Last Pretty Treats of the Month

We ended March with some pretty things - and so here I will showcase our latest and greatest - we do get orders for cakes more ordinary that I don't take pictures of - I usually only take pictures of cakes I want to remember!

Dinner with Natalie & Joe Wilkinson

My last companion on my mission was Natalie Yockey and we had a very good relationship even though our companionship was a mere 6 weeks. We had a lot of good times and I was excited when I heard that she and her husband are living here in the DC area for 3 months while her husband has an assignment here.
I had to make sure that we would see her while she was here so I quickly scheduled a dinner at our house for a Sunday evening and they agreed to come over and dine with us and spend a nice evening.
We had such a great time - this was the first time Lorne had met Natalie and her husband Joe and this was the first time I had the pleasure of meeting Joe. We all got along really well and I am hopeful that we will find a few more opportunities to spend time together before they leave the area.I love reconnecting with friends and being caught up on their adventures in life. It is one of my very favorite things, as I love being around people and making sure to have many friends around me who are quality - and Natalie and Joe are definitely quality!

Eleana Elaine Zarcone turns 1!

We were pleased to be invited to attend the birthday celebration of Eleana Zarcone, our little precious adopted niece. I can't believe how fast time has flown - it doesn't seem like that long ago, she was born.
It was also exciting because Occasionally Cake was asked to do the cake and we had some fun with it. Never mind that because we worked at a leisurely pace, we were up until 3 AM finishing it - it still turned out fabulous!We arrived in Frederick about 20 minutes before the party was due to start and set up the cake and started meeting some people. Jasmine was looking especially cute in her dress that was similar to Eleana's but pink instead of yellow.Cindy had a stream of guests showing up and so she told everyone to start eating. I was excited because there was a nice spread of food and I was hungry. Jasmine coerced Marcia into making her a plate and I made sure I tried a bit of everything which included meatballs, ranch pasta salad, cheese and crackers, spinach dip, veggie tray and deviled eggs. They also had the chocolate fountain set up with a nice tray of things to dip in there incliding strawberries, bananas, rice crispy treats and so forth. Jasmine was extremely intrigues by this chocolate decadense and I am not sure how many times she went dipping for chocolate covered yumminess.
Poor Eleana was under the weather and spent pretty much all of her party cuddling with her grandma, mother or daddy. She had these sad eyes and you could tell she was such a little trooper.She did sit down in her high chair when it was cake time and it was cute because Jasmine was so excited she was vying for front and center attention. Cindy and Kevin were sweet and they all took a picture together and Jasmine sang good and loud when it was time for the birthday song. Eleana played a bit with the cake but I am not sure how much she actually ate. I cut the cake for Cindy and all the guests seemed to really enjoy it.After cake, they opened presents and Eleana got some super cute stuff. Mostly Cindy and Kevin did the gift opening since Eleana just wanted to cuddle and didn't seem interested in anything at that point.It really was a lovely party and Cindy and Kevin were great hosts. You have no control over how your baby is going to be feeling at any point in time so it was no big deal that Eleana wasn't well. We all tried to have fun and engage with her regardless and she will have some super cute pictures of the day when she is older. We stayed around for a bit to chat when it was over and it was nice that we were able to celebrate this special day with people we love and cherish so dearly. Happy Birthday Eleana!

Chuck E Cheese Birthday Party

Jasmine was invited to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese and she had a great time. Since they gave her the tokens and she is a bit older now, I let her run around and didn't try to control how she spent her coins. She had a great time with her friends and the birthday siblings Connor and Morgan loved their birthday cake made by yours truly!The pics aren't the best - I took them on my new iPhone (which incidentally I love!).

36 Weeks

I do not really have a picture on the 36 week mark but I did have an appointment with Dr. Walker this time. I am now at the weekly appointment stage of pregnancy which is kind of nice because it makes me feel I am getting closer to the day when little baby Ava will arrive.
The Dr. told me that I was already 1 cm dilated and about 50% effaced. She also felt the baby's head which means the baby is head down and that is the way it should be. She measured my belly and after talking a bit about my swelling, she determined she didn't believe I would go all the way to my due date. But really, no one ever really knows unless they decide to schedule these things and I want the baby to choose when she comes - up to a point! One more week and I would be considered full term.
So, I am split about when I want the baby to come. If she came a bit early, I get my body back sooner and as I am so uncomfortable right now, that would seem like a relief. On the other hand, I have a very full schedule and have some things I would like to get done before the baby is born and some events I would like to attend. But I will go with the flow of whatever happens. This is not something I have much control over!
I will try and have a picture for 37 weeks and the weeks to follow until the babe makes her grand entrance into the world!

Saint Patrick's Day Proper

Since Saint Patrick's Day was on a Tuesday, we had done our party the Saturday before. We still wanted to do something fun on the actual day. Kelleen told me that her family was doing a green dinner and I found a way to get Team Campbell invited and we crashed their party.
Luckily, we had some green things to contribute and it was a really fun time. We arrived and Joe was busy making the green mashed potatoes and green lemonade. He also made some corned beef and cabbage.We brought some veggies and dip and some Irish cheese and with all that good food, we had a little feast together. The girls seemed to enjoy it immensely and it was nice to spend some quality time with good friends. We had some Mint Brownie Chip overload ice cream for dessert along with some green jello and it was a wonder none of us turned green with all that green food!
Thanks for having us over Team Trauger!

Owen's 2nd Birthday Party

The Tabaka Family's youngest member, Owen, turned 2 years old and they threw a Handy Manny blowout birthday bash for him and we were invited. It was loads of fun and everything was spectacular.They had some great entertainment. They had a face painter for the kids and a caricature artist for the kids and adults. It was amazing and he did an amazing job! I sat for my caricature and then at the end of the party convinced Jasmine and Lorne to sit for a joint one. They turned out really cute and I will be framing them and hanging them in our home.The food was also good - because what blog post of mine would be complete without the food review - they ordered BBQ from Dixie Bones and my my it was delish. I had the ribs, mac and cheese and beans.It was nice to sit around and chat with friends like the Traugers and Jasmine spent a lot of time downstairs playing in the playroom full of toys. They also put out their karaoke machine and Jasmine was a little star singing on the microphone and I even took a turn singing a few oldies but goodies.They had an amazing cake in the shape of the Handy Manny toolbox. It came from a little bakery called Occasionally Cake and I was impressed! Owen seemed to love it and everyone remarked on how good it tasted and how they didn't even know it was a cake at first glance.The party was super fun and the Tabakas sure know how to throw a party. I can't wait to attend more of their functions and continue to watch their kids grow. Happy Birthday Owen!

Saint Patricks Day Party - 5th Annual

As many of you already know, we like to have parties on the holidays that are not already taken by our friends! This keeps us free to attend all the Christmas parties and so forth and they can attend our events. The first big party we throw each year is our Saint Patrick's Day Party. Neither Lorne nor I has any Irish claim but the holiday is fun and green is a great color, so why not celebrate it?We always have green food and a movie that has something to do with Ireland or Leprechauns. I hate to say it, but after 5 years we are starting to run out of movies - I guess Hollywood doesn't get inspired too often to make these types of movies and I refuse to show the horror Leprechaun movies - we like this to be family friendly and I am not a fan of the horror genre. This year we watched the Unlucky Leprechaun and it wasn't as bad as last year's movie. It was semi-cute and the kids liked it so that was a plus.The food was fabulous as always. I love that everyone brings a green dish to share. This makes the food plentiful and interesting. The decor of the room was festive and I have to shout out a BIG thank you to Amy & Steve who helped set-up, decorate and were my right hand people for the party. It is amazing how much easier this stuff is when you have more hands to help!We also set up a craft for the kids, they were able to make shamrock wreaths and they turned out super cute. I have to get the glue situation in better control next time though - I bought the wrong thing and it always makes these types of projects really hard when you buy the wrong thing.Everyone wore their green clothes and had a great time. I love spending time with family and friends and it was great to have everyone over. Stay tuned for next year's party - hope those of you who couldn't make will be able to make it next year!