanda says
I LOVE those flapjacked pancakes! I’m not usually a protein pancake fan either but these do it for me.
Sweet pictures. :)
Elizabeth @ My Neon Running Shoes says
You guys are a stunning family. I can’t believe how big Lucas is! Have a great week :)
Danica @ It's Progression says
aww such a special day! It’s so great that you were surrounded by family for it, too. And seriously, you look absolutely gorgeous in those pictures!!
Holly @ EatGreatBEGreat says
Aw, what a wonderful weekend, and I’m so glad the baptism went well. We went to a baptism last year for my little cousin and it really is such a nice ceremony. Your cake looks delicious and you did a fantastic job decorating it!
Melissa @ for love and travel says
Glad this weekend was much better then last weekend. You’re truely blessed with such a sweet baby, he’s Gods angel. The cake looked professional, great job. I hear bananas are good for babies who are teething, b/c they like to rub their gums with it. Plus it’s good for them so it’s a win win!
Sam @ Better With Sprinkles says
Lucas is such a little cutie – so great that the baptism went well and he was calm!
And that cake – wow. Gorgeous! I assumed it was from a bakery at first glance, so definitely safe to assume that you did an amazing job with it.
Jess says
The workout sounds reaaaally good! The cake looks delicious and your little guy did so well on the baptism, that’s definitively a highlight!
My hoghlight was to experience my first vegetarian bbq that went really good :D Have a nive week!
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
Yay! Glad to hear this weekend was better for you!! That RIPPED DVD sounds intense! I’ve never heard of it, but I like the sounds of it. I’ll have to check it out! Congrats on Lucas’ baptism! You look beautiful! xoxo
Diana S says
Just want to say you looked absolutely gorgeous at the baptism! loving your new haircut #hotmama
Brigitt says
That picture of Lucas laying on the floor is SO adorable. Congratulations on the baptism! Looks like a beautiful day. :)
Jenny says
Absolutely love all of these pictures! You looked so beautiful! Congrats to little Lucas on his successful baptism.
Miranda @ Lovely Wife Lovely Life says
Oh my goodness, what a fantastic weekend! <3 It's great that Lucas did so fantastic during his baptism… the ones I've seen usually include a baby starting to whimper for his mommy after being with the pastor for a few moments! That cake is amazing, by the way. You should be proud! :)
Angie@adiamondthatshinesbright.com says
I totally agree with you about the protein pancakes, I can eat pretty much anything healthy but those just don’t go down.
What a special weekend for you and your family, so sweet, God bless you guys!
Hillary | Nutrition Nut on the Run says
your soft curls are gorgeous!
& Lucas is such a studly little guy :)
Ali says
That cake is good! I cannot write on cakes for the life of me! God Bless Lucas:)
Tracey says
The baptism pictures are absolutely beautiful and you look stunning in your dress!
Andrea says
Looks beautiful, great job with the cake!
And Sarah if you check these comments you look beautiful, it was great catching up with you Saturday night…. Like I said, you’re quite a celeb in my eyes being on this blog!
Courtney – I obnoxiously asked Sarah questions about you when I recognized her from your blog at a party Sat night…. She had such nice things to say, what a great friend!
Sarah says
Hi Andrea,
Courtney texted me to look at the comments! Thank you for your sweet message!!! I actually was telling Courtney about you yesterday and how nice you are! It was great seeing you on Saturday and hope to see you again at the next Pinkel party!
Tiff @ Love Sweat & Beers says
He’s just too cute! That banana picture is priceless. haha
Ellie says
Aww he likes banana just like mommy!!! And your hair looks beautiful!!! I had the blessing to visit Arizona because my in laws are there right now~had an amazing surprise 60th for my mother in law and lots of time with family. Y
Thank goodness our little one (7mobths) has been doing well! :D pheww
Parita @ myinnershakti says
Love all these pics! What a special weekend. :)
And how would you say that DVD compares to T25? Similar or completely different? Thanks!
Courtney says
I’d definitely say different, although it does incorporate some sections (power, plyometrics) that are similar to T25. This one also has a section that incorporates weights, and the overall formal is just a bit different (and longer in length).
Ashlee@HisnHers says
You did awesome on his cake! He looked adorable in the picture with the priest. Looks like a fun weekend!
Claire @ Keeping Up With Claire says
That cake looks beautiful! Congrats on Lucas’ baptism. You look beautiful and I can’t get over how big Lucas is getting. He’s such a little man!
Leigha @ Minougirl says
SO glad Lucas’s baptism went well! What a fun day filled with some yummy eats!! Those pancakes are calling my name!
Stephanie @ Whole Health Dork says
Those pancakes sound delicious! I will have to try those!
Lovely baptism. Congrats. :-)
Lauryn says
It looks like you had a wonderful baptism day! Lucas looked adorable.
That cake looks too good…yum ;-)
Heather @fitncookies says
Congrats to Lucas! What a beautiful cake you made him. I love that the pastor held him for the majority of it :) That workout DVD looks intense but I’m so glad you loved it!
Sanaz@Run for Cake says
oh what a fun weekend indeed! I love protein pancakes that are made with egg whites, oatmeal and bananas. They are delicious city!
You son is delicious! I can’t believe how fast the time passes. My daughter was that little what felt like a second ago and now she is 14 months and can mumble something that sounds like banana. Enjoy every second of it!
Hayley@healthyregardshayley says
I can’t get over how big Lucas seems to be getting! Seems like a really wonderful special weekend (:
My weekend was full of work, and go-go-go! Trying to take a little monday afternoon siesta now and catch up on life.
Alison @ Daily Moves and Grooves says
Oh man that workout sounds intense but fun!
Congratulations on Lucas’ Baptism! That’s so wonderful that he was a happy baby through it all :) And that cake looks incredible!!! I really want some now.
Holly says
OMG what a beautiful cake!!!!!!!!!
Anya says
Your baby is literally the cutest that I have ever seen!
Courtney says
Oh my goodness, that is so sweet of you! Thank you!!
michelle kim says
How wonderful!!! May God bless your whole family :)
And I got to do an early birthday celebration with the church people over the weekend. Happy early birthday to you!
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
That cake looks AMAZING!!
Allison T. says
What a beautiful family! Blessings on you, hubby, and Lucas.
P.S. That cake looks adorable!
Lauren @ Fun, Fit and Fabulous! says
Congratulations on Lucas’ baptism! What a special time for your family! Those pancake mixes look delicious! Do you know if they are gluten free? I am always looking for a great pancake mix. My hubby was out of town this weekend so I got to spend some quality time with my girls full of sushi, brunch, and girly movies!
Courtney says
I don’t believe they’re gluten free :(
Nicole says
GREAT job with the cake! You have quite a talent!! :)
Love the pic. at the end of all the dudes just chillin on the couch. Too cute!
Hope you survive the week ahead! It’s Superbowl weekend comin’ up – I hope you have some fun planned!! :D
Stacie @ SimplySouthernStacie says
What a beautiful weekend and memory for you! You are absolutely glowing in these pics – it’s easy to see how proud you are of your family!
Jenn@Mark My Mile! says
What a wonderful weekend for you and your family!!!
Caitlin says
Great job on the cake and little Lucas looks so precious especially in his happy baby photo! And it looks like we have a young nanner lover on our hands, adorable. I will keep that RIPPED DVD in mind. It’s always hard for me to find a DVD that gives me a really intense workout.
Annette@FitnessPerks says
You look so pretty! And that cake is amazing. Sounds deeeeelicious!!
Nala says
Congratulations on Lucas’s Baptism! I’m glad he was good boy, I think maybe he was just fascinated with what was going on. I love his baptism outfit – very cute. My weekend was pretty cool I got to do my first 5K ever – the Hot Chocolate Race and it was exhilarating!
Courtney says
Hot Chocolate Race??! YUM!!!
Tara | Treble in the Kitchen says
Lucas is too adorable!!! Your cake for him looks PERFECT!! :)
Caitlyn @ City and the Cubicle says
Aw love the baptism pics! Is he in a little baptismal suit? adorable.
Courtney says
Sort of…it’s a cable knit onesie I found on Amazon! About half the price of the other suits we were looking at…they’re SO expensive!
sarah @makingitmyhome.blogspot.com says
he is so handsome!