EWS Spring Fling

It was Spring Fling time again at Jasmine's Preschool where they display the artwork the kids have done and there is much running and playing by the kids and it is also a fundraiser for the school. Occasionally Cake set up a table with Mini cupcakes and we collected donations for the school. It was a huge success and at the end of the night, there weren't any cupcakes left.
Jasmine had quite the display of art and as per tradition, I took pictures of each piece so we could always remember it and so you all could see it too.
Ava spent time with Daddy being carried all over the place and tasting popscicles. It was a good evening and we really enjoyed it - It was also bittersweet as this was Jasmine's last spring fling at that school.

Ava's Final Swim Class

It was lucky that Lorne could come and watch Ava's final Baby and Me swim class and took some pictures. Ava absolutely loves being in the water - almost more than her sister. We did lots of activities that day such as Ava sat on a floating mat and I showed her how to blow bubbles in the water and we practiced kicking too. She just loved it and Lorne had fun watching Ava in the water. I think I would like to re-enroll her to do another class in the fall.

A Swimming Bee Update

Jasmine really learned a lot in swimming classes and it was so fun to sit and watch her progress. She went from a little girl that always wanted Mommy and Daddy to hold her in the pool, to a much more independent and calm swimmer.
She jumped into the water by herself - after a little coaxing from me. OK - there was no coaxing - it was a flat out bribe of the worst kind. I promised her candy if she would do it because she was a bit scared. I didn't feel bad pushing her a bit because her teacher was in the water to make sure she was safe. She did it and after that first jump, never hesitated again.She has also started learning freestyle and it is fun to watch her learn how to swim properly. I think I want to keep her in lessons for a while so she can be very confident in the water.

Look Who's a Big Girl Now!

Ava is finally in a big girl chair! She is facing forward and she loves her new perspective in the car! I can't believe it!

A Little Nip & Tuck Never Hurt Anyone

We were approached to do an interesting thing we had never done before. I have made cakes into unthinkable shapes and mad excessive and creative cupcake flavors and even donated items to silent donations but never thought I would get an offer like this one.
We were asked to be the attention grabbing scene in a booth at a major convention for a company called Allergan. This was exciting because Allergan is one of the largest Pharmeceutical companies around and one of their divisions is plastic surgery products. We found out that they wanted to have a little cupcake stand at their booth at the Plastic Surgeons Convention here at National Harbor at the Gaylord Hotel.
Not only did they want us to provide almost 1,000 mini cupcakes but they hired us (Marcia & myself) to be there in person both days and ice the cupcakes for the people that stopped by the booth.We agreed to do it and it was such an interesting experience. We were the hit of the convention. And it was also funny that we were standing next to the displays of breast implants on one side and a commercial for Latisse on the other - Brooke Shields is the spokesperson.
We were exhausted on Sunday night after working two full days and bringing all the equipment and having to take it all home but it was a neat thing to do and something totally different for our business as a creative revenue source.It didn't hurt that I met some great plastic surgeons - I have always told myself that in a few years I would like a couple of procedures and now I have cards for some great doctors.

Big Pimpin'

The business has been going well and we have been getting orders for bigger and bigger wedding cakes and such that we have to deliver so we thought about getting a delivery vehicle. We wanted something classy so that when we pulled up to deliver the cakes people were paying good money for, they didn't think they came from some dirty shack.
I did some research and decided that a used Cadillac Escalade was the way to go and so I set about finding one to convince the president of 3C Corp to buy it for us.
We found one that was black and seemed to be a good deal but we didn't feel good about it and decided to keep looking. I then found another one that was in even better shape and this time, we felt good about it. We test drove it and felt that it was the right vehicle for the job. It didn't hurt that it has heating and cooling drink holders!
Lorne negotiated a good deal and we got to take it home that night! It was so exciting and fun to have a vehicle that was super roomy and nice to add as an asset to our business.
So here she is - Ain't she pretty?

Neighborhood Carnival

They set up a little carnival of sorts with rides and things near our house and we decided to take the family there for an evening of fun. I didn't really take any pictures except for these but the reason I write about this was because Jasmine is getting tall enough to ride a lot of rides that just a year ago, she couldn't. And the best part is that she wants to ride them. I too love to ride these kind of fast and fun rides and it is so fun to ride them with her. The only problem is that she is still so skinny that I hold her really tight for fear she might fall out of a ride. Meanwhile, she is screaming in laughter and wanting to let go and show how she can ride with no hands. Fearless she is.

Ava turns 1 Year Old!

Ava made it! She turned one and she is still a delight! We threw a party in her honor in our front yard. We decided on a French Poodle in Paris theme and were so excited how the front yard looked.Ava looked darling and was in great spirits. The food was also yummy and people came hungry. It was a first for me in that I planned almost perfectly, there wasn't anything left pretty much when the party was over.I had so much fun making her cake. It is one of my favorites that I have made. It made a nice centerpiece to the table.So many friends and family came to the party and it was so nice to see how much everyone loves Ava. She really is so easy to love and it makes my heart happy when others love her like we do.We had crafts for the kids to do - they painted sun catchers and we had the moon bounce up as well. It is becoming the staple for all of our parties.Then we had to do a Pinata - we did one for Jasmine's first birthday and it was so fun that I wanted to do it again. Ava went first since she was the birthday girl. She seemed to enjoy it but I am sure she had no idea what was going on. Jasmine took a turn and had fun - as did all the other children. Since no one broke it, I strutted up to give it a go. I knew I could break it but I thought Rory would have more fun breaking it so I let him have the honors. It was fun to watch the kids go crazy for the candy.Then it was time for my favorite part! The Cake! Ava had no idea what was going on but once she understood what was happening, she went for it. She really loved eating her cake. Needless to say, after I was done cutting the main cake for everyone else, there wasn't any cake left.It was such a great party for a great little girl - how blessed we are to have her in our lives. How sweet she is and what a phenomenal addition to our little family.