Cami's Cakes

Wouldn't that be a cute name for a business? Sweet and a little cheesy. If I started a cake business that might just be the name.

I have always wanted to learn how to decorate cakes. Each time I find myself wandering the aisles at Michael's for supplies and inspiration I check out the cake decorating classes. I always say I am too busy and will do it later. Well, I realized later would be when the kids are older and then who do I make the cakes for? One of the reasons I want to learn how to do cakes is so my kids can have some wicked cool birthday cakes without having to shell out $50 a pop for them. So, before Jessie's last birthday I bought a few basic supplies with the ever-handy 40% off coupons at Michaels. My first attempt at a cake went well and I had so much fun.

Here is my 2nd cake for Toby's birthday. I'm happy to say it turned out just how I saw it in my head. This was my first attempt at Marshmallow fondant covering the cake instead of frosting. I loved it and learned some tricks and what not to do pretty quickly. I just followed the recipe and directions here to make the Marshmallow fondant- thank you Cake Journal! Toby loved his Batman cake and Dave was impressed with my creation. I think I'm hooked! Making cakes is so much fun and gives me a great excuse to get crafty.

YES, it even tasted pretty good. Toby wanted chocolate cake and vanilla icing which I thought was a little strange. I put a thick layer of whipped icing on top of the cake before the fondant, so that people would have some frosting left over if they didn't want to eat the fondant. The marshmallow fondant tasted good but I know not everyone likes to eat it with the cake, including me. ;)

I think next time I want to try a cherry almond creation................

Toby is 6!

My little man is 6 years old today! Actually, yesterday since it's past midnight. This January 21st, I vividly remember seeing Toby's surprising blond hair and meeting him for the first time the afternoon he was born. He has grown and changed so much since, but he is still the sweet, loving little boy that greeted our family six years ago.I don't know where this body language came from, but he is totally practicing the "old man watching sports on the couch" pose. He makes me laugh. He likes making people laugh. There's definite class clown potential in this one.



6 descriptive words;
Energetic
Thoughtful
Sensitive
Silly
Helpful
Inquisitive

6 things Toby loves to do;
Wrestle with Dad
Play superheroes with Milo & Dad
EAT! "Mom, I'm hungry!" is a phrase I hear all day, every day.
Build robots with Jessie and play Transformers with Mr. Cooper
Play Pat-a-cake with Sydney and listen to her laugh (Mom likes that too)
Read books about bats, dinosaurs, Transformers, superheroes & animals







6 things you might not know about Toby;
He was born with a patch of light blond hair on the back of his head that is still there
He hasn't lost any teeth yet, but we are anxiously awaiting some loose ones
He is learning to read well, but he would still rather go outside to play or make stuff
He is an excellent garbage-taker-outer, dish-putter-awayer, and gopher for Mom & Dad
When he grows up he wants to be a police officer (Mom's not too sure about that one :[ )
He has dubbed himself a "new food-tryer" and, so far, has lived up to it

6 things I love about Toby;
He is the first to say "thank you" or "I love you"
He is almost always happy and cheers me up when needed
He has a positive attitude, gives great hugs and his turbo smooches are the best
He tries hard to help others and makes friends easily
He always asks thoughtful questions about church and life that remind me of what I am thankful for
He makes me laugh with his silly jokes and things he says

ex. while we were in Utah several weeks ago he discovered the joys of wearing "turbonecks" (turtleneck) to stay warm. He keeps saying turbonecks because he knows I think it's funny

Toby also learned from his cousin Jackson that "leopard-cauns" have gold that you can keep if you catch one.

Toby loves to make noise and show off his whistling, singing, noise-making skills. He is a great little singer, and I look forward to music lessons in the near future to channel that energy!

Toby really wants to take a karate/martial arts class of some sort. Any suggestions from all you locals that lurk here would be great!!

Toby requested Applebee's for dinner on his birthday. We got there late in the evening so everyone was famished. The kids were all really good with the wait and during the meal. It makes going out so much more pleasurable when the kids are well behaved, especially since we already have attention from other diners when we stroll in with 4 young kids in tow. Poor Mr. Cooper is still not feeling 100% from his stomach bug, but he soldiered on for Toby.


Quick sidenote: as we were eating I couldn't help but hear the conversation going on right behind us because the lady talked so stinking loud. She was complaining to the other people at her table about some relation who had 4 young kids and still wanted to have more. "How dare she want more kids when she can barely take care of the ones she has," I heard this lady say. The table talked about how both Mom and Dad had to work 2 and 3 jobs just to pay for everything, and that Grandparents spent more time with the kids than Mom and Dad. I couldn't help but think how sad that situation is- an unfortunate reality for many living in this SF Bay Area where housing and living expenses are so outrageous. I was also SO thankful that Dave has a great job and that I am able to be home while Dave also has a lot of time at home with us. Sure, we have made some sacrifices as far as living in a small space (for now), but it is worth it to be home during this precious time when the kids are growing and changing so fast.

We hurried home for cake and presents and put kids to bed as soon as we were done. Toby loved his surprise gift from Dad & Mom. Dave scored an Optimus Prime Transformer on clearance, and as you can see it was the hit of the night. Toby slept with Optimus next to him in bed. He also got a skateboard that he can't wait to try once it stops raining.

We love you Toby! Mom and Dad are so proud of the little man you are becoming. Keep saying your prayers at night and being diligent in your school work. Even though you are not the oldest, your brother and sisters look to you to set the cheerful tone in the house, so keep smiling and sharing your cheer with others!!

Sunday sickies

Today was almost a bust. Logan woke up in the middle of the night and puked all over his bed. Not a good sign for the coming day. Thank goodness for waterproof bed covers- a must with kids. Jess was up half the night with a nonstop cough which finally subsided after the humidifier was turned on right next to her. Dave and I played "tag you're it" switching turns at church, even though I got a mild case of the puke bug that Coop had all day. The poor kid wanted to eat, but couldn't even keep water down the entire day. Dave and I took turns napping since we were crazy and watched 2 movies last night until 2. In hindsight, I would have gone to bed early if I knew the long haul we had coming all morning. Mr. Cooper is chillin' on the couch watching Dad play Wii right now. Hopefully, he is over the worst and tomorrow will be a better day. Unfortunately, my tentative plans to go to the zoo and play tomorrow are most definitely off.

Odds & Ends

It feels good that we had a productive day yesterday. Lots of odds & ends that have been sitting around cluttering up my life got checked off the list yesterday. Stuff like fix the laundry room door hinge, hang Dave's guitars on the wall so little fingers stop messing with them, hang pictures and my new jewelry case on the wall, and make a dent in the ironing pile, are all out of the way and done. Many of those pesky little things got checked off the bottom of the list, and I am feeling more organized. It is one of my goals for the New Year to maximize every inch of our small space. That means getting uber-organized!

We had new tenants move into Denise and Arnold's old apartment yesterday. They moved out last Saturday and we are all so sad. The boys cried when they found out last Friday night that Daddy would be helping Aunt 'Nisey and Uncle Arnold move their stuff out. Even though we didn't see them every day it was so nice having them close. Mega sad!Milo hung out at our house while Jessie went for some girl time at the Thompson's. These silly boys played with Playdough for over an hour. They are so goofy, and loud.

I don't know about all you Mom's out there, but since I have become a Mom I have learned to be a light sleeper. One of the hardest things for me when we brought our first baby home was getting used to functioning with sleep deprivation. I never realized how good a full nights sleep was until it was gone. So, Mr. Cooper got "puke sick," as we call it, in the early morning hours this morning. After scooping up all the messy bedding and clothes we settled him on the couch with a pot next to him and went back to bed. It didn't matter that I was in a wonderful deep sleep an hour later when Coop started at it again. I was up and out of bed before Dave even rolled over. Oh yeah, he didn't move a muscle because he can sleep through World War III. Not quite, but you get the idea. Someday I'll be able to sleep throught the night. I'm okay with that.

That's all I got for now. I feel like the more I write the less coherent my thoughts are. Time for some sleep.