Cake of the Year - Part 2

I decided to first post My Inspiration:

Some cakes are totally amazing, some are mediocre...I totally cannot do Fondant or whatever it is...so you see, I thought I knew my limits but could still make a fabulous castle cake. Couldn't I?

Well, turns out my cake was LESS than medicore, waaaaaaaaaaay less.

WHAT IS THAT??!?!?!?!?

Now to be fair to myself, of course the above picture is missing the most crucial parts of the castle - the towers. Which were the only part of the whole thing that I made that actually worked. We stopped at Costco and got a big flat white cake, I still used the towers and the Princesses and made a Castle Courtyard cake instead. It worked.

Now I laugh at myself - I mean seriously...a fabulous castle cake can only be done by someone with experience. Something I certainly don't have! Now...if I could make a castle cake out of an excel spreadsheet, then we would be in business!

Cake of the Year!

Now that I'm done with school and have soooo much time on my hands (HA!) I was so excited to make Paige's birthday cake for her bday party this past weekend. My brilliant plan unfolded and I bought the supplies more than a week in advance. I researched, daydreamed and visualized until I had the perfect cake and I really thought it was going to be...a piece of cake. (Ha, I love puns).

Come Wednesday and Thursday I began feeling oddly nauseous, just like I was pregnant. Yikes! I kicked it (the weird little bug) around and toughed it out W, Th and Friday and by Friday night I felt pretty icky. (But never got head-in-the-toilet-bowl-sick, just lay-around-sick). I felt sick enough that I decided I probably shouldn't make the food & cake for the bday party on Saturday though. My knight in shining armour, The-man-who-always-gets-to-say-Itoldyouso, My husband, said, "It's ok, we'll just pick one up in the morning." GASP!

After some pouting (that is, me pouting) he asked, What is with having to make some fancy cake? I always had a square cake with frosting and it was good enough. I'm sure you know how that question and answer session went over. Well, it DID end with him agreeing to make the cake and hopefully I would be better in the morning to put together my masterpiece. Yes, it would be a masterpiece, the cake of the year NO DOUBT!

Hmmm.....what shall I post first - My Inspiration or My Masterpiece?
I haven't decided yet and I've ran out of time for now...check back soon to see a cake that truly puts ALL others to shame.

3. The things she says...(another entire blog post)

The baby book I got for Paige just doesn't have enough room on the pages anymore, so I bought a nice little journal planning to continue documenting milestones and other things that MUST be remembered. Well...that journal has empty pages, and it's not because there isn't anything to write. I really need to get writing before things slip my mind! Anyway, in honor of her 4th birthday I thought I would expand on #3 from the Top 10 List below.

Paige started a pre-school language development class at the beginning of the year and we have seen some great improvements in her letter articulation and word pronunciation. For example, instead of saying "Moodie" she now says, "Movie" and instead of saying "Tybear" she now says "Teddybear." Although it's necessary and the right thing to do, it's kind of sad to see the 'problems' being fixed. I mean, it was so cute that she called the floor the "Floorground." She still has problems with some words like Snack is Stack and Treat is Cheat and Green is Reen...
It's also fun to do her homework with her - she has gotten good at the letter "s" and makes the "ssss" sound and then pronounces all the words on the list (pictures) such as house, mouse..."ssss mouse"..."ssss house". Oh and then she says, "Ok, I be the teacher and you be Dora." (Apparently Dora the Explorer goes to her school too). And she makes all of the little gestures that the teacher does. And then after you say a word right she says, "goooood," just like I imagine her teacher must say it. Do we have a future teacher on our hands?

Paige has also adopted the typical baby-talk voice we all use when talking to Jace. So she gets right in his face and says, "Oh baby Jace, do you want a bottle? Do you want a bottle? Do you want a bottle?" with little fake-giggles in between. It's totally entertaining.

Speaking of Dora the Explorer (above), the other day a lady asked Paige what her name was and Paige matter-of-factly said, "Dora." I think the lady was a little taken back until I said, her name is Paige, but she likes to pretend that she is Dora the Explorer. (And I'm Boots the Monkey).
She also likes to pretend that we are the Disney Princesses, usually Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. It's amazing how many times I've been able to pull her out of a crying fit/naughty tantrum by saying, "Oh, hey Sleeping Beauty, do you want to....." I can usually get my way with her as long as I address her as Sleeping Beauty or Snow White in my requests or directions. hehe.

I really need to crack open that journal at the end of everyday to jot things down, now here as I try to write about things I can't seem to recall anything else...but I know there are little phrases and statements every day that make us smile...

Top 10 things I Love about...

Aside from the fact that I love my kids because it just comes naturally and I really can't help it, and because they are Mine - pieces of me and the man I love combined into different little packages - it's a fun little exercise to make a list of the top 10 things about my kids right now. This list will change, as they change and grow, (and there will always be more than 10 things)

JACE
1. Smiles and Coos a LOT! :)
2. Kisses me back
3. Loves to snuggle
4. That wonderful baby smell
5. Eye contact with those blue eyes
6. How cute and content he is when he nurses or has his bottle
7. Never screams in his carseat, just snuggles right in
8. Little button nose
9. Strong little bobble head and how he loves to look around and "go exploring" (as Papa calls it)
10. Little noises he makes, grunts, squeals, sweet sad cries, giggles...

PAIGE
1. Imagination...(that's an entire blog post in itself!)
2. Such a sweet big sister
3. The things she says...(another entire blog post)
4. Her dance moves & beautiful singing
5. The pictures she draws/colors for me
6. Soooo excited for her birthday
7. So many "best friends"
8. Still loves to snuggle
9. Paige + Dadda = Fun & Laughter
10. Loves to do her homework from pre-school