feelings of accomplishment :)

Remember that feeling you use to get the night before Christmas? Or now that the kids are older the excitement and anticipation you have when you can't wait for the kids to see all their presents under the tree? Well I have pretty much been feelin it last night and all today.
Why? I am not sure. Possibly from that feeling of accomplishing another thing on my list or knowing what is to come. I wanted to do something off my 25 things to accomplish this year list so I went with the cake class.

I'm not going into details about everything I learned. It was exciting for me but probably boring to hear about. Just ask Jeff. His normal response now is "Uh huh..."

Frosting tested and approved

"Nummy in my tummy mom."

My flowers

Final class project (which is super tough to do while making dinner and cleaning the kitchen) Ignore the ugly cracks and the fact it looks like a gramma cake.

I have a few lined up for this month and its pretty scary to do something that is such an important part of someones special moment.

I'm glad that I have great friends that let me use their kids as guinea pigs!  I made a birthday cake for my most favorite 7 year old. This boy melts my heart with his sweet smile. He even ran up to me and said "Mrs. Tara, I LOVE my cake!"

My favorite was the chocolate covered rocks :)

Least favorite- putting a lego jeep together. Where was Riley when I needed him?

I had to add a few more pics of misc things I learned and my favorite people minus Jeffrey because he doesnt like cupcakes

                                                                   She loves my cupcakes the most :)

My favorite since I was 8!



Are you ready for some football?

Every year I let the kids pick the theme they want for their birthday and for the 3rd time in a row Jeffrey went with football for his 11th birthday.  I tried to change things up a little. Instead of serving pizza or make Jeff slave over the BBQ we went with Tailgate party foods.

Birthday banner

Tailgate food

Then for little treats I made chocolate cake pops shaped like mini footballs and a football cake. I was freaking out a little because I decided to wait til the morning of the party to make his cake. SO of course the cake stuck to the pan. I've never had these issues until we moved. Maybe once I get the hang of this oven things will go a little smoother. Originally it was going to be an ice cream cake but with the whole sticking fiasco I wasn't going to even push it.

Now because Jeffrey was turning 11 and not 8 I was trying to come up with a fun idea. He's a little old for the pinata. He actually complains when we go to parties because he's normally the oldest and never gets a wack at it. Instead I went with a scavenger hunt. Not your typical run around the neighborhood figuring out clues but a Picture Hunt. We split into 2 teams. My team had me dying they were so funny!

#1 Find a Caboose

#2 With a dinosaur

#3 Funny faces

the cute lil babe in this one is my neice, Savannah being held by my pretty sister in law

the handsome lil guy being held by Riley is my nephew JC

#4 Picture with a baby

#5 I can't believe we all fit!

#6 In a petstore bonus if an animal is in the pic.

This was my favorite because my team got to petsmart at the same time as the other team. My group was running and as soon as the others saw us they ran too! So imagine 11 kids running straight into the pet store. Then on top of it they bombarded this poor guy.

#7 One soda with multiple straws

I love how Hailey is laying on the table

#8 A Castle

 

#9 House that looks like a chapel

#10 Pyramid

 

Close enough!

#11 all of us mid air!

I love the expressions in all their little faces

#12 Everyone on a slide

#13 in a tree

#14 Rub a dub dub everyone in the tub

#15 With a firetruck bonus if fireman are in it. Unfortunately neither of us could get this one.

Once we were done and all the kids were riled up from the hunt we did cake & presents. Jeffrey was so excited with all his Tech Deck toys (I mean skateboards. He's too old for toys) and gift cards and money. 

A few of his closest buddies stayed the night. They were out running around back out front, in the house. It was crazy madness but Jeffrey enjoyed every second. He even convinced me to let him watch a scary movie. Knowing that his friends were there and his little brothers were already tucked away in bed I allowed it. (Which is probably a mistake. He will try until his face turns blue to get me to let him watch more but its not gonna happen)

Well birthday #11 was worth it. Jeffrey said,  "Thanks mom that was the best birthday!"

*Thanks to Kelly for helping, Cassy for the extra treats, & Julie with the fun candy :)

The moment a child is born

11 years, 10 months and 1 day ago I found myself pregnant. Well that wasnt exactly when I found out. I actually didnt really know until I was maybe 12 weeks but anyways on March 20th, 2000 I was blessed with this little guy we called Jeffrey.  It was the scariest yet most exciting moment of my life at the time. I was never apart of something so important.  That day I became a new person. I was someone's Mommy. He changed me in so many ways and let me see life differently.

When I was pregnant with him I saw how unwed pregnant women were looked at.  Ha!   The looks I got 12 years ago being pregnant I still got them pregnant with my 4th baby and I've been married 9 years. I saw how so called Christian's judged me and Jeff because of our sinful ways.  People will judge and you know what? I've never in my life cared what anyone thought of me.  I wont live to anyones expectations. 

Today, I am completely honest with my kids. If they are old enough to ask a question then they are old enough to hear the answer whether it be "Where do babies come from?  to "Can I have ice cream for breakfast." I teach them not to judge others, to be kind and honest, and show the love of Jesus to others.

Because of Jeffrey I had to grow up a little faster than most 18 year olds but I would not change a single minute of it.  He's my "Precious Moment Baby"

Jeffrey's first birthday!

Jeffrey today at 11 years old

He's the goofy one in the middle with the Cowboys hat

*The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.
She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never.
The mother is something absolutely new. --Rajneesh