Pat-A-Cake

Oh What FUN! Yesterday was my cake decorating class at the Culinary Institute of America. OMG-The class was so cool. The campus at the Culinary is just beautiful. I couldn't believe I was there. I kind of felt like an Elvis fan at Graceland. The Chef was really good, she was the author of the cake art book that was given out at the end of the class. We got a gourmet buffet lunch (included in the class) which everyone went ga-ga over but since they didn't have peanut butter and jelly or grilled chicken sandwiches, I was at a loss (ha ha). We each got to decorate a cake that had been baked already for us (that was awesome!) She showed us some cool tips that you just can't pick up from a book or video. I think I had a smile on my face for 9 hours. The class was loaded with rich women from nearby (talking about their nannies) but also as far away as Costa Rica! All their Coach and Loius Vitton bags had to be stored away from the icing coloring. My Bruce Springsteen bag from Wal-Mart was very convenient. Anyway, this is the cake I made, which a lot of people liked and I might copy it for Corinna's snowflake themed birthday party. The Chef told me I was doing nice work so I totally blushed because she wasn't just doling out compliments to everyone. hee hee. Here's the two other cakes I made this weekend.

Thank Heaven for Washable Markers

Corinna is 8 months old, already!

Hard to believe that Little Miss Thing is 8 months already! What a personality she has! She absolutely lights up a room when she smiles. She is very into physical comedy these days with her brothers happily entertaining her by throwing themselves on the floor, pretending to bump things on their head, etc. She suffered through another tooth (3 now) and another ear infection this month. Bless MOTRIN! She's totally mobile now, cruising on tables and pulling herself up on anything she can. We predict she'll attempt walking within this coming month! She's still babbling da-da-da-da and loving it. She's way mischeivous and gets into anything she can. She especially loves paper. Apparently it is tasty as can be. Food-wise though, she's a fan of cheerios and those little puffs. But not so much a fan of actual baby food--hm, a carb lover like her mom!

Gotta Dance!

After patiently waiting for weeks, Aidan finally started Dance Class today! He was so excited! The class focuses on movement and is more of a "fun-time dance" than a structured ballet class. He said he had a lot of fun, especially when he got to bang the drum. Parents aren't allowed in during class, but he didn't seem to mind.

Soggy Start to Soccer Season

Oh how I love alliteration. Anyway, Jake's first soccer game was today. It poured yesterday and it was really humid and damp today (yet cool, it was weird out). So the fields were slick and a little muddy, but totally playable. Jake was on the pee-wee league last year, but moved up to the Under-8 team this year. The kids were bigger and faster than him, and I think that frustrated him a little, but he did great for the first game. We really like his coach. This was Corinna's first sporting event. She was great. Aidan loved going to the concession stand. He's number 3 on the Teal, Valero Dolson Avenue Team.

Hooray! It's Back to School Day!

It was a heck of a first day of school! Unbeknownst to us, there was a very serious accident just off our road (two people airlifted in helicopters sadly) but it closed the road and made poor Jake's bus 25 minutes late. He was bursting with excitement when we first got down to the bus stop, by the time it actually came, Spike was holding him because he was exhausted from running in circles! But this delay in turn made us late to leave to bring Aidan to his first day of FULL-DAY preschool. And since the road was closed, we had to go a back/longer way. Aidan ran RIGHT into the classroom, found his best friend James and played without a care. Seriously, he barely noticed we left. Kids were crying left and right and they didn't notice! Good for them. I know they'll have fun. Corinna and I are home now. She's sleeping (yahoo!) allowing me to actually sit and eat breakfast and email in peace. What an awesome thing this is! I think they call it "quiet"?



When Aidan got home from school he had the following to report "I got to have recess TWO TIMES" and "Sitting on the mat is boring." so not too much information, but I'm sure I'll hear more as the day goes on. Still waiting for Jake to arrive!