A mini mommy vacation!

A mom's work is never done...unless she gets the heck out of dodge! And that's just what I did this weekend! My dear friend and college roommate, Connie, and I met up in Provo on Friday night. Despite the first winter storm trying to derail our plans, we were both able to ditch the kids and husbands and we checked ourselves into the Marriott for a long overdue girls night away.

First on the agenda was a quiet dinner. I rarely eat pasta so I was so excited to eat at the Macaroni Grill (yum!). We both ordered the Chicken Scallopine and it was fantastic! Oh, and I ate lots of bread dipped in olive oil. Wow, I really enjoyed that dinner! But even better than the dinner was the terrific company. When Connie and I get together it seems that not a day has past since we were roommates 10 years ago. We always pick up right where we left off. It's amazing to see where the last ten years has taken each of us. What a blessing to have a friend like her.

After dinner, we stopped by the grocery store, bought some cheesecake and mini eclairs and headed back to the hotel to relax and watch a movie. It ends up that it's like $15 to order a movie at the hotel so we settled for watching A Beautiful Mind on cable. Good movie but I stand by my statement that Russell Crowe has the worst West Virginia accent I've ever heard! Not even 15 minutes into the movie, he basically just gives up and reverts back to his natural Aussie accent. Annoying! Anyway, Connie and I were both trying to stay awake through the movie (so much for staying up and gabbing all night. We are definitely not 19 anymore!) but the bed's were so comfortable that are bodies were just begging us to sleep. After the movie and more than our share of eclairs, we called it a night.

Let me just say, it was so nice to sleep without interruption. No one in the bed but me and a hundred pillows. Did I mention the beds were so comfy?! Like sleeping on a cloud. What a nice change of pace. Usually, I'm sharing my bed with both boys before the night is over and Will always ends up in the guest bedroom for lack of room in our king sized bed. So, yeah, this was very different than my normal routine.

The next morning, we arose to a fresh winter snow on the ground and the need to go shopping rushing through our veins. We got ready and headed to the mall. It was so great just to browse and buy, no real reason and no real need. Shopping is great therapy, whether you buy anything or not. We bought a few things and then headed for lunch. Funny enough, we both wanted Hot Dog on a Stick so we ate there and got back to shopping.

Connie introduced me to the Lancome counter at Dillard's. A notorious drugstore make-up shopper, I had no idea that you got such amazing service at the department store make-up counters. A full makeover later, Connie bought a few things, including a foundation brush for me for my looming 30th birthday coming in a couple weeks (which I LOVE, by the way. Great coverage for us old gals! Thanks again, Connie!) I even got a free gift that included a make-up bag, mini mascara, a lipstick in a great shade, an eyeshadow palette and some wrinkle serum (it's never too early to start using that, right?!) Happy Birthday to me!

Connie had to leave a bit early to pick her kids up and get home to Cedar City before the weather got too bad. So, we took a few pics and said our goodbyes. I stayed for awhile longer and made it home at about 4:00 on Saturday. I have to say I had such a great time and "It's cheaper than therapy" right, Connie?! This was my first time ever taking a time-out like this for myself and I would highly recommend it to any of you moms out there! What a blast is was just to recharge my batteries and remember that we are not only moms, we are individuals who deserve a break from time to time. Time well spent!

Until next time, roomie!

The lights at Temple Square.

I have the pleasure of working with the young women at my church. They are so sweet and are great for getting some "girl" time in. My life is seemingly mostly "boy" time, living with 3 of the mongrels, um, I mean gentlemen. :P

Tonight was really special and fun because we went to Temple Square to see it all lit up and had donuts and hot cocoa and tried to keep warm. Here's a photo we got of (most of) the group. (I'm right up front. You'll recognize the cheesy grin.)

A fun night!

Try...try...triathlon!

I went to the indoor track this morning to run. It was nice to get off of the treadmill and join the world again, switch it up a bit. Anyway, I was on my way out and happen to notice a flyer for an adult triathlon training class. I thought, "That would be so cool but I don't want to do it alone." I took a flyer with me thinking that maybe I'd ask around and see if anyone wanted to do it with me. I want to compete in a triathlon but I'm a so-so swimmer and I haven't been on a bike in a long while. I definitely need some training.

Anyway, I didn't think much more about it until I went to church this morning with Coleman to practice his Primary program for church tomorrow. An acquaintance of mine approached me there and said, "You work out a lot, right?" I told her that I like to think so and she asked if I had heard about the triathlon training at the local community center. "I'm in!" I told her. How cool is that! I didn't even have to ask! I told another girl about it while we were there and she had already signed up. Awesome!
So looks like I'm officially in training for my first triathlon!

Check out my Halloween Slide Show!

AUTISM

Wonder where I've been lately? I've been totally consumed. I've been reading books, running to Coleman's school to put out fires, crying through meetings with his teachers, pulling my hair out because I don't know what to do half the time. He has autism and I've never really mentioned it on my blog because this has always been a place for me to come to brag, to focus on all the good things in our lives, to paint a perfect picture of our family. Well, we are not perfect. We have love, hugs and big laughs but we also suffer.



I have only posted once in the past 2 months because everytime I sit down to write (which has been several times) I can't be creative enough to leave out the autism. It has the #1 spot on our priority list lately. So, let's see this as my "coming out" blog, of sorts.


We've known about Coleman's autism for the past 2 years. He was originally diagnosed as PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified.) This is a general diagnosis under the autism umbrella. We started him in Special Ed. PreK and he was there for the past 2 years. He really did well there- a model student and really bright to boot! We were so excited when they told us that he would be mainstreaming into a "typical" kindergarten class this year.


Coleman started kindergarten 2 months ago and is as bright (if not brighter) than all of his classmates but you can tell that he socially a bit different. He has trouble looking people in the eye. He has trouble iniatating conversations with his peers. He stims quite a bit, which means that he kind of retreats to his own world and runs around with seemingly no idea what he's doing. (Although, we know that he is very aware of his surroundings when he's in "stimming mode." He just seems to be unaware. Make any sense?) Ever since beginning kindergarten, Coleman's more "unusual" behaviors have resurfaced because of how overwhelming it's been for him to adjust to this new setting (24 kids, only 1 teacher!) He's been having meltdowns in class. He's been carried to the principal's office on more than one occasion. They call me once he gets to that point and I come running to either take him home or calm him down enough to go back to class. It's been so tough on him.



BUT we have hope! We took Coleman to see a DAN! (defeat autism now!) doctor and we will be starting biomedical treatments to help minimize his behaviors. This includes dealing with excesses of yeast in his system, building up his immunity and perhaps changing his diet. Will and I are both really excited to finally be able to do something that might help Coleman. Many kids have been treated by DAN! doctors and shown dramatic improvements, to the point that they are indistinguishable from their peers. Of course, insurance covers none of this and we are bound to end up in debt, but we HAVE to do it. Is there even a choice when it comes to our kids?! We do what we have to do.



So, keep us in your prayers. We could use them. And since no blog is complete without a picture. Here's a cute pic of Coleman on Halloween (he had a blast trick 'r' treating, by the way.) I love you, my beautiful boy!

Long overdue post.

Hey all! My blog has definitely been on the back burner lately. What's happened since Cooper's birthday? Well, Coleman started kindergarten and he really likes it and is making new friends. He's always so excited to see me when I pick him up after school and he just chats away about everything that happened that day. He's so sweet and he's learning so much! I'm really proud of him.

Let's see. Will's been working incredibly hard at work being the new President of the Counselor Assoc. in the school district and doing his administrative internship and all of his daily responsibilities as a counselor. I'm really proud of him. He's never been afraid of hard work, that husband of mine!

Cooper is growing by leaps and bounds and being a typical 2 yr old. Funny thing- he is so obsessed with Buzz Lightyear that he actually mumbles, "...and beyond!" in his sleep. It's crazy but true! He's so affectionate and he makes me smile even at times when I feel terrible. What a blessing that boy is!

As for me, I'm surviving! I've decided to take up yoga and pilates. I really look forward to tapping into the meditative aspects of those forms of exercise. Also, I'm very conscious of my upcoming 30th birthday in December and I'm determined to look better at 30 than I did at 20. It helps me to feel better about getting older. :) Well, I'll leave you with a couple of pics.

Here's all of us eating at a local steakhouse a couple of weeks ago. Yum!

Happy Birthday, Cooper!

My baby is 2! It's hard to believe two years have passed so quickly. He was just 2 months old in this picture-

A new, little redheaded baby boy. I remember wanting to do a black and white shot back then but I couldn't bear not showing his true colors. He's been such a blessing in our lives. He's a bundle of energy and 100% all boy. In fact, he's pretty widely known for his boxing prowess already. He also loves wrestling with his big brother. He's obsessed with Buzz Lightyear and we're pretty sure that he wants to be a superhero when he grows up. We are so thankful for the 2 years we've had with him to date and we look so forward to watching him grow as the years pass. Thank you for being you, Cooper! We love you! Happy Birthday!

Check out my Summer Vacation Slide Show!

Back to the blog!

Hey all! We are back from vacation and boy did we have a blast!! I will be uploading the pics from vacation as soon as our new computer gets here (at the end of the week.) Just thought I'd post the last couple cakes I've done.

Here's the wedding cake I made for Dad and Gwen. The cake itself came together pretty easily even though I had to make it sans most of my usual tools. The hard part came when we had to deliver it. We drove from Huntington, WV to Fayetteville, WV (about 2 hours) with this monster sitting on my lap. Uh, and can you say windy roads! It took a lot of concentration to balance the cake around all the twists and turns. We also had to blast the A/C so that the icing wouldn't melt. Needless to say, it wasn't a comfortable ride but we finally arrived with no disasters and the cake was a big hit. The owner of the B&B where the wedding was held even said that it was the best cake they've had all year! And my sweet sister and brother-in-law, Tara and Kevin, say that next time I'm in they are going to renew their vows just so they can have some cake. :)



This next cake was a paid cake order from an old friend of mine who just happened across my blog when looking for cake decorators in the area. She wanted brown and blue so this is what I came up with.



And here are the cupcakes I made to match.



She also said the cake was a hit! Maybe I've got something goin' here!

One more quick post.

I made my second wedding cake! This one was very small for less than 50 people. Just thought I'd share. Now I can focus on packing for our trip!

I just wanted to quickly post this pic of Coleman. I gave him a haircut the other day and he was freaking out every time I got near his ears with the razor. (My own fault, I'm sure, because I did knick his ear last time. It wasn't my fault! He moved!) Anyway, he looked so funny with just the top and back of his head shaved, I had to take a pic to post. I wish you could see it more clearly but he totally looked like he was bald on top like a little old man. We finally had to hold him down and shave the rest but I think he would've been totally happy if we hadn't.

We leave on vacation early Wednesday morning so I'm not sure I'll get a chance to post before we leave. See you guys in a month! We're off to SC, Disney and WV!

25:48!

It's my new best time in a 5k! My goal was to run it in under 29 minutes so you can imagine my surprise when I approached the finish line and the official time was still in the 25 minute range! 25:48! That's just over 8 minutes per mile! I'm stilled psyched about it. This run was really special, too, because Will, Gail (my sister-in-law) and Lindsay and Taylor (my nieces) ran in it, too. Everybody did well and Taylor actually won her age division (12 and under). We are so proud of her! I didn't win in my age division (18-29) but next year I'll be in the 30-39 yr old age division so maybe my chances will be better then. Plus, I'll have another year to work on quickening my pace.

Will's finish was probably the most dramatic of the day. After finishing the race, I stationed myself at the finish line to cheer on everyone else. Before I knew it, Will had turned the corner and was coming down the final stretch. As he came closer to me I could see that he was really digging in and the reason why was quickly apparent. A 13-yr-old girl was right beside him and they were sprinting to the end. They were both determined not to lose! You could see it on their faces. The whole crowd was chuckling about the old guy (Will's 33) racing the little girl. It was so close but she pulled ahead of him at the last second. It was so funny to watch! I just wish I had it on video. Anyway, we really had a fun time. And Will and I are looking for a 5k to run while on vacation. Anyone know of any coming up in SC or WV?

Happy 20th Anniversary!

June (my sister-in-law) and her husband, Steve, are celebrating their 20th anniversary this Wednesday and I just wanted to say congrats! In this day and age, that is quite an accomplishment! You guys are a beautiful couple and fantastic people. Here's a pic of the happy couple at a celebration in their honor at our house yesterday.

Thanks to Will's parents, we enjoyed king crab legs, jumbo shrimp, teriyaki chicken, som tum, spinach and strawberry salad and sticky rice. What a feast! And, as always, I made a cake for dessert. What a great reason to celebrate! Can't wait til my own 20th anniversary!

Father's Day Dance-Off

There were lots of kids at the Father's Day BBQ yesterday but mine were the only that couldn't stop dancing! That's my boys! Oh, and Cooper is shirtless because his shirt was a disaster after dinner. Guess I should know by now to pack an extra set of clothes for him when we go anywhere!

Father's Day was great fun. Coleman made a card for Will and sang him a song that he made up. I made an 11x14 poster of the boys that I framed for Will to put in his office. I found a program online that let me create the poster using a photo I downloaded and adding a poem and border to it. It turned out really nice. Then we went to the BBQ at June's (my SIL) house. I took three kinds of cupcakes- Cookies 'n' Cream, Chocolate Peanut Butter and Strawberry w/ Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting. The strawberry ones were my favorite. Here's a pic of those. They were so yummy!

Will's parents came into town this morning so Coleman is staying the night at his cousins tonight. I'm sure he's having a blast. Should be a relatively quiet night here tonight. At least I'll get to go grocery shopping with only one child hanging on my leg tonight!

My 100th blog!

I just noticed that this is officially my 100th post to Blogger. Wow! I guess I've had a lot to say over the past year and 3 months. I know that I would never have written in a journal this much, so I guess blogging is slowly turning into my only documented family history. Someday, my great great grand kids will have to come to this site to see what happened to their ancestors way back in 2007. Funny.

Anyway, a couple of things to post about. Saturday, we got the pleasure of attending a PJs and Pancakes party for all the kids at church. PJs is supposed to stand for Prayers, Journals and Scriptures. The kids got to wear their pajamas and they went to three little workshops to learn about scripture stories, the importance of prayers and how to keep a journal. At the end, they all got to go to the gym to eat waffles (apparently frozen waffles are a lot easier to make than pancakes.) The boys had a lot of fun running around in their jammies and I think they basically stayed in them the rest of the day.

Today, we went to the zoo. We usually go up there about once a year. So, I guess today was our once-a-year trek. It was really fun to watch Cooper's reactions to all the animals because even though he went to the zoo last year, he really didn't remember much. This year they have a white alligator there that is one of only 10 in the world. That was pretty cool. I would say that, by his reaction, Cooper's favorite animal had to have been the elephants. He was pretty excited when we were watching them get fed. Coleman loved all the reptiles and it's got me thinking about buying him a pet turtle. We'll have to see. I'm not convinced that he's ready for a pet quite yet. Anyway, it's been a full day and I leave you with the two best pics of the day.

Our new tree.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty eventful. We replaced the old blue '94 Cavalier. Sad to see it go but it finally gave up the ghost. It was only a matter of time and we knew it. We replaced it with an '03 Hyundai Sonata. Wait, I think I have a picture on here somewhere. Here it is-

We like it so far. It's really just a relief to have two reliable cars now. Truly.

Also, we've been working a lot in our yard lately. Last weekend, we planted new shrubs in the flower beds. (We had to replace the ones that didn't survive over the winter.) And this week, we bought some trees for the yard! For those of you who are back East- Out here we have to plant trees in order to have any. It's sad but
true. Here's a pic of Coleman with our favorite, our "shade" tree. It's a Sycamore.

Funny story, we bought this HUGE tree and put it the back of our truck only to realize when we got home that we had absolutely no way of moving it out of the truck. Will started to freak a little but thankfully, a landscaper that we've used in the past was available to come with a few of his guys and plant our trees. We were so thrilled to see all the trees in the ground and we officially have the largest tree in the whole neighborhood!

And last but not least, Coleman graduated preschool! His class celebrated by having a end-of-year family picnic. Coleman got to ride a horse and Cooper kept himself busy playing with fly swatters and bubbles.

(<---this is a great way to keep toddlers busy, by the way.)

It was really fun for Coleman to go and give gifts to his teachers and to say goodbye. He drew pictures for all the teachers aides and we put together a small gift for his teacher. Coleman was really lucky to have such caring teachers the past two years. He's grown so much and he's more than ready for kindergarten. We are so proud of him! We love you, Coleman!

My 1st wedding cake!

I was so stressed out over this cake! It was my first wedding cake, my first 3-tiered cake and my first time using whipped cream frosting on a stacked cake. That's a lot of firsts! It did not turn out exactly how I had pictured it in my minds eye but I'm pretty happy with the end product. I was in disaster mode last night because I couldn't get the frosting smooth (note to self: NEVER use whipped cream frosting on a wedding cake again!) and the buttercream decorations I put on were starting to slide down the cake. Then, this morning I went out to buy flowers for the cake only to find out that (duh!) it's Memorial Day weekend and fresh flowers aren't that easy to come by unless you order them in advance. So, I bought silk flowers instead. I just feel like anything that could've gone wrong with this cake did go wrong. So, I'm just happy that I was able to pull it all together and it still looks like it's supposed to. Chalk this one up as a learning experience. Dad, are you still sure you want me to do your wedding cake?!

One more cake.

This one was made for June's (my SIL) neighbor. She ordered it for her daughter who loves basketball. I tell you what- if I ever need anyone to be in charge of marketing for my itty-bitty company, she's the first person I'm calling. She tells everyone she knows about my cakes and I just love it because I'm not very good at tooting my own horn. :) Thanks June!

Mother's Day

My boys are so sweet! Somehow Will found time to put together a gift with Coleman that was really unforgettable! After church yesterday, Coleman gave me a shoebox that was covered in his drawings. Upon opening the box, I realized that there were several little presents and they were all numbered. I started with box #1 and opened it to find a slip of paper that said, "I will clean the kitchen and toy room." Will took Coleman right away and they cleaned up toy room (the kitchen was already clean) while I waited to open my next gift. After the toy room was clean I opened gift #2 and wrote on it was "Dipidee treats for a sweet mommy!" and it was 2 boxes of gourmet chocolates from a local sweets store, Dipidee. (Yum!) Box #3 read "Time for Mommy's pedicure!" and inside was a new bottle of pink nail polish. Will grabbed a big bowl of hot water for me to soak my feet in and then massaged my feet, dried them off and Coleman painted Mommy's toenails. It was so cute how excited he was to take care of me. I don't care that there is nail polish all over my toes. It was the best pedicure I've ever had! LOL! Gift #4 was a gourmet meal cooked by Will. (Gourmet means cooked on the grill because that's all the cooking Will does.) We had blackened salmon, rice pilaf and salad. It was fantastic! And last, but certainly not least, gift #5 was a card made for me by Coleman. He wrote Happy Mother's Day on the front and signed his and Cooper's name and wrote We Love You on the inside.


The perfect ending to such a perfect day! Thanks, Sweetheart, for letting me sit back and reflect on why it's so wonderful to be a mommy! I love my boys, all 3 of them!

Lindsay's Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday, Lindsay! This birthday cake was for my niece, Lindsay, who wanted an Arabian castle cake. I did my best to make it girly and fun. It was quite a cake, probably could feed 50+ people. I worked really hard on this one and am kind of glad that I don't have to see it torn apart. (They took it to a Mother's Day BBQ that we were invited to but Will had other plans for us for Mother's Day- more about that later.) Anyway, here's the pic-

It was really great to get some practice with the fondant. The more I work with it, the better I get at it. Now, if someone can just tell me how to not eat all the leftover cake scraps! Ugh! I need another sugar fast.

The sun is back! Time to get going!

At our house, we merely "survive" the winter. When the sun starts shining in the spring it breathes new life into our whole family. We've gotten busy with new activities around here. Coleman started his itty-bitty ball class this past Monday. It's really fun for him. He is on an assigned team (the A's) and he and his team go from station to station learning about the basics of baseball. (He won't start t-ball until next summer.) Here's video of him learning how to round the bases-

He really has a lot of fun. They learn how to hit the ball, how to catch, round the bases, some of the common terms used in baseball and they finish every class with a good old-fashioned relay race. Here's video of him in the relay-

We also got out this morning and ran another 5k at the Jr High where Will works. We took the boys and the jogging stroller with us again only to find out when we got there that we had a flat tire. Thankfully, one of Will's co-workers offered to watch the boys while we ran. This race was definitely a lot different than the last one we did. There were only about 20 runners at this race and most of them were students at the Jr. High. This race just wasn't very well organized. In fact, the race itself ended up being 2.6 miles instead of the full 3.1 miles (which really helped my time but wasn't really accurate.) My time was 25 minutes flat but I figured it out that if it had been the full 3.1 miles I would've run it in about 29 minutes something- which is average for me. Will was a couple minutes behind me. (Smoked him without his "I had to push the boys" excuse!) Here's a pic of us after the race-

I missed my tennis this morning because of the race but will make up my lesson on Tuesday. Will's off to play golf later this afternoon. Welcome back, sun! We missed you!!!

Well, I wouldn't say business is flourishing...

...but I did get to make another cake! This one was for Jenn's mom's surprise birthday party. (Thanks for the business, Jenn! Oh, and the generous tip!)

Apparently, she's a HUGE Utah Jazz fan and an even bigger chocolate fan, so I made chocolate cake with choc. frosting and choc. ganache drizzle over the sides. Purely decadent! Definitely need a glass of milk with this one! Oh, and I have my first wedding cake at the end of May. Stay tuned for that one!

An April Run for Olivia

Our first 5k of the season! This one was to benefit a baby girl who lost her mom in a freak house explosion a couple of months ago in a neighboring town. You could tell that the whole community was affected by this tragedy by the sheer amount of people that showed up to run. There were a sea of runners! The race itself was challenging and fun. Practically the entire first half of the run was uphill! But I love a challenge! Here's a pic of us right before the race started.

I did well. Coming in at just under 30 minutes. Will had to push the stroller so he took a little longer, about 36 minutes. I don't envy him one bit having to push that stroller uphill. He's such a stud! After our race was finished, the boys had races, too! Coleman competed in the 3-5 yr old race running 400 meters! He was so excited and did a great job. Not really a focused runner but that will come with age. ;) Here he is lined up at the starting line.

And running his little heart out.

Cooper ran, too. The 0-2 yr old race was 100 meters and I guess you could say that he was a bit unfocused, also. He kept trying to turn around and race back to the starting line. This video was taken just as Will turned him back around in the right direction.

They both got blue ribbons and cookies when they finished. Coleman was so proud! I'm not sure that Cooper really knew what was going on but he loved being outside all morning.

Here are a few more pics from this morning.




I even got to see Connie (one of my college roommates) since she came up with her kids to run, too! It's always great to see her!


What a fun way to spend a sunny Saturday morning! Next one is in 2 weeks!

A sad occasion.

This week started off on a somber note. I attended a funeral Monday morning for a little six-yr-old girl. She was the grand-daughter to a dear neighbor and I wanted to show my support. It was heart-wrenching and left me with a knot in my throat as I tried to keep it together. Upon returning home, I was emotional and grateful for my own blessings. I have to say, though, that there was an underlying note of joy among her family. They talked about how they knew that she is in heaven running and jumping as she never had before and how blessed their family was to have her for those six short years. It is so great to know that our Heavenly Father has told us that we can reunite with our families after death. What a great comfort that is to her family and to anyone who loses a loved one. It was a beautiful service.

So, be sure to give thanks and recognize what a beautiful blessing it is to have healthy children. Let them know how much you love and appreciate them.

Easter weekend.

What a fun Easter weekend we had! The picture above is us in our Easter best. The weekend started out Saturday with our neighborhood's 2nd annual Easter Egg Hunt and potluck brunch. Coleman and Cooper had a great time finding Easter eggs and we had fun visiting with the neighbors. Here's some video of the boys hunting for Easter eggs around the playground at the park behind our house.



And a pic of mom, Will and the boys eating brunch afterwards.


Easter morning, Coleman and Cooper woke up and found their Easter baskets. Here's Coleman with his.

He was so excited that the Easter bunny remembered that his favorite color was blue and just gave him blue eggs. He had fun searching through all the treasures in his basket. Cooper, on the other hand, found his basket and just started throwing everything in it against the wall. I can't say that I was surprised at all, though. He pretty much chucks everything within his reach.

Later, we packed up and drove to Roy for church with Chad, Yulia and the boys. After church we went to their house and had Easter dinner and the boys had an Easter egg hunt in the front yard.

They found all the eggs in no time flat and ran inside to check out the treats inside.

All in all, it was a great holiday weekend and we are all now officially in sugar detox for the next few days!

We're pregnant!

Ha Ha! April Fool's! It's been a fun April 1st at our house today. I started out really excited to prank Will, so I taped down the sprayer at the sink. Unfortunately, it took him a lot longer to wake up and come downstairs than I expected and I was cooking breakfast so I ended up spraying myself not only once but TWICE! I was soaking wet and about the give up on pranking Will but I stuck with it. (Yes, I'm a total airhead but I'm persistant!) I asked him to rinse off a spatula for me and I had my prank, finally! He was mad at first but cooled off pretty quickly. Although after pranking myself a couple times before that I think that I may be best off leaving the pranks to the pros...

We had a special April Fools meal tonight. For dinner we had a meatloaf cake, which was meatloaf baked in cake pans and iced with mashed potatoes. And for dessert, Coleman and I made "grilled cheese" sandwiches made with toasted pound cake and orange icing and "mashed potatoes and gravy" which was actually ice cream with caramel sauce. So essentially we had dessert for dinner and dinner for dessert. Coleman was tickled. Here are a couple of pics.

I've been tagged!

Here are some things about me maybe you didn't know. Hubba and Sisoutham's- care to share?! You guys have now been tagged, too!

Four Jobs I Have Had
Special Ed. Paraeducator
Gold's Gym Daycare
Gold's Gym Front Desk
Cake Decorator for Cakes for Goodness Sakes (my own homebased business)

Four Movies I Would Watch Over and Over
The Notebook
Moulin Rouge
Down With Love
Billy Madison

Four Places I Have Lived
Winfield, WV
Huntington, WV
Provo, UT
Palm Bay, FL

Favorite Bands and Singers
The Cardigans (all-time fave)
The Pixies (old-school fave)
John Mayer
Norah Jones

Four Loves of my Life
Coleman and Cooper (the loves of my life)
Will (my loyal hubby)
my parents and sibs
tennis

Four Most Memorable Moments
our first date
getting sealed to Will in the temple
baby #1 (Coleman)
baby #2 (Cooper)


Four Favorite Foods
Apple Fritters
Onion Rings
Sushi
Chocolate!

Four Places I Would Rather Be
-on the tennis court
-playing golf
-at the beach
-in WV with the fam

Coleman's Birthday

Hey all! We have had quite a week this week! Coleman's birthday was on Thursday and (of course) we made a big deal of it. Thursday morning, I made him his favorite breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese on top and got him ready for school. I printed out a sticker for him to wear on his shirt that said "Today is my 5th Birthday!" His teacher agreed to let me bring in a treat for him and his classmates, so I took McDonald's french fries for his whole preschool class. They were all thrilled and Coleman got to hand them out which made him feel good. His class sang him Happy Birthday and Coleman got to wear a fun Happy Birthday hat with his name on it. When Coleman got home from preschool mommy had Krispy Kreme donuts waiting for him as an after-school treat. (Man, I really do spoil him on his birthday!)

That night, we went out to eat at Applebee's and Coleman wore his hat so everyone was asking him if it was his birthday. And I mean everybody! Almost to the point that I thought Coleman would start to get annoyed but he didn't. He would just proudly hold up 5 fingers and tell them he was "a handful." He was so cute. When the waiters came out to sing to him he got really embarassed and hid his face which is funny because I think there was some line in the song like "Someone's face is turning red" or something like that. After dinner, we went to see the junior high's performance of Seussical. Coleman and Cooper both loved it. Coleman had a great time on his birthday and anxiously awaited his big party on Saturday.

And what a fun party it was! It was a total madhouse here with 10 preschoolers running amok but we had plans to keep them busy. As each child came in they were directed to sit at the table for a simple craft while we waited for all the kids to get there. (We gave each kid a little car, some white paint and black paper and had them drive the car in the paint and then on their paper. Simple and fun.) Once all the kids had arrived we took them outside for the relay race.

A couple of the smaller kids didn't quite get it but they all got a chance to race with either a Mater or Lightning McQueen costume on. After the relay race we got out the pinata. And once again this year Will held the pinata while the kids whacked at it with a bat and once again no Funniest Home Video moments. Maybe next year... After all the kids had their baggies full of candy we went inside to open presents. Coleman got lots of fun little toys and was very happy to smile for the camera.

After presents, we had cake and ice cream and the kids played in the loft until their parents got there. Here's a pic of the cake. Coleman just loved it and I have to say, it was pretty yummy! And fun to make!

(You can click on any of these pics to see them bigger.)

The party was a success, the house is a disaster and I need to sleep! G'nite all!