Our Birthdays

Derek and I went out for sushi on my birthday. Before we left, we had cake so the kids could enjoy it to. 

After the picture, I walked around the other side of the counter so the kids could help me blow out the candles. 

By the time I got to the other side, there were no more candles for me to blow out!

Makena was sad that she didn't get to blow out any candles.

For Daddy's birthday, he went out with some friends earlier in the week to a shooting range and dinner. On his actual birthday, we took a cake to his work. 

Since Makena didn't get to blow out my candles, she got to help Daddy blow out his. And all was well in her little world!

That same week, we also celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary! 

Cars and a Cake for Kyle

The day after Kyle's birthday, Aunt Stephanie and Jimmy visited from Illinois. We went out to dinner and then had cake to celebrate our two year old. Kyle loved the cars on the cake. They didn't stay on it for very long!

  

Karis' "Pretend" Birthday

Karis has been talking to me about her birthday for the past couple months.  She went back and forth about wanting a Princess birthday and a Hello Kitty one.  We decided it could be both, with Princess decorations and Hello Kitty plates.  She also asked for a rainbow cake and streamers, and told me the names of her friends that she wanted at the party.

When we found out we were moving to Texas, I wanted to throw her a party before we left so she could celebrate with her friends. I wanted her party to be exactly how she envisioned it.  She was very excited to have a party and called it her "pretend birthday" because I told her she would still be three years old. 

I made her a rainbow cake and let her decorate the cupcakes.

  

I put up some Princess decor and she helped me with the streamers and balloons.  

    

The girls made beaded necklaces and tiaras with jewels and foam stickers.  They quietly and intently worked on their projects.  

The finished products.

Afterwards we had pizza for dinner. 

The girls played a little and then it was time for cake!

       

And then presents!

And the last present to open was a big girl bicycle from Julie Emo and family!

She had a great time and I loved hearing her say, "This is the best birthday ever!"  I loved that the party was small and simple and had just the things she wanted.  

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Every year on Christmas Eve, Karis and I make a birthday cake for Jesus.  It's a fun activity to do while Derek is typically at church all day.

It's been neat having Karis more involved each year.  This year, Makena participated for the first time by helping decorate the cake.  Since they had such a great time decorating the gingerbread house, I decided to decorate this cake with M&Ms and sprinkles.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Karis and I made a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas Eve. I thought about letting Makena help us, but then I remembered how much raw batter Karis ate last year. I think it was best not to have her be a part of this tradition until next year.

This year, Karis was able to do most of the pouring and mixing.

I rolled out some fondant and she cut out some shapes so that we could decorate the cake. She poured, I mean put sprinkles on top of the cake too! It was a white cake with strawberry jam and chocolate buttercream.

We went to my sister's house for dinner on Christmas day. The kids enjoyed singing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Karis was so excited to finally get a "bite" of the cake we had been working on for two days!