Making Messes I Love to Clean Up: Addy's First Pizza

Adelynne will be two in a few weeks.

I am constantly marveling at how much she is learning everyday. Honestly, once she hit the 18-month mark, especially, I've been astonished to hear her saying numbers, identifying colors and now within the past month or more, she's been singing along to her favorite songs. She is currently obsessed with "Roar," from Katy Perry, "Jesus Loves Me," and what she calls the "Neck Song" (a song I grew up hearing my Auntie Irene sing to me.

What a character she is.

Of course, like most toddlers, she enjoys being active. She LOVES the outdoors (understatement of the year) and enjoys taking walks...long walks!

Her laugh is contagious and her little compassionate heart melts me.

She is getting better at sharing her toys.

But of all of the little things that help to describe my daughter, she is quite the little chef. She play's in her playroom with her pots and pans and pretend food and likes to make "num nums" for her babies, sometimes for us to sample as well. She says, "Taste, taste!?"

Recently she and I made homemade pizza for some friends who came over for dinner. I had planned to put them together while she was napping or after she woke up. But it was a day when she just wanted to be involved and do things that mama was doing.

So I set her up at the kitchen island, apron on and flour before her.

We started with some homemade pizza dough that was left to rise for a good couple of hours. 

I let her spread out the flour. 

Then we patted the dough down with our fingers. 

This is my most favorite picture. As the flour was going everywhere, coating the floor, her high chair and lap and all over me, I let her roll out the dough all on her own! She giggled HARD! 

Then she "proofed" the dough with her fork. I had to help rotate the pan because all of the holes kept ending up on one end! 

Next came the mixing of the marinara sauce. She LOVES mixing. So I got out a metal bowl, added some organic tomato sauce, some garlic powder, (she added the onion powder), salt and pepper and oregano. Then came her part: mixing! 

MIX, MIX, MIX!!!!!

Of course she had to sample the mozzarella I just sliced. "Hmmmm Nummy," she said.  

She was very precise as she spooned out the sauce onto her dough. 

Added the slices of cheese (look at those cute fingers!)

And pineapple (the only topping she said she wanted). 

Adding our finishes touches. 

And of course cleanup is essential after the mess we made! She was a big help in wiping her table, her hands and her chair. I got the floor, along with our beagle, Cocoa.  

Then I stripped her down to her diaper since all of her clothes were drenched in flour. And she watched her pizza bake! "Hot," she said. 

I didn't get a final picture of her first pizza, but it tasted really "nummy." 

I love my little chef and her excited over being in the kitchen and creating things. And you know what, the HUGE mess we made was totally worth it! I had a big smile on my face the entire time...so did she.