Bowdabra

Looks like I need to answer a few questions on my new toy the bowdabra. There are two sizes of bowdabra's. I have the mini because I am just using it for little girl bows. You can get them at wal-mart or Micheal's. I think the later is better because you can use the 40% off coupon. The cost is somewhere around 9.00 bucks for the mini without the coupon. I did try to find one at Joanne's and they don't carry them.

How to use it (this is for you amber). I looked at a few different bow websites and stole ideas on how I wanted to make my bows look and figured it out how to do it from there. But a basic bow you put a piece of string to tie the bow in the center of the bowdabra. Then grab the center of your ribbon so it goes down in the bowdabra like a W. This just makes it pretty. Then flip it back around and do a loop and around again to make the other side. The bowdabra just helps in holding your bow in place and making the bow the same size.
Happy bow makin gals hopefully this makes your lives easier and answers all of your questions.

My new toy

So I know this might be a silly thing to blog about but I have fallen in love. My sister in law has been telling me about something called a bowdabra for months and I kept thinking I don't need that because I can make bows already without one. Well I now think everyone in the world with a little girl needs one of these. I am converted for life and am a bow making freak. SO I'd like to thank my mother in law and Val for making me a freak!

Briggs first Hair cut

Brigg received his first hair cut today by his uncle Curtis. Curtis did such a great job! It's so weird looking at him with shorter hair I feel like I have a brand new son. Here are the before middle and after pictures.
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Master of Disguise

One of our favorite cartoons around her is "the Backyardigans". One of the episodes features a character that is entitled The Master of Disguise. He is able to dress up and fool anyone in thinking he is someone else through his costume changes. I am afraid I live with the Master of Disguise. This kid cracks me up with how cool he thinks his pink glasses are. You wont find him without a hat on hardly ever, I hadn't noticed that until a friend had commented that he didn't know my son was a blond because of the constant hat on his head. He's a strange one but we sure love him. Here are a few of his many getup's.

School boy. Note the keys in his pocket and the backpack he packed with diapers, a drink, his bear, and a variety of trucks.
A cowboy. I know the majority of cowboys wear shades buy grandpa does and so you go with what you know right.
Hawaiian. This was so funny because he couldn't get them off thus the unhappy face.
Finally a dare devil. This is him asleep at the top of the stairs. Scared me half to death when I about broke my leg coming down the stairs.

Introducing the Birthday MONSTER

This past Sunday was Brad's Birthday but in our family it's not just a day it's an entire week that we celebrate. So I decided to come up with The Birthday Monster and it was such a hit. The Birthday Monster leaves a gift that is hidden where Monster's hide (under your bed, closet etc.) each night all week until your birthday. I chose a monster because I figured I could tell my kids that their closets and underneath their beds had to be clean if they want the monster to come, and it makes monsters a little less scary. It really made the entire week fun and at the end I through him a birthday luau. He said he had the best time and loved his birthday week. I want to say thanks to those who came and celebrated with us you really made Brad feel loved.

Jumbo old Grump

So we scored some great tickets the other night from my dad to go to the D-Backs game. Brad really wanted to go for his birthday month so there you go. The two seats next to us were filled by my uncle and his wife who just got back from Disneyland. (it seems like every one is either going or coming back right now). They came directly off the plane to the game and so they were sporting there new d-land gear. My uncle had a Grumpy hat on that you could see clear across the ball field because the brim was so big and white. The top part of the hat was Grumpies head and the brim was his huge beard. Well I wasn't kidding when I said you could find that hat clear across the ball field because the guys with the camera's found us and we got to be on the Jumbo-tron!!! I thought I would never in my life get to be on there but my aunt tugged me on the shoulder and said look that's you! I know we got on there because of that hat. So we're crossing that off the bucket list.

So we had a grand first birthday for Vanessa. She shared the day with Dallyn and Curtis who just came home from Alaska. All of Curtis's family were there also to celebrate their homecoming.It is so good to have my baby sister back and giggling as ussual.

As far as the look of the party went I was pleased with the decorations but my cake was a disaster. I decided I don't want to ever take so much time making a cake ever. So fondant is out the door, pherhaps some emblishment but never the entire thing. It didn't turn out how I had wanted, who wants a cake that looks like a pile of rocks with two flowers out the top, but Vanessa & Brigg would shovel a peice of the side decorations in their faces when I wasn't looking. Which by the way you are not suppose to eat fondant, I know hard to believe that you spend all this preperation on an yucky frosting. On the upside the cake inside stayed nice and moist because of the thick layer of icing.
So here's a few pics from the party. Brad was behind the camera so there is a lot of me and Vanessa. He sure loves his girls.
We had a great time and I am so thankful to have my smiley wiggly Vanessa in our family. She has been such a great baby from the start. We took her to a football game the other night and she cheered, clapped, and ate two bowls of popcorn. I just love that girl!

Warning kindof a dumb post but cool ideas

So I have been trying to find some great cake ideas for my little girls birthday. Which wouldn't be so hard if the event wasn't combined with a full grown man's coming home/ belated birthday party. Yea try and come up with a theme for that. As I looked for the ideas I stumbled on these cupcakes and they made me laugh. Cupcakes used to not make me laugh until recently. It would sound stupid if I tried to explain the humor behind cupcakes but it has everything to do with Kelly. As I was looking at different cakes I thought about different people and thought I would come up with a really dumb blog post. But the cakes are really cool so you might take a look.
Kelly the cupcake queen here's a new idea for your cupcake loving fam.

This is so my sister in law Fawn. She understands the importance a beautifully put together cake. Before her I looked at a wedding cake as food, foolish me, what a work of art they can be. Thanks again for doing mine fawny.

For Brigg because I don't know any other kid to say truck so cool.

For my wanna be rock star sister. Here's to having a leather shower curtain eh' sis

This cake I have no idea how they did it but I am just starting in my cake decorating. But this is for sure for my father in law who loves penguins.

This cake is for my sister in law Valerie. It just has so much personality and she is having a Halloween party soon so I thought I would throw the idea her way.

All settled in

The folks are off to Alaska to finally bring my sister home. We are so excited to get her and her husband back in town. Mean while we are getting all settled in to our new living arrangements and I haven't posted in such a long time I thought I would just snap some photo's of what everyone is doing right now. The first picture says so much about my kids. If you notice she is in Pj's and is looking so adorable. I don't know about you but my kids all of sudden become the worlds best charmers before bed so they can stay up. The next is Brigg hanging out on uncle Lance's bed watching "turtle's" (teenage mutant ninja turtles). He had been asking for the movie all day and Uncle Lance and mom finally said yes. The third is Brad and Laney having dinner and watching turtles with Brigg. Nothing too exciting tonight but we are planning on taking over the world later so I'll let you know how that plan goes.