Diving In Headfirst

After making Cole's cake, I was so excited to do more, and this weekend, I got some great experience. I did three cakes - one of which was actually a paying job - and although they didn't turn out quite the way I thought, I learned a lot from each.

The first was a cake a woman at work hired me to do for her dad's birthday. They had an inside joke of snowmen in their family (I have no idea...), which they asked me to use for inspiration.
The second was for my wonderful Grandma Barber's birthday. She is turning 86 this year, and is such an inspiration to me. I was so excited to make her cake.
The third was for my Grandma Allen, who turned 80 last week. It was such fun to have dinner with my dad's family to celebrate, and I enjoyed working with the fall theme.

I really did learn a lot, and I'd really like to thank my family for letting me practice and for being so supportive, despite some of my "rookie mistakes." :)

It's Not You, It's Me...

Dear Can of Enfamil Formula;

You are my final can of formula. Cole is now drinking regular milk, and I must say goodbye. We had a good run, right? For 12 months, I purchased you faithfully, even getting the formula for spitters. You didn't come cheap, and I cursed your $25 a can price every week. I hated the way you smelled, and loathed the way you would clump in the bottom of the bottle and clog the nipple. More than once, I sat seething as a fine mist of powder settled over my kitchen after a too-full can was opened.

But, you did your job. You kept my baby happy and healthy, and for that I'm glad you were there.

However, I won't lie. I'm glad to see you go. Good luck to you, can of formula, until we meet again,

Danielle

Bullies Already?!

Cole came home with a fresh set of bite marks from one of the other kids in his class at day care.

This is the second time.

Isn't it too early for bullying?

6 Whole Years

Even though our anniversary was October 1st, Bryce and I just got around to celebrating it this weekend. It's amazing to think we've been married six years - sometimes it seems so much longer than that - in a good way. We went up to Stein Eriksen and stayed overnight to celebrate. We dropped Cole off at my mom's (THANK YOU!!!), drove up to Park City and did some outlet shopping. Once we checked in at the hotel, we went on a beautiful hike. We even played around on the ski lifts!We went to dinner at the hotel restaurant, went back to the room and watched a movie, and spent some time in the hot tub on the balcony. All went very well until we tried to sleep and realized the A/C unit on the roof was making a horrible rattling noise. Even Bryce, who can sleep through everything, couldn't sleep. So, at 3:30AM, we called the front desk and were moved to another room. Not quite as relaxing as I'd hoped. But, we did have a delicious breakfast and a great trip down.

All in all, it's been a great six years. Life can definitely be challenging, but it is so worth it when you have someone so amazing and understanding. Thanks, B - love you!!!

Look Who's 1!

I just couldn't resist posting my favorite pictures from Cole's birthday. On Friday, we had a little celebration after we got home from work. I ordered from Goodwood thinking Cole would like some potatoes and chicken, but all he wanted to eat was the broccoli.
With Mom...
And Dad...He loves to read, so we bought him some books - I love how studious he is, even while holding it upside down.
We're also trying to encourage walking, so got him something he could push around. He loved taking things in and out of the basket.He also loved his new bathtime toy.The next day, we had our family and friends over. Of course we had to have balloons.
Aunt Carol along with Grandma and Grandpa AllenGrandma and Grandpa Thomsen
We had lots of fun opening presents, everyone was so kind and thoughtful!!! We moved on to the cake, which I knew he may be a little apprehensive about...

What the.....
Hmmm...tasty.....Delicious!!!!!The carnage.Thank you again for the birthday wishes - Cole is certainly blessed with lots of loved ones. Happy Birthday to our little man!

Cake Decorating

I just finished my first cake decorating class through Orson Gygi. It was a ton of fun, and I learned a lot. In honor of Cole's birthday, I did a cake inspired by his favorite stuffed puppy.

I'm hoping to keep doing more cakes to see if it's something I really would like to do. If you have anything you might need, please keep me in mind - I'd love to practice and am super cheap!!!

Happy Birthday Cole!

On the eve of the big 1 year birthday for Cole, I just wanted to put up a little post. Bryce and I cannot believe it's been a whole year since Cole joined our family. Our lives have changed so much, and it's been an amazing experience. We just wanted to say Happy Birthday to our little guy. We love you so much and are so proud of everything you do. We hope for the best for you throughout your life and want you to be happy always. We have loved spending the past year getting to know you and creating new memories, and can't wait for all of the things to come. Happy Birthday to you - we love you!!!