Sunday, March 14, 2010

Spring is near

Finally, temps have started to get comfortable again! Its been yucky with rain for the last week, but the girls can't wait to get outside and play (mud and all). Melissa actually said to me the other day, "mommy, its okay if we get muddy" - right after I mopped the entire house! Leave it to kids to find a way to make clean, dirty!

Marian is potty trained (with the exception of nights) and we are awaiting the easter bunny to bring her a "big girl" bed, and Melissa a bunk bed - they will be so excited! Melissa loves singing in the car now - she knows most of her songs on the kid cd, and Marian is starting to pick up on it too - she gets about 1/2 way through the alphabet and then skips to the end. Its progress! Marian's all time favorite song is "if you're happy and you know it"!

Randy has been really busy with work - which is a nice change of scenary from last year for everyone. He's really glad to be working on the project he has right now, and is glad to see all of their hard work being set into motion. Of course, he's been busy at home too. Now that the weather is warming up we have already begun discussing all the outdoor stuff we want to do. It should be a very busy spring/summer for our yard!

I'm finishing up my last two months of school!!!! I'm so excited! I graduate on May 17th, and then have to officially jump into the real world. Job searching has been slow but steady, and we are hopeful I will find something by the time I graduate. In the meantime I am focusing on finishing my classes and preparing for my next round of cakes that I'm going to make. My parents have asked me to make my sisters graduation cake/cupcakes. Pictures of that will be posted in May. But I'm very excited for it - its going to be very Kelsey! I'm also going to be making cakes for my dad's 50th birthday, which happens to coincide with Kelsey's graduation weekend! So the last week of May will be very busy for me. But I can't wait to start doing cakes again!

Hopefully more to come soon...

Thursday, January 21, 2010

LONG TIME, NO SEE (OR WRITE!)

Okay - So I apologize for it taking 6 months to get things "together" enough to continue updating everyone on our family!

As you can imagine, We've been busy!

Last July, I began working nearly fulltime at Family Video - an opening presented itself for more hours and I wanted to start the girls at day care and get them adjusted before my school resumed in August - thus became crazy life as we've known it!

Melissa and Marian began going to a small daycare in July. There are about a dozen kids total, all in one room together and Melissa and Marian get to play together all day! They love it! During the summer they had the opportunity to go swimming with the other kids each week. They also got weekly visits from the book mobile, which Melissa thought was the coolest thing ever! But even better, was Randy's response of "What's the book mobile?" I about died, since book mobile was a regularity for us growing up in Kokomo! Now that its cold out its a little bit harder for them to get outside and swing and run around with their friends, but Sandy keeps the kids plenty busy inside with educational activities. Since Melissa and Marian started in July, they have slowly been making their way through numbers, colors, shapes, and letter. Melissa is now able to write her name all on her own and Marian knows her colors and some letters! And the biggest news for Marian - potty training!

Two weeks ago, after numerous accidents, I became completely fed up with changing diapers as if Marian were a newborn - yes, everytime a little bit of pee came out, Marian was wanting her diaper changed. So I looked at Marian and told her I was done...she was going to have to prove she was a big girl if she wanted to be treated like one. Apparently she understood because I stuck her in her new underwear Santa brought and she was dry all day! She has continued to do really well only having a handful of accidents in the last 2 weeks. She's even starting to wake up dry and use the potty in the morning! Since then she has been rewarded with trips to the movie store, candy, books, and even going to the movie theaters (Her first time!)! Her next big reward will be moving into a big girl bed (twin size) just like her big sister (whom she absolutely idolizes!).

Randy is still working at LML, and things are finally starting to pick up. Thank goodness! Randy was going nuts not beeing busy! Although, sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. He's been assigned to a project with one of the other guys in the office that is expected to last well into March. However, the 4am alarm isn't his favorite part of the day. Fortunately for me I've learned to completely ignore our alarm system so I don't even budge...however, when its really time for me to wake up and Randy's not around, I tend to be forced into rushing myself to get ready!!!!

As I mentioned ealier, in July I began working nearly 40 hours a week. Incredibly busy! I think we all learned a greater appreciation for me being a stay at home mom! Dinner, cleaning, and free time became nearly non-existent for about a month! We've adjusted, but its been rough on the kids. When classes resumed in late August, I decreased my work weeks down to 25 to 30 hours a week, in addition to my 14 credit hours of classes I was taking. Last Fall was extremely exhausting, many days consisting of classes from 8 to 4, followed by work from 5 to 11, then starting over the next day. It was especially rough on the girls not knowing why they didn't get to see mommy all the time.

I'm still working at Family Video, trying for 25 to 30 hours, but am also working an internship at TestAmerica (an environmental testing facility) in Valparaiso, IN 8 hours a week. Combined with 9 credit hours at school, I'm just as busy as ever. Fortunately, a lot of my school work is online this semester so there's more time to spend with the girls. I will be graduating in May and can't wait!!!!!

Santa was a very big deal this year - but that will have to wait a few more days, as will new pictures.

Hope this will suffice for the time being!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Curious George

Spencer is one of our Couisn's from Randy's side - His parents are theming his first birthday party with Curious George. I was so excited to have the opportunity to do something super detailed. The cakes took about three hours total to make - from mixing the cake mix from scratch to the final icing decoration (icing made from scratch too). So all in all, not as much time as I was expecting considering this is the first Character cake I have made! The little one with the banana on it is Spencer's smash cake!






Wednesday, June 3, 2009

The Easter Egg hunt

I think this is probably the first Easter Egg Hunt Melissa will really remember. If I can figure out how to copy our DVD of it onto the computer I will upload part of the Easter Egg hunt, but for now, Pictures will have to do.
Melissa, So excited about what the Easter Bunny left in her Easter Basket
Marian's not really sure what to grab first, Chocolate bunny that I have to open, or random jelly beans....she went for the jelly beans!
Showing Grandma what we got in our Easter Eggs.
Melissa is having a very serious Easter Egg conversation with Grandma.


Marian was opening and eating from her Easter Eggs as fast as she was finding them.

Fingerpaints!

Grandma and Papa Griffin gave Melissa fingerpaints for Easter. That day of course they had to start using them before they opened anything else!!!



Naked is the best way to finger paint - and the cleanest!



Believe it or not, Marian was really good at finger painting :)
Shel also liked trying to eat it....


Melissa getting help from Grandma.


Look Marian can spell! Well, maybe daddy gave her a little bit of help!


Melissa loves painting!!


Melissa's finished artwork.


Marian's finished artwork!

Cakes

For my birthday, Kathy got me a cake decorating set. After a lot of practice on cookies and cupcakes at home (which I think Randy was slightly upset for all the desert stuff he was having to eat :) ) I finally had an opportunity to make a cake for an Easter Celebration at the Cook's house. It turned out pretty cute, kind of like an Easter basket on the sides sitting in grass.





I got my second opportunity to make a cake for my sister Kadra's bridal shower. This one I made using fondant...which is hard and easy at the same time. It takes so long to roll out but getting the cake smooth is so much easier! I used a cookie cutter to cut out the daisy shapes in different colors and then just applied them to the white fondant. Turned out so cute!


Fort La Play Porte

This is the coolest "fort" I have ever seen. We went to the park to have a picnic lunch with our friends Jenny and Nora, and then afterwards let the kids play on this amazing play ground.



Melissa getting ready to go down the super fast slide.


Marian playing peek-a-boo one of many times.


Nora was getting tired....we had to much fun and it was pretty hot that day.


Marian running away from me...yes, I was on the play fort...
it was the only way I could keep an eye on Marian.


All three girls in one spot....I think this is the only time that happened!!!


Melissa loves the tire swing.


Marian and Nora walking off on their own...so stinking cute!!!!