Happy Birthday, Wyatt

This sweet boy's birthday was on April 6th and I just have to brag a bit. He isn't only the most hilarious little monster i've ever met...with a sense of humor that rivals his uncle Jon's...but he's also one of the sweetest and friendliest 3-year-olds to walk the earth. 

I'm a pretty friendly person...I enjoy talking to people in the checkout line at the grocery store, and I love moving and meeting new people in the neighborhood and ward, but Wyatt makes me move out of my comfort zone all the time! He loves people so much! We were stopped at a light and had the windows down in the car. I was zoned out, thinking about the morning and what needed to be done when we got home. After a few seconds of being stopped I hear Wyatt say "Hi!" from the back seat. A gravelly, high-pitched voice answered "Hi...How ya doing?" I looked back to see an old, leathery man who had (by the sound of his voice) been a smoker most of his life in the car next to Wyatt's window. He was talking to my almost 3-year-old. Wyatt proceeded the conversation while I smiled from the front seat:

"I'm doing good. What's yours name?" 

"My name's Wilfred." 

"Oh, that's a good name. Yours car is blue."

And then the light turned and I reluctantly moved forward in the line of traffic. 

 Do our children need to be wary of strangers in the alarming world we live in? Yes...but I hope that I can do more than teach my children to watch out for "bad people". I hope I can help them understand that while they need to take care of themselves and stand up for their values and beliefs...part of those beliefs we hold so dear is to love those around us. To be non-judgmental and understanding of others and their problems. To always give others the benefit of the doubt and be kind without being a push-over. I want strong kids...but caring and feeling kids.  I may have been a little taken aback by the sound of a smoke-worn voice speaking to my child, but my wonderful little boy was not. Who knows what Wilfred was doing that day or where he was coming from, but I know Wyatt helped him smile and made his day a little bit brighter. As he did mine.

 I love you, Crash. Thank you for teaching me to better love those around me. And thank heaven's Granny got you a spiderman helmet for your birthday to protect your cranium.

"Verily, I say unto you except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven."  -Matthew 18:3

Ode to Barbara...and Keaton

Those of you who know my family know that we LOVE music! I can't count the number of times my family sang for different church/community functions growing up. And we (at least my dad, sister and I) LOVE Barbara Streisand. That voice!!! Nobody sings like that anymore and she is fabulous.

So my nephew's birthday was March 27th and he was in the cast of "Hello, Dolly!" at his school. So for his birthday, my sister asked me to make a special cake. An "Ode to Barbara and Keaton" cake.

Here she is!:

Remember those feathers and the gold sequined dress Barbara wears at the end of the movie?? INCREDIBLE! and that gave us the top tier.

I overheard one of the girls say: "It looks just like one of Buddy's cakes on that show (cake boss)." Her eyes widened, "...Is it one of his cakes!?" I'm sure Buddy would cringe at having my amateur cake compared to his, but I was flattered beyond words! Anyways, hope they loved the cake! It was an incredible learning experience for me. Those glitter letters were a PAIN and I had to rethink them about 3 times as they dried due to breakage, but I really like how it turned out! 

Thanks for being born, baby nephew...I can't believe how old you are!

So Long, Dearie! ;)

To Infinity

I made this cake a couple months ago for a little girl, Ivee, that's in our church. She loved Toy Story at the time, and especially Buzz (i'm a Cowboy Woody gal myself, but to each her own)! I need to tell you that the hardest part of this cake was Buzz. GAH!!! I thought it would be so easy! No....nope....resounding "NO"....guys....no. The way I did it was NOT easy. BUT!!!....it looked pretty darn cool in the end. :)

When I make a name tag ahead of time, I make sure to put it on a pot so as it dries, it will dry to the right curve. Otherwise, it will break when I try to attach it to the cake. Luckily...Buzz didn't need to curve. (I randomly thought of the movie "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" as I uploaded these pictures. I just realized it's because I watched that movie while making my Buzz topper! haha!)

 Pretty cute, right? I learn with each cake I make and it's awesome! Although I will say, after the 3-tiered monstrosity I just made a week ago...I think i'm caked out for a while. Maybe I should post a recipe or two!