The End....Phew!

The end of the school year has finally come to a close for the rest of my kids. Now I officially have 2 middle school kids. Funny how I thought that would be a LONG ways away. It's making me really feel my age now. I was thrilled to have both of these teachers for them this year.

Of course there are the mandatory end of the year award ceremonies. It's neat how they make a big deal about the fifth graders moving on. As a former 5th grade teacher, I remember how bittersweet these feelings were. You are excited for them to move on, but they are the only grade level that won't be returning to that school. Some of those kids you'll never see again.

Hailey & Mrs. Norman

Noah's 5th Grade Class

So cute, all dressed up for the awards

I don't remember what set Hailey off into this mood, but I just couldn't get her to smile...not even fake one.

Noah proud of his awards.

I Feel Dirty!

I seriously have found a new hobby/passion. This hobby of baking has been taking up half my days lately . . . . and the other half taken up by cleaning it all up.

Ever since I started making cakes, I have used a MASSIVE amount of Crisco. I told Taylor the other day that in the past 6 months I have used more Crisco than I have used our entire 14 years of marriage....and then some. Not only do many recipes call for it, but you also need to slather it all over your counter and hands in order to keep fondant from sticking to it. My whole body just feels like a mess of grease and powdered sugar when I get finish a cake.....but I LOVE IT!

This cake was an assignment for my class right now.

Hailey wanted to make a miniature version of my cake. I think she did a pretty dang good job!

For the end of the school year, the kids and I made cakes for their teachers.

Mr. Games loves golf, so Noah really wanted to duplicate my previous golf cake. This time we made some additions with my first attempt at gum paste.

Mrs. Norman loves motorcycles, but I wasn't even about to attempt one yet. I found this cute idea online of a thank you note written from the student to the teacher on notebook paper.

"Little Hailey"

Despite my lack of sleep, and finishing up at the last second, I think they turned out pretty good. I even had some people ask me where I got them from. Hahaha! What a great compliment!

Hooked Up & Burned Up

For the 4th this year, we went to some friend's house to barbecue & light some fireworks.

I'm always shocked how expensive fireworks are, so it's always difficult for me to want to spend much on them. However, this year we hit the mother lode when a friend of Taylor's seriously hooked us up with some "leftovers". I had to commemorate this even since this will probably be the first and last time this opportunity comes around. However, this picture doesn't even do it justice.

The guys would line up a bunch at once.

Usually we have to ration them in order to make it last longer.

Look at the size of this thing!

This year, there were so many "illegals" being shot off in the air all around us. There was no need to go to a fireworks show at one of the hotels with these bad boys going off.

The kids had a blast watching all the different lights showering in front of them.

Jordan just enjoyed lighting things on fire.

Hailey isn't too fond of the fireworks. Not the noise but the fear of getting burned.

I love this video. Look closely at Taylor on the left. His reaction cracks me up each time I see it.

He was still a little stunned after he was singed.

All-in-all we had a fun July 4th....and generally safe, despite a few minor burns.

My Latest Passion

In February, Noah needed to make a cake for his Blue & Gold dinner. We brainstormed until we finally came up with an idea to make one look like a cheeseburger. We got so into it that it ended up looking better than we thought it might.

That being said, it turned me on to making cakes. I'm surprised at how involved it can really be and also how messy it makes my kitchen. However, I am loving learning about all the different ways to make cakes.

My family has asked to see pictures of the cakes I've made, so I decided to stick it all in one post.

The "Cheeseburger" cake

Bumblebee cake

Hailey's 8th birthday cake.

She loves coming up with ideas and seeing if we can make them come to pass.

"Baptism Dress" for Hailey's baptism day

(I was so upset I forgot to take a picture before we cut it)

Cake I made for the cake class Hailey & I took. I loved learning flowers and basketweave.

A "Tie" for my dad for Father's Day

My brother loves golf, so I decided to make him a big golf ball cake for his birthday (front).

(back)

You can see the size better in this picture.