KerryAndGabe.com

I had planned for a while to make a Winnie the Pooh cake for Maddie’s Winnie the Pooh themed party at the museum. She insisted on having a purple cake. Given the number of people who wanted to come, I figured I could make both. I decided to do a mini version of the class finale cake. My sister wanted a birthday cake, too, and she agreed that the purple cake would make a fine shared cake between Maddie and her (their birthdays are a day apart). I added some cupcakes for good measure. It turned out that we had almost a perfect amount of cake for the number of people. We just had a few slices left to take home with us.

I took the day off to make the cakes. My work area was neat and tidy and ready to go with the baked and cooled Winnie the Pooh cake.

My work area got messier and messier as the cake progressed. I had some issues getting the outlines correct as they are difficult to see once the cake is baked (and my sample sheet was the reverse image of the cake).

I piped a ton of stars to fill in Winnie the Pooh! The red icing was a pain to make. I only made a cup of red, and it took an entire container of “no taste red.” I do feel like I nailed the colors, though!

Maddie was super excited when she got home and saw the Winnie the Pooh cake for the first time. I just loved seeing the joy on her face. She wanted to just stand on a chair and gaze at it for a while. Winnie the Pooh was yellow cake.

I did a one layer, 6″ yellow fudge marble cake (and 12 yellow fudge marble cupcakes). The purple cake was torted with chocolate icing in between the layers.

I found the cupcake picks at Party City a couple days before the party. I knew I had to make a dozen cupcakes to use the cute picks! I also found Winnie the Pooh cupcake papers and a Winnie the Pooh sprinkle set from the grocery store on the morning that I made the cakes. I knew I had seen them somewhere! The sprinkle set had Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger. They were at the grocery store we do not often visit. I’m not sure how many people noticed all of those details, but I thought that they were cute.

The cakes looked pretty on the cake table. They were very enticing to all the 3-year olds in the room. They couldn’t wait to dig into the cake table goodies!

As I mentioned in my previous post about our Atlanta trip, we had a very special birthday celebration at the American Girl Bistro in Atlanta. We spared the boys the experience and headed to the American Girl store as a trip for “all the girls and Henry” (since he’s a doll, of course). Maddie, Annabelle, Henry, and I were joined by Nana, (regular) Grandma, Great Grandma, and Great Aunt Frances.

We had been talking about the trip for weeks. Maddie and I were excited to finally make it to the store.

Everyone was seated, including Annabelle and Henry who were given special doll chairs. Maddie, Annabelle, and Henry were given crowns to wear. So far, so adorable!

Maddie was excited to have pink lemonade with her lunch. It’s a special treat!

She served her dolls their drinks and appetizers.

All of the ladies were impressed with the store. Nana and Frances had a nice time.

Great Grandma (“Honey”) and “Regular” Grandma posed for me.

The menu had a lot of options for both the kids and adults, and the food had little fancy touches. I thought that the fruit appetizer was cute.

Maddie wanted the tic-tac-toe pizza.

After all of the festivities, Maddie said that her favorite part was the cake. The cakes were so pretty (and consistent) that I was SURE that they brought out a fake cake and then went back and served us slices from a larger cake.

We took about half of the cake home with us, and it was real. Maddie didn’t quite get the concept of blowing out the candles. I rediscovered the unfortunate ability to taste the bitterness in certain red/pink dyes! Eww. My mom and I were the only ones who were able to taste it. YUCK! It brought back random childhood memories of Ronald McDonald cakes.

Maddie couldn’t wait to eat CAKE!!!

Maddie and her dolls were so adorable!

Cake and ice cream for everyone!

After our meal, we explored the store a bit. The store is set up almost as a museum with set ups of all the accessories and dolls. It’s a neat place! Fortunately, the part that can do damage to our wallet is small. Most of the dolls are intended for 8 and up. Maddie’s Bitty Twins are for 3+, so I was thankful we were restricted to the Bitty Twin section. Whew!

They even have a salon where you can get your doll’s hair styled and her ears pierced.

Uncle Bill took a photo of all of us outside the doll store after our meal. It’s hard to say who had the most fun browsing the store – Maddie or the adults!

Joseph and Bill walked around the mall while we were in the Bistro. Joseph wouldn’t even step foot into the store. I couldn’t resist taking his photo in front of the entrance!

The restrooms had a place to hang your dolls. Of course, I had Maddie pose next to Annabelle in the stall.

I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed the experience. I just love how happy Maddie was the entire day.

The ride back to my grandparents house was short, but it was long enough for an exhausted little girl to fall fast asleep with her dolls. I thought when we got to my grandparents house that I would be able to gently carry her to one of the beds. I unbuckled her and whispered that I was going to take her to lay down for a nap. Mostly asleep, she said, “but I want to play with my new toys.” Too cute! She didn’t nap, of course, and she had a great time playing with her new outfits and accessories. It turns out that going to the doll store with Mommy, Grandma, and Nana means coming home with a pile of pale yellow boxes in large, red shopping bags!

We went to Atlanta for Maddie’s birthday where we had a very special lunch at the American Girl store. We visited with my grandparents and my dad’s sister’s family. We were joined by my parents and Gabe’s mom. We had a wonderful weekend! I’ll post about the American Girl Bistro experiences in a separate post.

The kids had fun playing with a mixture of toys that belonged to my dad, his sister, and my cousins. I played with a few of these when I was a kid as well.

The weather was beautiful on Saturday, which was the day before Maddie’s birthday. We decided to give her her main present early. She was excited about her balance bike!

Nana and Grandma accompanied us for her inaugural ride.

She is going to need a little bit of practice to get the hang of this thing. She loved it, especially when Daddy gave her a push.

We couldn’t believe how nice the weather was in February. This was a pleasant surprise after a cold December and January.

My grandpa loved cuddling and watching Cullen. I think he got a kick out of Cullen’s persistence. Cullen repeatedly wanted to get into cabinets, climb on things, and go after anything that isn’t for babies. My grandparents house isn’t exactly baby-proofed!

Maddie played outside for a little while with Grandma and Daddy while Cullen napped and Mommy took a side trip to Urgent Care.

We went out to dinner to celebrate (Great) Grandma and (Great) Grandpa’s upcoming birthdays. Cullen thought that the ribs were tasty.

Maddie was excited about her “dirt cup” dessert which came with the kids’ meal. Papa helped her sort through the worms.

Maddie had a lot of fun playing in Grandma’s bed while Daddy put Cullen to bed each night. She and Grandma had a big, fun time. She started calling Grandma, “Regular Grandma” to differentiate from Great Grandma.

Sunday, February 20th was Maddie’s birthday, and we celebrated at the American Girl Bistro. More on that outing later, but here’s a sneak peek of our special girl on her special day.

Nana and Papa headed back home in the early afternoon. We stayed until Monday morning along with Gabe’s mom.

Maddie loved all of her new doll accessories. The child loves her dolls! She sang Happy Birthday to Annabelle and Henry with her new table and birthday party set (shortly after this photo, they changed into their new soccer outfits).

Cullen looks like he’s trying to find something on the TV in the hotel room. The kiddos loved playing around in the hotel bed. I’m not sure what it is about hotels, but Maddie has always been very excited to flop around in the hotel beds.

It’s hard to tell in this photo, but Cullen was so funny with the air blowing his hair. He thought it was hilarious as well.

Cullen slept in the pack-n-play (well, when he wasn’t joining us in the bed). Sweet little boy!

Maddie insisted on sleeping with her dolls (who have to take off their shoes, socks, and shin guards before bed). We love her little inflatable travel bed!

Wow!!!! Maddie is THREE! I can’t believe all the things that she is doing these days. With Children’s House in her near future, she will be seeing lots of changes soon. I can’t wait to see what the next few months will bring! Time for the 3-year old edition of letters to Maddie. Um, it appears to be a long one (no wonder it took me so long to finish). (more…)

Something that makes me happy: Today made me very happy. We celebrated Maddie’s birthday with a special lunch at the American Girl store and time spent with family. It was a very good weekend!

Something I’m thinking: I’m thinking about my little girl who is THREE today and what a wonderful time we had celebrating. My heart is full and happy at the moment!

Something I’m hoping: I’m hoping for an uneventful day tomorrow.

Something happening around the house: I keep finding a stray ant here and there in our master bathroom. WHY?

Something I’m reading: I finished Still Alice. It’s a sad, scary topic, but I’m glad that I read it. I am looking forward to the book club meeting about it in March. I started reading Water for Elephants. I can’t believe I managed to find a little time to read a non-book club book! I wanted to read that one so that I could go see the movie when it comes out in a couple months. I’ve been wanting to read it for years.

Something I’m watching: We watched the premiere of this season’s Amazing Race. I LOVE IT! I remember all of the teams (well, except one, though I know I must have seen them…they just weren’t memorable), and I really like most of the teams that are back. FUN! We also decided due to the Russell/Rob gimmick and the Redemption Island gimmick that we would watch Survivor this season. The first episode did not disappoint!

Something I’m playing: I thought we might get a chance to play something this weekend while visiting with family, but we didn’t. Oh well!

Something tasty: The lunch at the American Girl store was pretty good, all things considered. We had some tasty cake, too!

Something Maddie is doing (36 months old): Her 3rd birthday was today. I can hardly believe it. She’s growing up so fast! We’ve been talking up her birthday all week, and she knows very well that she is THREE today. She has known for a few weeks that we were going to go to the doll store on her birthday and eat in the cafe. She seemed a little overwhelmed at first, but I could tell that she was very excited. She started to show her enthusiasm shortly after we sat down at the table. Her dolls were in attendance and had their own seats at the table (as well as cups of tea and crowns). Aside from Henry, it was just us girls at the lunch. We were joined by Grandma, Nana, Great Grandma, and Great Aunt Frances. She got a few gifts (ok, more than a few – this is what happens when you take the grandmas to the store with you). It’s hard not to get caught up in all the fun at the store! Happy birthday to my little girl! Oh, and she got a balance bike for her birthday. We gave it to her on Saturday since the weather was so perfect. She is going to need some practice, but I think she’s very excited about it!

Something Cullen is doing (12 months old): Cullen is getting better at climbing and has started to take a few more steps. He has taken only 2-3 at a time, but his attempts have been picking up in frequency. He used a straw for the first time, and he had no trouble at all with it! I was amazed at how quickly he’s picked up on it. He’s sometimes drinking regular cow’s milk and appears to have no issues with it now. Thank goodness for that. He’s still nursing several times a day and several times at night. Up until this week, he has been pretty easy going at restaurants. Unfortunately, our good little restaurant goer is now a bit difficult at times. He constantly wants SOMETHING at the table that he doesn’t have. It doesn’t matter what it is. The only requirement is that it be something he doesn’t have. He seems to want a specific item, but sometimes we can’t figure it out. Often it’s something like a soda can or glass or knife that we can’t let him have. He’s getting better at using the fork and spoon. He now feeds himself yogurt and applesauce most of the time. He doesn’t always get it right, but he can do it.

Something I am struggling with: Ugh, I’ve been sick all week. The laryngitis didn’t go away for days, and now I have issues with swallowing. I don’t have a lot of pain, just swollen glands and thick drainage which is making it hard to eat or drink. It’s been very annoying. I’ve been to the doctor twice, but both people I saw felt it was viral. My ears have been hurting now which is due to the fluid in them (apparently they aren’t infected…at least not yet). I still feel like we can’t catch a break this year with illnesses!!! Ugh!

Something I’m doing towards my goals: I listed Gabe’s goals. I’m not sure specifically what I did to accomplish mine, though…

Something I learned: I learned how to use a neti pot. I think it might have helped me some, though my congestion is not in my head (or in my chest…just right there in the throat). I think it will come in handy the next time I have a sinus issue.

Something I’m looking forward to: Book club and Maddie’s birthday party at the museum.

Something captured: Our group at American Girl!

Others writing The Sunday Somethings: Audrey

I debated whether to have a daycare party for Cullen, but we decided to do it for a few reasons. His sister had a first birthday party in the classroom, but she had a few other babies who could celebrate with her. Since no other babies were participating, I decided that we should have Cullen’s party on the day after my 2nd cake decorating class. We would be decorating a cake, anyway, so why not bring it in for the teachers, Maddie, and Cullen to enjoy (well, and us, of course). So, we did.

Cullen was upset just before we took this photo. He saw the cake and WANTED IT NOW. He was upset that we weren’t letting him touch it just yet.

We tried to get him to wear his birthday hat. That lasted about 2 seconds.

Cullen didn’t dig into his birthday cake very much on his actual birthday. It seemed that we were missing the fork. He was very happy to have a fork at the daycare party!

Cullen politely offered some cake to Daddy.

Maddie joined us at the party. She doesn’t pass up opportunities for cake.

Cullen ate his entire piece. I don’t know if it was the fork or the chocolate (his first taste of the stuff). Here he is contemplating licking the plate clean.

A fork, a dinosaur plate, and chocolate. What’s not to love?

We watched him lick the chocolate frosting off his plate. We thought that was hilarious!

Happy birthday, little man!

Something that makes me happy: Getting caught up with thank you notes from Cullen’s birthday and from Team B-Patrol donations received so far. I’m going to try to keep up with those better this year.

Something I’m thinking: I’ve been thinking about our mortgage and kinda wishing that we hadn’t refinanced into a 15 year mortgage in mid-2009. We have a great rate, at least! A 15-year mortgage does make for a hefty mortgage payment, though…

Something I’m hoping: I hope that we can meet our fundraising goals for Team B-Patrol this year. I’ve been working on some of my fundraising efforts this weekend.

Something happening around the house: We had games night yesterday. Yay! The train table is currently in the living room so that we would have room for card tables in the library. It’s something different for the kids right now, but we won’t be keeping the train table there permanently!

Something I’m reading: I finished Mockingjay, yay! Now I’m ready for our book club meeting next week when we’ll be discussing The Hunger Games series as well as Rebecca. I started on Still Alice, which is our selection for March. I’m looking forward to getting back to books on the kindle, but the last few books have been print ones. Gabe is reading Nurture Shock. I’m glad that he wanted to read it, and I’m looking forward to reading that one, too! Of course, it’s another print book that we already own. Gabe will be getting his kindle tomorrow!!! He should have received it on Thursday, but UPS screwed up and “lost” our package. Gabe didn’t know about it until Saturday when I told him why I was so anxious to receive the amazon package. I’m sure he wondered why I was itching to get the diaper bag that we ordered!

Something I’m watching: I’m watching the Grammy Awards while writing this. I don’t usually watch them, but everyone on Facebook kept writing updates, so I felt like checking it out.

Something I’m playing: We played Tikal on Friday night. That was the first time that I had played that one in years. Yesterday, at our games night, I played Dominion twice (the first time we had a card combination that did not work well! the second time was more fun) and Agricola. That was the first time that I had played Agricola since TBGT. What a difference it made to play by the correct scoring rules! We were all learning or relearning, so almost everyone was able to redo something due to a misunderstanding of the rules. I am very interested in playing Agricola sometime where everyone has played at least once. I think it will make a big difference.

Something tasty: I’m back on dairy products again! This is the first time in a while that I was able to eat the pizza at games night. I’m still trying to consume dairy products in moderation, but it seems like Cullen is doing well with it.

Something Maddie is doing (35 months old): Maddie drew me a picture of our family for the first time this week. It was adorable, and I’m planning on a separate post about it (though I know I often have intentions and then don’t get around to doing it). This afternoon, Maddie created Valentine’s for all of her classmates. She drew a picture of each classmate, sometimes with herself, sometimes with other kids, sometimes by themselves. She decorated with stickers and told me what the kids were doing in the pictures. I loved them all! She has started showing more interest in writing her letters. Most of her letters don’t end up looking like anything, but she has been able to copy some of my examples. She’s been very sweet with her little brother this week. She tells him everything is going to be ok when he’s crying, and she gets toys and books for him. One night this week, she started crying not long after she went to bed. She said, “I need my Mommy…and my Daddy…and my baby brother!” It was very sweet!

Something Cullen is doing (12 months old): Cullen has had a rough week, poor little guy. He had a fever for several days, so we were home together from school and work on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. He felt pretty miserable for several of those days. We went to the doctor for a total of 3 times, and we’ll have a follow up in a few weeks. He was first diagnosed with croup. The following day, he was diagnosed with an ear infection in his left ear, in addition to his croup/cold (which may have been RSV). On Tuesday night, his fever came back and he was diagnosed with a double ear infection on Wednesday (and it obviously wasn’t responding to the first antibiotic). He seems like he is feeling much better. He hated both antibiotics (and is still taking the second one). We are giving him just the augmentin (the one that he didn’t respond to was the cefdinar). He has been putting objects inside of containers a lot lately. He’s loving the game of putting things into things and taking them out again. He has been having fun putting together blocks and is so proud of himself. He loves walking with the walker wagon and riding in the walker wagon. Maddie and Cullen had a lot of fun when we put both portable booster seats on the floor. Maddie arranged them like a “train” and both kids sat and laughed in the train. Cullen is doing great with the introduction to dairy! I’ve decided to stop pumping, since he should be ok with cow’s milk at school. We’re doing a combination of cow’s milk and coconut milk to supplement the breastmilk that he will be receiving for a few more days. He’s still nursing at lunch during the school day and in the evenings and at night (and during the day when we’re at home together). I was very thankful that we were still nursing when he was sick earlier this week. It’s so easy to comfort him and ensure that he’s getting enough nourishment when he doesn’t feel well.

Something I am struggling with: Laryngitis! I lost my voice about an hour before games night started. I don’t feel too bad, otherwise, though I had a much needed nap today (thanks to my awesome hubby). I’m sure it helped me to get some extra rest. I still don’t have my voice back!

Something I’m doing towards my goals: I had my final cake decorating class this week. I had so much fun with the class, and I look forward to making more fun cakes. I’m planning to make the cake (and cupcakes?) for Maddie’s party in a couple weeks, a cake for my sister’s birthday (she requested one), a baby shower cake, and my nephew’s graduation cake. I’m sure I’ll find plenty of other cake making opportunities to try out my new skills! I started more fundraising efforts this week for Team B-Patrol‘s fundraising for the National MS Society.

Something I learned: I know I’m late to the party, but Pandora is pretty cool. I finally started using it in the past week or so. I haven’t exactly “discovered” any new music this way, but I have bookmarked some stuff that I want to possibly purchase.

Something I’m looking forward to: Maddie’s 3rd birthday and the start of our celebrations for her!

Something random: Cullen loves playing with the remote. Sometimes, he records random stuff on our DVR. This week, he recorded America’s Funniest Videos and Dr. Phil.

Something captured: We had snow this week – just the right amount! Most of the snow had melted by lunch. I took this one with my iPhone using the 100 cameras app.

Others writing The Sunday Somethings: Audrey

Cullen turned one a week ago, and I’ve been trying to get this letter done all week. It’s a long one. I can’t help myself. I always have so much to say! So, here’s the latest letter to Cullen. (more…)

I’ve written Cullen’s letter, but I’m still working on the photos. We had a great time at Cullen’s party. We were disappointed that a few important people couldn’t make it due to illness, but overall it was wonderful! The weather didn’t interfere (as it did with Maddie’s 1st birthday party), and the fridge didn’t die overnight (again as it did with Maddie’s party). Cullen’s best buddies from his class were able to attend.

I decided that I was going to make the cakes for the kids’ birthday parties this year. I selected a dinosaur pan for Cullen’s dinosaur theme. It took me a crazy number of hours, but I think it turned out awesome.

I used cookie cutters to outline the dinosaur on Cullen’s smash cake (the white one). Since I had extra batter, I made two smash cakes. Mostly, I wanted a back up cake in case the first one didn’t turn out very well. It turned out great, so I decided that yellow cake wasn’t complete without a little chocolate frosting. Yum! So…the white cake was for Cullen and the chocolate one was for ME!

Cullen didn’t want to wear his hat. I made Gabe put the hat on about half a dozen times so that we could try to get a photo. I think maybe Cullen’s noggin was too big for the hat, too!

Considering that Cullen eats like a horse at meal times, I really thought we were going to have a spectacular cake smashing. That was not meant to be. Cullen picked at the frosting. He tasted a little of it. Overall, he wasn’t too impressed and refused to get his hands and face too dirty. He did enjoy all the fruit that we put on his tray. I think it was the first time that he had had grapes. We cut into the cake at some point, and he ate a little more of it then. A few days later, we had his daycare party. I brought a cake for the teachers to enjoy that contained chocolate, and Cullen couldn’t get enough of that one!

He was happy about the cake and all the attention, I think!

Maddie had been begging for cake for DAYS. I think she was the most excited to sit down and have a piece of it.

Cullen played with his buddies (or, should I say, played NEAR his buddies).

We took photos of each of the guests, but I won’t post each one here. We did get a couple of decent ones of our family. Cullen went for the “it’s my birthday and I’m so serious” look.

We tried to get the kiddos to smile for the photo. They didn’t want to smile for the posed one, but I thought this one was cute.

Something that makes me happy: Pajama days!

Something I’m thinking: I’m thinking about all the things on my personal “to do” list including address some thank you notes from Christmas (yes, I’m slow, but I did manage to write them!), write some thank you notes for Cullen’s birthday, write/send Maddie’s birthday party invites, write Cullen’s 1-year letter, and countless tasks with photos and video.

Something I’m hoping: I’m hoping to get some more blog posts written soon. I was really on a roll with writing up posts and scheduling them several days in advance. Unfortunately, I’ve run out of prescheduled posts.

Something happening around the house: We hosted Cullen’s 1st birthday party yesterday. We had a great time celebrating Little Man’s birthday!

Something I’m reading: I’m about 70% through The Girl Who Played with Fire (thanks to the kindle for letting me know the percentage). I’m more into the book now, but I swear both books have taken forever to get interesting. I hear that I’m going to have to read the next one since this one ends in a cliffhanger or something…so I guess I’ll read it, too. I’m loving the kindle!!! I’m probably going to read Mockingjay (in printed book form, sadly) next since our book club plans to discuss the series at our February meeting. We’re also supposed to read Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. I wish it was on kindle! I did manage to borrow a copy from a friend, but I haven’t gotten the motivation to start it yet.

Something I’m watching: We’ve been watching more Mickey Mouse Clubhouse this week. Maddie has been more interactive with the show. She always says, “Oh, Toooooooodles….” when it’s time to use a mousekatool. She answers some of their questions, too. It’s pretty cute! And, of course we always do the hot dog dance at the end!

Something I’m playing: We played Euchre with my parents. We also found a renewed interest in Angry Birds on our iPhones. I played a little on my mom’s iPad, too. We got my dad hooked on it!

Something tasty: I think I ate too much cake and buttercream frosting this week.

Something Maddie is doing (35 months old): We had orientation for her preschool this week. We are excited (and a little nervous) about this upcoming change. We assume that she will be moving up to the preschool shortly after her birthday next month. She keeps talking about how she’s going to go to Children’s House when she’s 3. I’m not sure that she quite understands what all that means, but she does know that some of her friends have moved up to Children’s House. It’s a big deal in the 2-year old room. She has also been talking about who she wants to invite to her party. She wants to invite all the girls and 3 boys. She’s very specific about this. And, she wants a cake with purple icing. I guess I’m going to have to make her a special side cake as I’m planning to make the Winnie the Pooh cake for her to match the theme.

Something Cullen is doing (12 months old): He’s now a big ONE YEAR OLD! I can’t believe it. We had a party on Saturday with a few of his classroom buddies and family and friends. I think that Cullen had a good time. Cullen is a big eater, and I thought for sure that he would dig into his smash cake and make a huge mess. He barely got his fingers dirty. He didn’t get any cake on his face. We opened up the cake for him after a little bit, and he ate some of it. He still didn’t make a big mess. Oh, well! Cullen has been eating huge meals this week. He still loves chicken the best. Cullen often eats more chicken than his sister. There isn’t much that he won’t eat, and he gets excited when you bring food to his tray almost regardless of what it is. He especially gets excited for the coconut yogurt and applesauce. He didn’t take any more steps this week, but is cruising like crazy and walking with the walker wagon. His new trick is to climb into the walker wagon where he will sit waiting for someone to push him (and sometimes stand). Today, he climbed in and out of the wagon probably 30 times. He’s doing more climbing at school and apparently is peering down into the other babies’ cribs at naptime and tries to wake them. He has climbed the bookshelves and the lunch table. If the teachers don’t get him out of his chair when he wants out, he takes matters into his own hands and climbs onto the table. These are sure signs that he’s ready to move up to the toddler room! I’m a little nervous about him moving up before he can walk, but I’m sure he’ll be fine. He will probably be motivated to walk once he sees all the other kids doing it.

Something I’m doing towards my goals: I attended my first cake class which gave me just enough information to do Cullen’s birthday cake. My second cake class is tomorrow.

Something I learned: This whole cake decorating thing is a bit of an investment. It’s also quite tedious!!! I’m still planning to do a cake for Maddie’s birthday, but I now know I better take a vacation day to prepare that one, too. I’m very glad I decided to take Friday off to work on Cullen’s cake. Preschool orientation took up most of the morning, but the rest of the day was spent baking and icing.

Something I’m looking forward to: I’m looking forward to my second cake decorating class and to book club! I just realized today that book club is this week.

Something random: One of the ladies in the cake class was also in our birthing class over 3 years ago when I was pregnant with Maddie.

Something captured: We had to put his hat on his head a dozen times to get this photo. Each time he kept it on his head for about 2 seconds.

Others writing The Sunday Somethings: Audrey