Move Over Ace of Cakes

I was wondering what to do on Henry's birthday. The boys were playing with friends and Nate was hunting. We weren't going to celebrate until Sunday anyway. So I got this idea to make a cake for Henry. I was going to make one...but decided I wanted to really make a cake..fondant, layers, props...the whole 9 yards. So I did a little browsing, found some recipes, and found three cakes that I liked and wanted to combine their features to make a really cool cake for my Henry boy.

OH. HOW. FUN. I loved making this cake. It's far from perfect, but I was pleased with the end result. Henry enjoyed it. He posed for pictures for about a second before he grabbed the car from off the top of the cake. Then he did what any boy would do and drove that car back and forth, making the lovely spitting, zooming noise that cars make when they are being driven by a little boy.

Henry really enjoyed the making of the cake. {There's nothing like a good buttercream frosting.}

And of course there was more fun in the actual eating of the cake.

He liked the lid from the ice cream the most. He didn't go all crazy tearing the cake apart and eating it. Once he got a taste of the ice cream, that's where his attention stayed. And of course the frosting on the nose is nothing more than a prop for good pictures.

My Baby's One

I really am trying to get this post up. I just had a lovely post, and it didn't save. GRRRR. I'll try again later.

The Missing Piece

I met Stacey in April when I went to Ohio for the Akron Stake Conference when my dad was called as the Patriarch. Stacey came to my parents house that afternoon. He entertained us with stories of his time in the NFL, and shared how he came to know about and join the church. He impressed me with his courage, faith, and optismism in the face of serious health difficulties. I love this video that the church put together to tell his story. They always do a beautiful job.

I'm Coming

The other day I was chopping vegetables for spaghetti sauce.

Amelia called for me from the living room.

"just a minute" I really wanted to finish what I was doing, and I was almost done.

The call from the living room came again.

"I'm coming" still chopping peppers

That's when Emma walks into the kitchen. "No you're not"

"What?"

"Mom, you're not coming"

"Yes I am...I'm finishing what I am doing and will be on my way"

"No mom...watch...this is "coming"

Emma proceeds to walk towards the living room saying, "I'm coming" then stops and turns around. "See?"

Yep...she told me.

One One Sick Thing

We went antelope hunting...all of us. Everyone had tons of fun baha-ing (sp?) through the sagebrush on a bumpy trail, eating junk food and looking for any signs of animal life. {specifically antelope} Then Nate abruptly stops the car..."did you see those antelope? They see us. If we go any further we'll spook them." All the kids don some bright orange and get out of the truck with their binoculars and the spotting scope.

It just might be an antelope with an irregular horn?!?! Gotta put the sneak on.

So, the boys are with Nate, sneaking up on the two antelope, hoping that one of them is worthy of a shot. I sit in the car with the girls and Henry, still eating junk and waiting to spot the boys coming out of the brush, from behind the rocks. We spot them, then start up the truck to find them on the other side of the hill. We get up on them and them...bam...we heard the shot. 550 yards. We positioned the truck to get the antelope easily, and then we all gathered around to see the prize. It wasn't an irregular horn, just broken off..hahaha. Well, as Nate started to gut the animal, Emma was not interested in watching. We went back to the truck. She was quiet for a minute, but then said "That is one, one sick thing" "What is?" "What daddy is doing. Do you like that?" "Not particularly." "Me neither."

But Amelia, on the other hand, was right there with her head over the antelope. "Daddy, get the heart. Take the heart out." "I'm working on it" Nate says with guts up to his elbows. "Daddy, get the heart out." with a great deal of urgency and distress. So, Nate reaches in, finds the heart, and takes it out. "Here it is, Amelia" "OH, good. Now it's dead." hmmmmm

Sick

Clay and I are the only two in the family who have not had to spend most of our last day looking at this...

Poor things.
I wanted a little slow-down from the football, piano, school, scouts......
Just not like this.

Lots Going On

Here are a couple pictures of some of what we've been up to this summer.

We had these cutie pies come visit. I loved that the kids had the time to get to know their cousins a little better, and spend some time playing with kittens, going on a picnic, riding 4 wheelers, playing in water, and other fun stuff.


Family reunion for Nate's family.

The highlight of the reunion for all the kids is always the rope swing.

Nate's Grandma Donna passed away on Father's Day. On the last day of school she had been diagnosed with cancer. It took her quickly. We feel that it was a blessing that she did not have to suffer for too long, and that she was able to enjoy many activities before the diagnosis. We miss her. It is interesting to watch how the little ones have been affected by this. We have shared many tears, and some very sad moments. Emma seems particularly interested in understanding where she is now, what happened to her body, and what will happen when she is resurrected. The day after the funeral, we had to stop by the cemetery to be sure she had been buried properly. We're still waiting for the stone. Most recently, she was disturbed by the comment I made about selling grandma's house. After about 10 minutes, she asked me..."If they sell grandma's house, then where is she going to live when she is resurrected?" Good question.

She also seems pretty sure that Jesus will be coming again soon because she really misses grandma. And since the resurrection will take place at the Second Coming, then that should happen sooner than later. When I think of Grandma Donna, I see in my mind the joy that she felt when her grandchildren were around, the laughter that seemed to bubble up inside of her when she told a story about the family she loves so much, and her kindness. Miss you....

{P.S. My kids have two grandma donnas...grandma dickerson {Nate's}, and grandma gaskell {Mine}. Next month we celebrate grandma gaskell's 95th birthday.}

For Father's Day, Nate got a tool set. Amelia decided that she needed to borrow them. She asked Nate if she could use them...

Why?

I need to take my training wheels off.

Well, you have to get the right size.

I already found the one that fits. It's right here.

OK...just make sure you put it back.

5 minutes later, Amelia comes in the house and tells me that Sam is going to help her learn how to ride her bike. {I'm going dishes}

OK...

I finished the dishes pretty quickly and thought I ought to go out and take a picture of the process...maybe see if she needed some help.

She was riding her bike sans training wheels.

That girl took the training wheels off of her bike, had Sam hold the seat to steady her, and then yelled at him to let go so that she could ride. In less than 5 minutes, she was riding her bike solo. I just about missed the whole thing. What a girl!!! Way to make her daddy proud.

There is more, but this is just a sample...it's past my bedtime.