Facebook Party Cake :)

I am the official office birthday baker . . . and after 13 years with this lovely task, I have run out of ideas and dread the thought of another office birthday (sorry guys). Sheesh, one can only make cupcakes so many dang times. I know, I know, there are a trillion ways to make cupcakes but the birthday workers have gotten pickier and more comfortable over the years. Making me more conscious of what I make compared with what I made the year before. Bigger and better is always the underlying motto of life. So this week we had a birthday to celebrate. With limited time to think of my next creation, and absolutely no time to actually complete this masterpiece, I broke down and bought one of my favorite cakes. The night before (when I should have been baking at 10pm) I was feeling a little guilty and came up with this grand idea to spruce up the store bought cake (didnt want any hurt feeling that I wasnt baking with love lol) . . . four hours later (yep, I ended up staying up way too late, which was what I was trying to avoid to begin with) . . . I had my fun party cake :) The cake was widely accepted and was renamed the cool "facebook cake" (my awesome picture source)! As an added bonus, they all totally thought the cake was homemade . . . next time I will run with that :) It was fun . . . you should all try it!!
I never actually took my own picture :( This was from a phone. Guess I will have to "bake" another cake soon.

Back to School Blues

Besides back to school falling on Cayden's 9th birthday, the kids were basically ready to return. YEAH! So, hello new school year! This year I have a 7th grader and a 4th grader . . . and feeling older by the moment.

Cayden has managed to keep himself out of school trouble for quite some time . . . could have something to do with the fact he has been on Summer break for 2 months, but we will ignore that :) As many might know, he has a little history with detentions and minor principal office visits (nothing big deal, just the basic too-much-energy-for-school-boy-stuff) Dropping him off the first day I dangle a little bribe. 100 bucks if you dont get detention ALL year. I'm smarter than I sound, and know the feat is impossible! I knew I would keep my 100 bucks in June, but was hoping it buys me a month or 2 of good school reports.

Yeah, keep hoping mom! . . .

So I pick him up (day#5 back) and we always go through the same daily check in routine . . . have a good day? Yep. Learn anything new? Nope. Among those questions falls. . . . Detention today? "ummm, let me think, let me think . . . . NOPE!" (although i see his mind still thinking) . . . Oh yeah! I did, BUT . . . (there is always a BUT with Cayden when discussing the trouble he gets in) . . . he proceeds to tell me the incident. Something about a fire drill (It wasnt even a real fire mom!) and playing catch with a ding dong with a friend in a different class, while they were in their uniformed quite emergency lines. "The fire drill was SO boring!!" So he gets done telling his totally unfair detention story and kind of hangs his head in shame and says. . . " I was trying so hard to not get detention (and in his best auction-announcing voice, repeats his teachers words "Congratualtions Cayden, you got the first detention of the year!"

There must be some reward for that right?? It was hot, he was sad . . . the kid got a slurpee :)

Amazing, I know . . .

Yeah, yeah, I have been gone for a long time. I have been wanting to "return" for a while, but was worried my sweet sister, Shawna would want me to take over the vacation blog recap . . . she finally finished (and did a fantabulous job, I might add), so I felt it safe to return to the blogging world :)
Pictured below incase you missed her blog (our quest to find bigfoot lol) . . .

hmmm, yeah good luck with viewing those :)

So Much has passed in the 9 months of absence (fortunately that 9 months did not include a baby)

My kids are getting old! Cayden just celebrated his 9th Birthday and a few months back my Aubrey turned TWELVE! Yikes!!
Birthday celebrating and planning is such an exciting part of my life (hopefully making it more a part of life planning parties for others next year), I couldnt skip sharing our celebrations . . . .

For Aubrey's Birthday she had a mall scavenger party . . . what could be more fitting for a group of middle school girls. Money & Shopping, it was the BEST:)




Cayden's 9th Birthday was on the 1st day of school this year. He was THRILLED lol . . . we teased him and told him they start the school year on the birthday of the kid who got into the most trouble the previous year. He totally bought it . . . he is such a smart kid and sometimes, not so much :) We celebrated his birthday with a mad science party the weekend before school started. It was a hit and he had a blast.