Feeling blessed

I know how blessed I am but I don't always feel that way. But with Mother's Day last weekend and just spending some wonderful time with my boys this past weekend, I've really felt blessed, which is so nice. On Mother's Day we found out that Evan is a BIG fan of the pool! He had a fit when we went to leave because he wanted to keep jumping in the pool or going down the water slide. We were celebrating my stepsister's graduation from UCF at the Grand Cypress Hotel. It has an amazing pool with waterfalls and slides. At first he clung to me and I wasn't sure if he was going to loosen up. But once he got a bit more brave, he just loved it. He made his Mommy's heart skip a beat quite a few times as he got rather daring with jumping off the side into my arms. I'm hoping to sign him up for swimming lessons soon. Looks like we'll be trying to find as many opportunities as possible to get him to a pool this summer. Dad and Leslie...here we come! :)

Check out Evan's face in this photo; doesn't it just say it all! I love seeing him this excited. Such pure joy and exhilaration!



Check out more Mother's Day photos: http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m316/christirp/Mothers%20Day%202009/

Evan's 2nd Birthday & Mickey Cake

I've been hoping to post pictures from Evan's 2nd birthday earlier...but life with a toddler keeps me very busy! And with him starting preschool, then getting an ear infection, there has been very little down time. Plus, I'm trying to keep up with all that needs to be done around the house. I've been trying for days but still haven't mopped the kitchen, but it has at least gotten vacuumed a lot with all the dog hair from Mac and the sand that Evan brings home now in his shoes from playing on the playground at preschool. Anyway, I've finally found some time, so here they are.

Evan had a great birthday and got to celebrate it with his cousins and family. Some of my favorite photos are below and more can be found here - http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m316/christirp/Evan/2nd%20Birthday/?albumview=slideshow. Be sure to check out the Mickey cake I made!

Enjoying hamburgers and hotdogs and coloring with his cousins

Mickey Mouse themed party

The best pic we could get of the cousins

Opening gifts - people wrapped in the theme!

Happy Birthday Fun!

"Happy Cake" as Evan called it.
I made this cake - took me around 6 hours total, over 3 nights - using fondant. It was so worth it, and I'm really glad I was able to find the time to do this. I thought it turned out really well, especially since the idea was all in my head initally. And the fun part is that this cake tasted delicious. Love Duncan Hines cake mixes! And the fondant is simply made from marshmallows so it is so yummy. (but I do have a sweet tooth!)

I got the idea for the stars on another mickey cake I'd seen...
they were the perfect finishing touch.

I was inspired to make the cake from watching my sister-in-law make my nephew Garrett's 3rd birthday cake, a firetruck, out of fondant. She gave me a crash course in how it worked and so I had the confidence to give it a try for Evan's cake. Thanks Steph!

Here's a look at the firetruck cake. Didn't it come out great! Love the use of the candy - Oreos for wheels and gumdrops for lights. She even had the local fire department come with their firetruck for the kids to see. They had a blast!

Cute cousins photo! Lots of boys in the Posey family!

More photos of Garrett's birthday are here - http://s107.photobucket.com/albums/m316/christirp/Garrett%203rd%20Bday/?albumview=slideshow