Artist

Emily created this piece a little while ago.

Princess Hannah and Princess Emily.

Shoes

It is insane how quickly children go through a pair of gym shoes!

We tried to keep Hannah in these as long as possible. I guess when you can see feet it's probably time for them to visit the trash. Truthfully I did not know that they were this bad until I took this picture...yeah worst parent award for me. Don't worry, I found her some nice sparkly sketchers to replace them. I hope they last a whole lot longer than the last pair too!

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here's another recipe I just have to share. They turned out just like ones you would get from a bakery.

Good thing most of these went to a school event (same as the cupcakes) otherwise I would have spent this week looking for bigger pants. I substituted some of the chocolate chips with m&ms...yum.

Click here for the recipe. Make sure you melt the butter or margarine, cool the batter, and let them cool on the pan.

Cupcakes

I am happy to announce that after many failed attempts, I have found my go to recipe and method for frosting cupcakes! (thanks pinterest)

Isn't it lovely? It isn't nearly as perfect as the ones done by the original source (Created by Diane) but it's stunning enough for me. The buttercream was the perfect consistency, the frosting to cupcake ratio was perfect for me, and using the 2D tip was easier than I thought it was going to be...easy peasy as Emily would say.

Next up...learn to do the two toned frosting application.

Weekend with George

We were heading out of town for the weekend and picked up Hannah from school so we could get a bit of a head start. When I went in to get her she was holding a bag with a large Curious George sticking out of it. Yup, she was chosen to "take care" of Curious George for the weekend and write about it in the class journal. At least it wasn't a living animal since we were staying at a hotel!

Curious George was so lucky, he got to go to Washington D.C.! He jumped on hotel beds. He played at the park.

He visited the Washington D.C. temple grounds and visitor center. (To find out more about LDS temples click here.)

Before we went home we snacked on cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory, which was loved by all.

But oh no, where is George? Shhh, he spent some of the weekend strapped in a carseat when it just didn't seem appropriate for a 6 year old to be toting around a large stuffed animal.

Oh Deer!

Who needs TV when you can look out your window and watch nature?

The ever so observant Sarah noticed these in the backyard and immediately started saying 'Hi!' over and over, which caught my attention. And then I ran to the bedroom window without a screen to try to get a better shot, but they heard me open the window.

Now I think I know why the previous owners didn't have a screen on that window and had two deer head mounts in the basement.

Lucky for him, the only thing I shoot with is a camera.

Riding a Bike

This week we took off the training wheels and after a few days of constant practice, Hannah can ride on her own!

I love that she asks to ride her bike all the time now! The other two are pretty good at staying out of her way and Emily really tries to keep Sarah 'safe'.

Flower Shop

While the weather's been nice and since Sarah has started walking, we've been outside as much as possible.

This year we took out the hostas that the were part of the deer buffet and planted herbs and flowers that are 'deer proof' and they have thrived. The girls love to pick them and since there are so many of them, I don't mind a bit. Emily likes to sort them and run a 'flower shop' or sing songs and throw flower petals all over the place.

Here's a shot of her shop:

Oh, you wanted a better picture of the outfit she selected for herself? She also chose Sarah's clothes that morning...yes, she has a very unique sense of style.

Picture Day

Picture day at school was today, so we snapped some pictures of our own since we don't intend on purchase any of course.

Here's a morning shot:

And just because, we took an afternoon one too:

And because they are so cute, these two got close ups too: