Ensign Peak

This was a really nice diversion from the stress of life! The kids never complained once on the hike up. I had never been to Ensign Peak before, but it was really beautiful! The sun was starting to set when we got up there and the way the light cast across the valley below was peaceful. I am really grateful for moments like these. :)

A few more Cakes

This is a cake I did for my neighbor for their softball team. The "home plate" is covered with Graham Cracker crumbs to make it look like dirt.
This one I did for my niece, Megan, for her son, paxton's, soccer team. It was a lot of fun. We made the ball the color of their jerseys.
I am in primary in my ward and so I made this cake for our baptism preview. I need a few lessons from my mom on making the frosting smooth. That was the most stressful part - the rest was really fun!

Rootin' Tootin' Roundup

We just celebrated Dustin's Birthday with a Rootin' Tootin' Roundup. We played some Western Themed games and gave all the kids cowboy/cowgirl names. We had a few little snags in the plan but I think Dustin had a good time, so that is what mattered.

I was planning on putting together a little Western Town with a Jail and such. It was going to be made out of Refrigerator boxes. I finally figured out how to get a hold of some and left to pick them up 1 hr and 15 min before the party started. Well, I had a little bit of a time trying to find the place (it was in North Salt Lake - which, apparently, isn't 100 N and up in Salt Lake). I finally figured out that North Salt Lake was it's own city with its own coordinates. So, by the time we found the place, loaded the boxes, and got back for the party, we were 5 minutes late. Luckily, Trent was already here so he could let in all of the 4 & 5 year olds. I was afraid they all would have come and left when no one was here. Needless to say, the western village didn't get put together, but we have since built a playhouse with the boxes in the playroom. We still need to paint or color some things on it, but the kids have had fun in it. Anyway, what is life without a few hitches.

More Cakes

Well, here are my next three cakes. This first one was one I did for Trent to take to a Court of Honor for his scouts. It turned out okay, but it didn't turn out like what I had originally planned. I realized too late that I should have gotten more information from my mom before doing this one. It was supposed to have an eagle on it, but I guess it was good that it at least still looked like a scout cake. The colors weren't exactly what I was planning either, but it did turn out to be a lesson about thinking on your feet! :)
This second one I did for Trent's mom for her birthday. I thought it would be fun to try a fondant frosting, so I looked up a recipe on Wilton.com and tried it. I learned some things to do and not do next time with the frosting. The frosting took a lot longer than I thought it would, but it was cool how it just laid over the cake. At least it did turn out to look like the hat I was trying for.
This third one was one I did for Logan's teacher for teacher appreciation week. When I did the one for Emily's teacher, she shared it with the other staff in the teacher's lounge and Logan's teacher saw it. After that I tried to find out when her birthday was, but it had already passed, so that is why I did it for teacher appreciation week. Next time, I would figure out how to do bigger sunflowers and do a few more of them. I enjoyed doing this one though. I will be doing another one this weekend for my neighbor. It will be a softball one. We will see how that goes. :)

Cake Decorating

I made this cake for Emily's teacher's birthday. Emily was really excited about her teacher's birthday and wanted to do something special. I remembered back when I was in Elementary and my mom would always make a cake for my teacher's on their birthday. So, I decided to try a cake. It was a lot of fun! Now I am looking for other opportunities to do a cake! I am making a scouting cake tomorrow for Trent to take to a court of honor and I am going to make a cake next week for Logan's teacher. I will take pictures of them and post them here. Hopefully they will turn out, but I am really excited to try.

Star Wars

Logan got this cool Star Wars spaceship for his birthday from Grandma Newbold. It took him several hours to get it all put together, but he did it all by himself and it looked really cool when he was finished! It even has a little Darth Vader sitting in it (I am not sure if you can see it though).

Pirate Party

We just had a swashbuckling party for Logan complete with a Treasure Hunt to find the buried belonging of "One Eyed Willie." The kids were outfitted in Pirate props complete with a pirate name. (Logan - Cap'n Logan Flint, Emily - Maiden Emily, Dustin - Dry Bone Dustin) I think all of the kids had a good time and I had fun planning it, but it is sure nice that it is over with. Kids have so much energy and excitement! I was so tired after it was over. Grandma Jackson made him this cool Pirate Cake. Well, I guess I will just regroup and start planning a Western Cowboy Party for Dustin. If anyone has any cute ideas, let me know!