Henry's Baptism!

Whether you're religious or not, I'm sure you can appreciate how special it is any time you see your child go through a rite of passage. The first haircut, first day of school, whatever the event may be, it's crazy how much pride you feel for your little baby when they are taking these steps in life.

One of the less-spiritual things I love about being Catholic is the formality of the sacraments. There is always tons of symbolism, and each event usually requires a special outfit (which I am more than happy to go shopping for). Our church really likes to go all out. While it would be perfectly legit to just sprinkle some water on the babies' heads, they go as dramatic as possible for the full-on baby dunk.

He took it like a champ...

Then he got to wear a special christening gown from Tom's family. All of the Dougherty babies for the past 20 years or so have been baptized in this sweet gown...

The other couple that you see there are Henry's godparents. His godmother has been my BFF since 1st grade. And here I am with my sweet little guy...

We had a party at my parents' house afterwards, and there was a strong emphasis on dessert...

Henry got to change into boy clothes at his party...

It was a long day, and sometimes you need to take a nap at your own party...

It was a really special day, made even more special by all the friends and family that joined us to celebrate. Henry got a lot of really wonderful gifts, most notably a silver spoon from Tiffany's. Can you say fancy baby? If it was 2002, I'd probably put that thing on a silver choker and wear it around my neck. He also got so many great childrens books and bibles, and a little teddy bear that says the good night prayer. I'm so excited for him to get a little bit older so we can start teaching him about our faith and traditions. Thanks to everyone who helped make this day perfect!

Love,

Lauren

Weight Wednesday: cookies are ruining my life.

Henry's baptism is coming up, and I decided I wanted to decorate some fancy cookies for the event. The problem is that I have never done this before. I have never made rolled sugar cookies, never made my own cookie icing, nor have I ever decorated with icing. I will admit, that I am pretty crafty, and can pretty much "do" anything I put my mind to. But these cookies are tricky. I have been practicing the past week, and I can already tell that it takes a lot of practice. 

Things started out pretty well... The icing was good, and the cookies were baked (yes, the empty spot is where I ate one)...

Next comes the decorating. I was really scared to over-thin the icing, so when I was first piping and filling the cookies, it was super hard and looked BAD...

Once I got the hang of thinning the icing out, things got a lot better, and I would say my first practice run was mildly successful. They don't look great, but I learned a lot for next time...

I read many places on the internet that these kinds of cookies don't taste all that great, but I found that to be completely untrue. These cookies tasted like they came straight from a cookie bouquet. I did add lemon extract to a small amount of icing and used it on a couple cookies. Those were the bomb. 

If you haven't figured it out, these cookies are the reason I lost no weight this week. I have problems controlling myself with sweets, so I have tried to give as many away as possible. I'll be making another batch next week, so here's hoping they turn out cute, and that I manage to not eat 7 cookies in the process. 

Oh, and one last thing... I did NOT win the trip to Cabo. I did win a $250 gift card to My Fit Foods which I am pumped about. I am not all that bummed that I didn't win the trip, because in order to beat the girl who won, I would've had to lose like 25 lbs. The fact that I wasn't even close to winning makes it an easier pill to swallow. Thanks to all of you that were rooting for me!

Love,

Lauren