growing...

our flowerbed is growing!

we planted it 2 weekends ago and we've loved checking out the progress since...


it's also the perfect spot to sit down (with your purse & cell phone ~lol~), and just enjoy the sunshine....or how about, make some soup?

i was actually impressed with this soup - so colorful & yummy looking

our roses are blooming too!

different AND equal...

once again, well said estee!

one of the things that jaden says every night when we pray together is "thank you Jesus for making me special"

i will FOREVER teach my children to celebrate their differences....not to feel that they need to learn to fit in with others, but instead, to teach others about what makes them special.....to celebrate diversity & to show others that being different is a what it's all about.....that the fact that God made us each unique, one of a kind, different from ANYONE else - indicates we are wonderfully made!

To Each His Own

I cannot change the way I am,
I never really try,
God made me different and unique,
I never ask him why.
If I appear peculiar,
There's nothing I can do,
You must accept me as I am,
As I've accepted you.
God made a casting of each life,
Then threw the mold away,
Each child is different from the rest,
Unlike as night from day.
So often we will criticize,
The things that others do,
But, do you know, they do not think,
The same as me and you.
So God in all his wisdom,
Who knows us all by name,
He didn't want us to be bored,
That's why we're not the same.

Author Unknown

Friday's Cake...

yep, just one cake this week - and my husband doesn't have to work! i'm LOVING it! ;0) i had one cancellation, and i'm getting better at not over-booking myself....especially after last weekend's doozy

you can't really tell in this pic, but SpongeBob is 2D on this cake - the icing image is laying on carved cake....chocolate fudge cake (super moist & dense), completely decorated in my homemade butter cream icing....the shells are not edible


have a 'sweet' weekend!

at least he's polite...

the other evening, jaden had to remove a sticker from his chart for not following directions....this upset him, probably a little more than it should....but without direction, he headed to his room to cool down....i know to give him his space, and that he'll come out when he's ready (he usually gets distracted with something in his room & gets over things quickly) & he will usually apologize once he's calmed down.....well, curtis isn't as patient & he went in jaden's room to try and cheer him up/coax him out....

jaden says in a very normal tone, "get out dad"

curtis says, "young man?"

jaden says, "get out, PLEASE"

hey, at least he's polite! ;0)

she's so smart! (& hopefully REALLY lucky!)

look at how smart my pre-schooler is! this is supposed to say "My favorite is butterflies." notice the FA for favorite & the BTRF to start butterflies....go 'head gurl! ;0)

by Gabrielle 5/08

the kids all have piggy banks, and as they get full, we separate out the silver change from the pennies.....leaving the silver & the bills in the bank, we take the pennies to be converted into bills & put them back in the bank.....it helps the kids be able to count their cash better, when trying to save up certain amounts for those special purchases.....eventually, as the silver grows, we'll cash that out too - but the kids like having some change in their banks.....makes em feel fuller & sounds so much cooler! ;0) the girls are change scavengers! and they love that daddy is constantly loosing his change - they walk with their eyes to the floor when they come in our bedroom, hoping daddy has lost more change, the last time he took off his pants! ~lol~

last evening, gabrielle & i went to the grocery store to use one of those coinstar counters....she cashed in her pennies and had 1519 of them! plus 2 dimes that snuck through our sorting.....it totaled $15.39, but after coinstar kept their share, she got $14.02 back! and she was thrilled! that, plus $10 she's been saving since her bday in november (that her great gma gave her), plus the $2 she's gotten from the tooth fairy, brings her up to $26 (not counting all the silver change)! of course, she thinks that huge amount should be able to buy her anything in the store she wants, but we're working on that concept! ~lol~

and here's what gabby helped me pick up after counting her pennies.....


remember all the luck that my girl has been having this week?.....well, i don't EVER play the lottery (maybe 4 times in my whole life), but i thought it would be fun to try it out with my lucky girl - and hey, some of the money goes to VA public schools....we messed up on the first game on the ticket, but she picked numbers for 3 games & i did 1....i told her to just point to any number she wanted....she says "how old is jaden?"....i tell her 7, so she picks that one, then 5 & 4 for her & corinn's ages.....such a sweet girl....then for the rest of the numbers, she'd just point & i'd color in the boxes.....the drawing is friday, so i'll let u know then....not if we won, but how much we won! (the jackpot is up to $196 million) ~lol~ i'm telling u, i feel good about this - the cashier at the exxon where we bought the ticket, says she's won the pick 3 at that store 3 different times....and then, the guy in front of us in line, bought a couple $2 scratchers & won $50! lucky store + lucky girl = winning ticket, right?! ~lmao~

another allergy update...

thx so much for the allergy advice that u gave me on my initial post (when i was totally clueless about how we should proceed).....i updated u a little while later when gabby was still having issues, but we were beginning to try out a new med & the drops.....well, it's been 2 weeks since she started out on zyrtec & naphcon-a drops, and OMG! what a difference!!!

i'm not sure if it's one, or the other, or the combination of the 2, but gabby hasn't had any real issues since then....occasionally, she'll come home from school & ask for more drops - she can feel her eyes starting to itch....but of course, those are usually on the days that it's super nice out and she's been outside playing quite a bit

now, my question is this.....how long should i keep her on the zyrtec? the blooms have mostly fallen off the trees here, but according to this awesome site (thx Shanna!), the pollen count is still pretty high here....the doc says the drops can't hurt - to use as needed, without worrying about over-dosing.....but i'm curious about the zyrtec......we did forget her dose one morning last week, and she didn't have any trouble that day, but that doesn't really mean anything (she still might have had it in her system, could have been a tame day for allergens, etc.).....i guess i'm just a worry wart when it comes to meds....i hate to b pumping something into my kids unless it's absolutely necessary, and this isn't something that the doc or i can test for and say "yes, she should stay on/come off of the meds"

i'm assuming i should at least finish out the spring....memorial day marks the beginning of summer (i know, june 20th is the 'official' 1st day of summer) - should i then try to wean her off the zyrtec & see if she has a reaction? should i try that now? should i not even think about it until the pollen count goes down?

i know u're not doctors, but i'm a firm believer in 'been there, done that' advice....what better way to get info, but from those who have been through it already?! (yes, this means u shanna! and anyone else who'd like to chime in too!)

my lil penguin trying on one of her recital costumes at tap practice...i CANNOT wait!

ok, i have to post one of corinn too (in her bird costume)

Green Our Vaccines Rally

I've blogged before about the vaccine dispute (toxins found in vaccines have been linked to "triggering" or bringing on autism & other neurological disorders in children) that has recently been brought to the forefront, primarily by Jenny McCarthy, her work with generationrescue.org, & her man Jim Carey.


Well, they're heading up a "Green Our Vaccines Rally" in DC on June 4th, and I wanted to spread the word. You need to register if you plan to attend.


Even though I don't believe that vaccines had anything to do with Jaden's autism (read my blog about a chromosome abnormality that has been scientifically linked to autism), I do believe that there are parents out there, living this horror - they take their child to be vaccinated & they come home completely different - running high fevers, they quit speaking, quit making eye contact. And believe me, from now on, I will always check the lists to see what vaccines do and do not contain toxins before my children receive ANY vaccine or flu shot (unfortunately, my kids had received most of their vaccines before I had ever heard any of this).


Curtis & I would love to attend this rally to show our support, but since it's on a Wednesday, we can't get off of work to make the trip.


I do believe that regardless of whether or not vaccines "cause" autism, ALL toxins should be removed! Why are mercury, formaldehyde & aluminum (just to name a few) added as preservatives?! These vaccines are injected into our children!!! Any why is a 10lb. baby given the same dose of a polio vaccination that an adult would?! The whole "green our vaccine" concept is not just a movement to remove the toxins from ALL vaccines - it's also a movement to encourage parents to see a "green" doctor or a pediatrician that will arrange an alternate schedule for your child's vaccinations - "too many, too soon" is the slogan being used in this rally. We need more doctors that will work with our children on a case by case basis - weight, age, immune system deficiencies, etc. should all be factors in deciding which vaccinations your child should receive & when!

Campfire & Sidewalk Chalk...

we had another campfire last night & the kids drew on the sidewalks until it was so dark that they couldn't see to do it any more :0)

my lucky girl...

my mom has always been a 4-leaf clover "hunter"....and she's pretty good at finding them....well, my parents kept the kids on saturday, while curtis & i went to the wedding....and apparently, nana is sharing her talent with miss gabrielle....while they were there saturday, gabby found three 4-leaf clovers & one 5-leaf clover! if u look closely at the one on the left, the top-left leaf has another little one laying on top of it - there's 5!


then this morning, (literally as soon as we walked out the back door!) she bends down at a patch of clover & IMMEDIATELY finds another 4-leaf clover!


i'm taking this girl with me tonight to buy lottery tickets! ~lol~

Weekend recap...

my weekend began on thursday....i had to take off work thur & fri to stay at home with corinn since my daycare provider was getting ready for her wedding on saturday....of course, the beginning of my weekend was crazy busy with cakes, but we still made time to enjoy being outside a little before the rain began....here's us thursday at nana & grandpa's....i picked my nephew up that day from daycare and we went to play before his mommy got off work

riding in skirts...

he needs the brick to reach the pedal! but he can steer....so cute!

saturday was steph & mat's wedding....the location was absolutely amazing! everything else was beautiful too - steph did a great job planning! and saturday was the only day in the last week that it hasn't rained! God was smiling down on the happy couple that day!

seriously, look at this!

the kissthe whole fam after the ceremony was finished
curtis & i with the cake

mother's day was great! curtis had to work, but he always makes me feel loved & special, not just on mother's day....the kids and i went to church where they sang in a children's program to honor the mothers....they did great!


then we headed over to nana's for lunch (grandpa had to work too)....my brother had already started grilling pork chops & we had a big family dinner - joe was the only sibling not there, but he's away at school, so he's excused ;0) even tho it poured rain all day, the kids had a great time playing together inside

then last evening after daddy got home, gabby let me pop out her 2nd tooth! she waited longer with this one than the first! her grown-up tooth has already grown in quite a bit....but she was just as proud - and the tooth fairy brought her another dollar! :0)

corinn checking it out

right before bed time, a mother's day hair do for me - they love doing this & they think it looks sooo good! ;0)


lastly, today was corinn's pre-k screening....at our elementary school, they are only able to take a certain number of kids for the 2 pre-k classes....so they screen all the applicants & let kids in based on need (academically & financially)....gabby's teacher told me last fall that she lucked out by getting in....apparently, she was at the bottom of the list, but like 5 kids moved away right before school started and they were able to let gabby come....i hope that corinn gets in too! she literally cried the day after her 4th birthday because she couldn't immediately start school....we'd been telling her forever that once she turned 4, she'd get to go to school....she thought we meant the very next day!

a pic right before her screening...of course she can already write her name, recognize lots of letters, count to like 20, knows her colors, etc....we're keeping our fingers crossed that she gets in!

weekend cakes...

first up, i had 3 requests to bust out before the wedding cake on saturday....unfortunately, i forgot to take a pic of the simple tony stewart cupcakes i made....they were just iced orange with a black (dark chocolate fondant) #20 on top of each one....then 2 birthday cakes - both for little boys...


since we were invited to attend this wedding, my hubby was along for my set-up & played photographer - catching my process of assembling the cake.....it was funny, because this was his first time being along to hear all the wonderful compliments that the wedding guests paid me during the reception....we even had ladies asking curtis & i to pose with the cake so they could get a pic of us! ~lol~ by the end of the night, curtis thought we were celebrities & was telling everyone "you know? my wife made the cake." ~giggle~ he's my biggest fan! ;0)

i thought you might enjoy seeing pics from beginning to end...

i bring all the tiers separately boxed...then stack on site...
all stacked, adding my handmade, edible fondant pearls for the border
all pearls added, and as my mom calls it, "naked cake" ;0)
adding the first of the gum paste flowers....
all the flowers you see are edible, but of course, with the wires running through them/holding them together, you wouldn't want to eat them - they are removed before serving the cake
more flowers....
i made some, and ordered some just plain white - then painted them with edible dusts to match the wedding colors....
i've found that it's cheaper for the couple if i order the bigger, more complex flowers, instead of making them all myself....
i'm actually pretty good at making royal icing & gum paste flowers, but it takes FOREVER!
almost there
tada!
the happy couple, cutting their cake

the wedding was just GORGEOUS!!! i'll post more pics of the location & ceremony on my weekend recap post today....made me want to get married all over again!

i hope u all enjoyed your weekend too! :0)

today is my saturday!

my girls' daycare provider is getting married on saturday (she's kind of in the same boat that i was - she already has been with her fiance for years and has the 2 kids already, then gets married)....so she took off today & tomorrow to get ready, then all next week for their family honeymoon

i took off today & tomorrow to stay at home with corinn (and to pick gabby up from school, since she can't ride the bus to steph's as usual)....then next week is a juggle - i have my dad, mom & sister in law helping curtis & i cover the whole week without having to use up a bunch of vacay time at work

these next 2 days off will also give me some time to work on steph's cake - oh, i guess i didn't mention that....i'm doing their wedding cake, plus have an order of simple cupcakes getting picked up today, a 3yr old's bday cake for tomorrow & another kid's bday cake for sunday....so i definitely will b using corinn's nap time wisely ;0)

i prob won't b on here much, except for maybe to peek in once or twice....i'll reply to any comments or emails on monday....i'll have a hefty cake post that day too! :0)

everyone have a GREAT weekend!

Animal Classification by Jaden

another cute school project that came home this week - i LOVE these!

i'm ruining his life...

at least that's what jaden says....

as i mentioned before, jaden is really starting to express his emotions more these days, and it's sometimes difficult for him to do that appropriately....because i recognize that, i cut the boy some slack, and just try to explain to him what is & isn't appropriate/respectful/nice

last evening at the girls' dance classes, jaden was bored & wanted to go upstairs and get one of the big exercise balls that he knows are up there....i wouldn't let him, explaining that there's not enough room in the lobby to play with it & that they aren't toys - they're meant for the classes....i suggested he draw, or we could go outside & play in the grass....he was not happy with that answer and replied "fine! i'm not your son any more!" ~lol~....i told him i was sorry to hear that, and left it alone....he kept on his sour face and pouted for a while

then when he needed to ask me something, he said "sharon?"

i laughed, "sharon? my name's not sharon."

"yes it is." he said

"okay, u're right - my name is sharon...but you're to call me ma."

he said, "but i'm not ur son any more."

i said, "well, i understand u're upset with my decision, and you can be angry about it...but u cannot call me sharon. that's disrespectful & i expect u to call me ma."

he didn't say anything else & i left it alone as well

he lucked out later & gabby's dance instructor invited us all up to check out the girls in their recital costumes....jaden was able to sit on/roll around with the exercise ball momentarily while all the other parents & i oooh'd & aaaah'd over the girls....then i told him it was time to go back downstairs and he was fine with that....all the 'i'm not ur son' stuff was forgotten

well then this morning, jaden was in his room getting ready for school.....i walked in to check on his progress & he was half dressed, playing with his k'nex.....i told him that he needed to put those away until he was finished getting ready, & then he could get them back out

he started packing them back into their case & simply said, "u're ruining my life."

not in an angry tone or with any real emotion....just matter of factly, without even looking up at me

i chuckled quietly to myself & left his room....but before we walked out of the house to leave, he put his arms around my waist & said, "ma, i'm sorry i said u're ruining my life."

i replied, "it's okay bub, i'm sure it won't be the last time!" ~lol~

Welcome Molly Kate!

proud parents Mindy & Mark welcomed Molly Kate
born 5/6/08 @ 1:35am ~ 7lbs. 6oz. ~ 18" long

Mindy & I were best friends all through high school. This is Mindy's 2nd daughter....proud big sister Halle just turned 7 last month. Mindy called me Monday evening to say she was in labor. Then I had a dream that night that Molly Kate was born, and that she had a head full of dark hair. In my dream, I kept referring to how much she reminded me of Gabrielle.

Well, when I woke up the next morning, I had a text message from Mindy's sister with the birth announcement - Molly's birth weight is exactly the same as Gabby's. She does have that head full of dark hair (still, not quite as much as Gabby had), and the way that her birth went is VERY similar to Gabby's.

Both Mindy & I arrived at the hospital just in time to be wheeled to the maternity area and give birth - no time for prepping, drugs, getting the right doctor in there, etc. I had warned Mindy that the 2nd one moved much quicker for me, and that she shouldn't waste any time getting to the hospital. She went right away, but later went home to rest (against the advice of the doctors at the hospital). They wanted her to stay and rest there until she progressed more and then they'd admit her, but she thought she'd be more comfortable at home. At 1am, her water broke & Mindy's labor intensified big time....they rushed back to the hospital. She said Molly Kate arrived about 15 minutes after they got back to the hospital - in only 2 pushes.

Gabrielle came so quickly, that we had to rush to the closest hospital (not the one I was actually registered at), and she was born only 9 minutes after we pulled up to the emergency room. Luckily, my water hadn't broke or she would have been born in the car - cause believe me, I was pushing (hey, it was the only thing that made the pain the least little bit bearable)! As soon as they broke my water, Gabby was here!

Hey, I told Mindy....at least they'll have a cheaper hospital bill now....anesthesia is expensive! ;0)

Cinco De Mayo

we have no mexican heritage, but look for every excuse to celebrate....so last evening, in honor of cinco de mayo, we grilled hamburgers & hot dogs, and had some drinks & marshmallows by the camp fire (drinks for adults - marshmallows for kids ~wink~).....the little girl that lives 2 houses down the street, that the kids just recently met, joined us for dinner....and i got to meet her mom later....our downstairs neighbor came out to hang with curtis for a while too....it was fun! :0)