Three Recent Successes!

#1 The mother daughter ever loving cake decorating activity!!!!! Last year if you will recall we had quite a time with our cake. First I made the chocolate disaster and then we moved along to the frosting flowers motif. Ouch! This year I tried to get out of it all together by telling the ladies they should postpone their activity for 2 weeks until Emily was here and she could teach us some real skills. My plan didn't quite work out and so I called Emily for some over-the-phone cake counseling. I also needed the cake to double as Katy's "edible book report" that was due the next day. I figured we could muster up some sort of flower so I made Katy hurry and read Little House on the Prairie. Emily suggested a sunflower made out of a bunt cake with yellow frosting and chocolate chips for the seeds. Perfect! And below is the finished product. Very low stress and Katy loved making it! Thank you Aunt Emily!

#2 Maisy had kitties! Last Thursday we were watching Katy's softball game when we got a call from Jordan, who we left at home to get ready for his game. I answered the phone to hear "Mom! The cat is giving birth!" He had gone out to the garage to get his baseball stuff and low and behold he caught the kitty in the act! He said it was all bloody and slimy, but luckily by the time I saw her in the morning she had eaten up all the placenta and licked those cute little babies clean! I think it is amazing how animals just know what to do. Maisy successfully birthed out 5 kitties, and as far as we can tell (they are all still in a mass and she won't let us get too close) there is one calico and several black and white ones. I have never seen such excited kids! They have all used a lot of restraint and left maisy to her babies, but they can't wait to play with them ASAP!

#3 Todd and the kids successfully covered the whole kitchen table with puzzles! I woke up later than usual one Sunday morning to find them finishing up the last pieces of their latest masterpiece. I know I have previously done several other puzzle posts, but nevertheless, I thought this was worth a picture! Just by way of information, we did locate the missing piece to the bus puzzle, however the homemade one is still very special and is place right on top of the real piece.