The Pink Cake!

Ok so this November, I decided to throw a double baby shower for two of my friends... Mandy and Dianna... they were both expecting their third baby and they were both expecting girls...they were also due around the same time... So why not? right?

I got everything together and asked a few friends and neighbors to help contribute to the food and decorations! I was going to bring the center piece!! The cake! It took me three whole days of searching online for the right design... if finally found it, but the cake online was for a baby shower for a little boy... so I spent another day searching for the right colors of pink for our baby shower! It was really fun to do...

Once I decided on a design, I called my friend Betsey to help me with the cake. I was going to pay her to do it all, because she makes cakes on the side, and then I thought I should try and do it myself... with her help!

I stared to bake the cakes. The first one came out OK, but for the second layer I had to bake 3 cakes just to get it right.. the others all crumbled to pieces and we needed something sturdy for the fondant to sit on!

Then Betsey came over and it took us about a hour and a half to turn white fondant to dark brown... it was hard.. my hands hurt just thinking about all the kneading we did to get it right... so around midnight we were finally done with the cake! ... what do you think?


I don't think I can do this for a living.. it was fun but alot of hard work!

all the goodies!

Meow, Meow, Meow... our mittens we have lost!


So this year the kids were not sure what they wanted to be for Halloween. They had out grown last year's costumes and were searching for a new one. The girls wanted to be princesses, I couldn't find the right costumes for them, you know they ones with the thicker fabric? Well and Jamie was going to be Belle and Lizzy was going to be Jasmine... Oh well... As for little Jared.. He wanted to be a lion... but we didn't want to pay $20 for the costume...

So, I took a costume I bought last year for myself and never wore because it didn't fit right.. and ripped it in half... each half for the girls. I turned the top half into a dress for Jamie and the bottom half into a skirt for Liz... of course I wasn't going to sew anything so I used safety pins to hold everything together! I worked like a charm.

Then off to walmart we went to find kitty ears... and we did for $5 each... we got two as I already had a set from last year. We got Little Jared to wear the bow but he didn't want to wear the ears... so I drew cat stripes (tiger stripes) all over his face.

Then we had the 3 little kitten who lost their mittens!

Mrs. Spendlove's Kindergarten class...

Halloween Party!

This year Jamie's Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Spendlove, thought that she would throw her class a Halloween Party this year! It was alot of fun!

making new friends...

Jamie and her friend Sarayla.

Field Trip with the Kindergartners...

I volunteered to help out with Jamie's kindergarten class this year. I thought it would be great to help out at the pumpkin patch this year. Of course I had to take Jared along with me ... I knew he would love it. It was the best weather for picking pumpkins and Jamie had a great time searching for the best pumpkin! Cant wait for next year to see all these great pumpkins again!

apple crisp!!!!!

the Larsen kids

Dinner with the Larsen Family...

We get together with the Larsen Family about once a year to have dinner and see all the kids. Matthew Larsen served his mission with Jared, I think at one point they were companions during the end of Jared's mission! It is cool to see them and hang out, but we definitely have to do this more then once a year!

Our Handsome Lil Man...

This was a suit we got at Kid to Kid for $5! And he looks adorable in it!

Pool Party...

During the last few days of summer it was really windy and cold. We were planning on taking the kids to the pool that week but it was just not worth spending the money to play at the pool for 10 minutes. So we got out our blow up pool and filled it with water. At first the kids were not into it. They really wanted to go to the swimming pool. But after a few time outs, they were happy as could be.

Jared didn't want to get in the water.. he just likes to splash water at the girls. But just in case he changed his mind, we put him in his safety swim gear! This was a inexpensive way to burn some energy off for the kids... I had fun!

Jared's Birthday gift from Mommy and Daddy.
A mat that has a road on it that he can drive on.

He found all his cars and started to drive the cars on the roads!

Birthday guests...

Got a face full of frosting! yummy..

Happy Birthday to you.......

How old are you now?.....

Aubie..

Radley...

Number 3 turns 2!

Jared is so big... can't believe that he is two years old already... He loves cars and he loves cake.
So his birthday party was super easy to put together. We told all the guests that he loves cars and would like more. I made him a birthday cake with extra frosting and blue sprinkles. He loved it. Aubie and Radley spent the day with us, and Levi stayed for dinner and the party. It was a blast to have cousins attending the party. Jared loves playing with Radley so it was nice to have him there!

Cant wait for next year when he turn 3. Hopefully we will have a themed birthday party... All about cars!

SUMMER DAYS....... DRIFTING AWAY..........

Ok, so this summer was not as exciting as the last, no museums, hikes, or other activities.. We just spent alot of time staying at home, grocery shopping and the occasional dinner at a friends house. Jared spent alot of time working, so that left me without a car for the whole summer. And as anyone who knows me, knows that I hate the sunlight and the heat, therefore, I hate summer. I am a Fall/Winter girl, I love the cute outfits, the cold temps and the wonderful scenery. So I wasnt going to walk around anywhere with 4 bottles of water, 3 kids complaining about the heat and 1 stroller crammed with stuff to keep cool. Nope not me!

So we watched alot of movies at home, had tons of time to clean and organize ( which was all undone during the first week of school), and I had time to finish a project or two, here and there. Altogether, It was a good summer, not the greatest, but good. Despite not having a car to drive three kids around in, or having money to go to all these great places, we made up for it by having play-dates with friends, making delicious food and enjoying each others company (maybe a little too much).

We also didn't encounter any major accidents this year, which we were all grateful for, but we did all gain some weight... I guess that makes up for the accidents.. Oh well. Jared and I celebrated our 7th Wedding Anniversary this year. We were able to have dinner twice at the Cheesecake Factory and the Olive Garden... We were planning some other activities like going to Park City but that didn't work out like we hoped.

This summer I went on my first camp out EVER!!! Cant say it was horrible but it wasn't great either... We (the kids and I ) stayed in our friends camping trailer... it was nice and cool and comfy. The adults and teens took a 6 mile hike which left us all immovable for days. The camping trip was only one weekend long but it was tiring. The kids had fun. Maybe next year I might try it again. As long as we go with the same friends we went with this past summer.

We also had the opportunity to do some horse back riding... that was fun... and free! Pictures of that will come soon... when I have time to get them on here. The kids will say their summer was fun, and it was, but it was also relaxing. The best part is that they all reserved their energy for school. Yay me!

The first week of school post will be coming soon...

Graduation Day!!!

So I know its late but I thought that I would post the recent Graduation pics that I had! Lizzy is dead center in this one hope you can find her! She is so happy to be starting 1st grade and the most exciting part for her is that she can have lunch at school... silly girl!

Jamie is also very excited to start Kindergarten. She will be in Lizzy's old class with Lizzy's former Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Spendlove. The girls are super excited to start the new year, meeting new people, learning new things and having wonderful experiences.

Lizzy is 6 yrs old today!

Ready for a party!

Side walk chalk is a great thing!

Barbie presents! whoo hoo......

he stole my soda!

Home-made Birthday cake. Strawberry cake and strawberry frosting.
And some great Chocolate/Marshmallow icecream!!

Drinks on a hot day!

Wonder what she got?

Arlene's macaroni pie was a big hit! It was gone so quickly that all I got was a pic of an empty dish... oh well, maybe for the next bday party we have a pic of it! yum!

Grilled hotdogs! yummy!

So happy to be 6 yrs old!

6 yrs old!

I have a 6 yr old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow I am old!!!!!!!!! well, Liz had a wonderful backyard birthday party. Really simple but alot of fun. We invited some of her friends from school, their families and some of our friends. The kids all had a blast, and the food was excellent...

I was really glad to have the Martinson family, Josi and her boys, Arlene and Troy, Tearron Frye, Ana and her family, and Lizzy's Best friend, Regan and her mom!

It was a simple, happy birthday with simple activites and simple and delicious food... I just hope I can pull off something this great in August for Jared Samuel's 2nd birthday!