a little too ambitious

Thanks to a fellow blogger, CJ saw pictures of a train cake that he just had to have for his birthday. So when we went to the store to look at cake molds and he saw the exact same train cake, that was the only one that would please him. Me, being the crazy person I am, agreed to buy the mold and make the cake. Baking the cake wasn't the hard part... Decorating it was! I had never decorated a cake before. And this wasn't the easiest project to start learning from! After spending all day Saturday making the frosting and learning how to decorate, the cake was finally ready for the party. It was sad to just cut it up and eat it after spending so much time on it. But what are cakes for? So here are some pictures for you to enjoy. Am I a little too ambitious? I think so!

birthdays

We have been celebrating birthdays for the past week. First there was Jon's on the 20th.

We started celebrating on the 19th by going out to Parker's house for dinner, cake, and presents. Jon got just what he wanted - a little purple mini van and some little matchbox cars!

On the 20th after having a not-so-great day, we played games with our friends to lighten the mood and try to salvage his birthday. At least the game part was fun!

CJ's birthday was on the 26th. But the festivities started on the 25th. Grandma & Grandpa Allen came to visit just for CJ's birthday. We also invited Uncle Clint to join us. We had everything that a birthday party calls for - decorations, presents, and even a train cake! CJ also got just what he wanted...

"Legos!, Legos!, Legos!"

"The silver train!"

After presents came the amazing train cake! As much as CJ wanted a train cake for his birthday, I was quite surprised that he didn't throw a fit when we had to cut it to eat it. Yummy!

On CJ's actual birthday (the 26th), we went to Grandma Parker's house to continue the partying. In addition to Grandma & Grandpa Parker, there were also many other people there to help us celebrate: Aunt Carrie, Aunt Teresa & Uncle Bruce, and cousins Parker, Kyla, Austin and Sierra. Once again we enjoyed presents and cake and ice cream. Carter's favorite part was the new bike he got though!

What a week!

[I often get frustrated with trying to align things to make them look good. After working on it for longer than I'll admit, I'm giving up. Enjoy anyway!]

corn maze

Today we took the kids to the corn maze at the American West Heritage Center. There was not only a corn maze, but a little straw maze for kids, a straw jump off thing, and lots of other fun things to see and do. The kids had a blast! We went in the late afternoon and then again when it got dark to see the Halloween Lights. We don't have pictures from the night, but here are some of my favorite pictures from our adventures!

CJ was our navigator and told us where to go. He loved looking at the map and trying to figure things out. Jon and him made a route through the maze before going there, so CJ just made sure we followed the white path.

We made it!

The kids loved playing in the little straw maze that they had for the kids. CD even enjoyed walking through it. She fell quite a bit, but she was fascinated with the straw, so she didn't mind.

CJ especially had a blast. There were places to climb up and tunnels to crawl through. He was very adventurous.

CJ learned how to rope a cow with Jon's help. Would you believe that he actually got it! And on his first try!

So this was the straw jump off thing. I told Jon that I was going to do it, but when I got up there I had second thoughts. But I am proud to say that I did it - I jumped! I wasn't very graceful or anything, but I did it.

This is just an adorable picture of CD. She really enjoyed playing in the straw and crawling around in it. Isn't she precious!

Christmas gift idea

Okay, so I have the best, the BEST, possible gift you could give anyone for Christmas this year. A gift that is truly from the heart and that will be treasured and loved forever. It is the gift of heritage. I know you all have heard about this from me, but let me just tell you again and paint a picture for you.

Imagine giving your loved one a story of themselves. A book for a child that tells them how much you love them. A story about a favorite family vacation. A life tribute to a grandma or grandpa that has touched your life.

When CD was born I wrote a book about her struggles with life her first two weeks. I wrote it as if she were older and could use it as a source of strength and encouragement for whatever rough times may lay ahead for her. I recently remade this storybook and just wanted to share it with all of you. I know you can't read the story or see the book completely, but I'm sure you can get the right idea. Imagine what kind of comfort and strength she will gain from this simple story when she is a bit older.

I just encourage each of you to really think and ponder about the lasting positive affect a gift such as this could bring an individual. So for this Christmas season I hope all can give a gift from the heart that can truly touch and change some one's life. Consider giving a Heritage Makers storybook for Christmas.

beautiful

Just enjoying some beautiful fall weather outside.