Autumn is here

It is autumn in Portland, and we are feeling a bit playful. 

And, why not?  There are birthdays to celebrate – starting with Matthew’s.  I have attempted, at his request, a cheesecake.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to follow my Grandmother’s delicious fool-proof recipe, since hers calls for cherries and Matt insists on chocolate and caramel.  So I winged it again this year, modifying a bit from last year, since I thought the caramel was too understated.  This year, we tried an Oreo cookie base – actually, Newman-O’s -  (I say “we”, because Fiona helped me smash the cookies into tiny bits).  That layer was followed by a layer of homemade caramel, which Dean watched me make, witnessing what happens to sugar when it melts.  Yummiest layer ever.  This was followed by a layer of cheesecake filling, which included Godiva bittersweet chocolate, but otherwise, was pretty much my Grandmother’s cheesecake recipe, and that layer was followed by the final layer according to Grandmother’s cheesecake recipe (which is classified).  It was yum – though the caramel was too understated again.  Or maybe I just want to eat a spoonful of that instead? 

Here is my beloved, celebrating 35 years of life with our three sweetie pies.  We placed 3 orange candles and 5 yellow candles before realizing that within a month we’d be celebrating Dean’s 5th and Fiona’s 3rd birthdays.

Leo had his eye on the cheesecake – I think Matt gave him a bit off the top when I wasn’t looking.  Well, what are birthdays for?

Leo loves to eat!  He’s crawling everywhere these days and likes to spend his time pulling himself up on the couch, on a stool, on my legs… His gross motor skills are accelerated!  We are constantly surprised by how active this little guy is.

No telling where he will go next!