Happy Happy Holidays 2011

Caleb will be seven in a few days and Avery and Presley are four years old. I took this picture when we were waiting for our table at the Angus Barn Restaurant on Thanksgiving. It was a festive and beautifully decorated place to go to start off the holiday season. The kids behaved well almost the whole time and the only mishap occurred when Caleb thought he could find his way back to our table by himself after going to the bathroom. It turned out great though, because the staff member he asked for help was so impressed that she gave him a t-shirt to take home as a souvenir! We ate and ate and ate (it was a buffet!)  In fact, I kept eating because not only was it delicious, but I was trying to consume an amount that would come close to my share of the bill, plus a kid or two, ha ha. 

Fall, IN ACTION!

Trick - or - Treat! (October 31, 2011)

This year we had a pink princess, a purple fairy 

and a red ninja!

Some of my favorite accesories...wings and sparkly shoes (did you know you can get just about ANY color of sparkly shoes on Target's website?)

and my favorite ninja move...

Here's the neighborhood clan before hitting the streets

Once we did get outside, the rain was drizzling on and off and it was chilly - Avery designed a holder for her candy bag out of the handle on her umbrella -

Presley tried doing the same, but

it didn't work out for her as well.

I persuaded the girls into coming home while their brother was off collecting even more loot.  They celebrated with lollipops!

Another successful Halloween!

Little carvers! (October 29, 2011)

Beach trip 2011

(September 30, 2011) We barely made it to the beach this year - we went on the last day of September and as it turned out, the last good-weather Saturday of the year. It was a perfect 85 degree day and the kids had a blast - Avery included! She collected shells most of the time, but also giggled in the waves this time too, all by herself!

Hooray for Avery!

Caleb and Presley continue to be ocean-lovers and while Avery and dad were shell-collecting, the three of us took a walk down the shore.  They were so cute to pose together and even ran in the waves hand in hand.  I did not want this day to end!

No one wanted the day to end - how perfect it is to live just a few hours from the beach!

The story of the Princess Cakes and the Princesses who ate them

Avery and Presley and I looked at a few ideas for princess birthday cakes and it turned out they both loved the idea of a cake AND cookies! Who'd of guessed?  We found the cake on the Family Fun website and when I read through the recipe and the comments people had made about it, I felt I could tackle the job. I knew it would take a lot of time because I was doing two, and I wanted them to turn out!  Several days before, I made some of the cookies to see how they would work. I used pre-made refrigerated cookie dough and I did have a tiny heart cookie cutter to use, but the rest I had to cut out with a knife. Before they went in the oven, I brushed them with egg-white and sprinkled pink or purple sugar on them. It took a couple hours, and they turned out okay so I even froze some to use for the actual cakes.

A few days before their birthday, I finished the rest of the cookies and baked the two, two layer cakes - one was a white almond flavor and the other chocolate, and put them in the freezer.  A day before, I made the pink and purple frosting and put it in the fridge.  So, the night before their birthday I put the cakes together and frosted them and then decorated the cookies:

I wanted them to be completely finished when the girls woke up in the morning, but it was almost midnight and I didn't want to be a tired grouch on their birthday, so I left them like this.  I decided to finish the frosting in between the cookies and at the bottom of the cake the next morning.  At least they got to see them put together though...It took much more time and patience than I thought it would to squeeze the frosting out of the bag (my first experience ever doing frosting like that) and add the details to the cookies (I used pink and purple Skittles and pink and purple gummy lifesavers dipped in the colored sugar). 

My neighbor and friend Tiffany, whom I borrowed a lot of tools and knowledge from during the whole process ended up doing the final touches the next day.  It only took her a few minutes because she is much more handy with the frosting bag than me!  And...

TA-DA!  They were done!  The girls were in love with them and had to have chairs and stools pushed up to the counter all day just to look.  They were so patient all day long until dinnertime when people arrived for the pizza party.

I should've had Aaron take a picture of all our guests.  We had quite a houseful!  They were both so darling as everyone sang to them and they blew out candles.

Avery's cake was the purple, chocolate one and Presley's the pink, white one.  Of course, all the kids insisted on a piece of cake and a cookie, so it didn't take long for the cakes to not resemble crowns anymore.  It was okay though, cause it tasted SOOOOO good!  By the way, if anyone needs a delicious chocolate cake or white almond cake recipe, I've got them! Oh, and I've got an amazing butter-cream frosting recipe too. 

After giving some away and putting a few last pieces in the fridge so the girls could try each other's cake the next day, here's what I was left with.  Wow!  It was definitely an enormous project, but well worth it.  I love to make my girls smile, and they sure did a lot of it on their birthday!

Happy 4th Birthday!

Oh, how I'll miss my little Italian family!

It was so fun to see Liliana change and grow a little every day I was there...



In fact, she was even playing with Pete's cars by the time I was ready to go!



I know Pete can't wait until that day really comes!