Kenzie Birthday pictures

I posted some of these on FB, but for your viewing pleasure (*Elisa*), here they are again with some additional bonuses. 

This is the turtle cake I made for Kenzie. It was my first time using marshmallow fondant, and though I was pleased with the result, the process of making the sticky, gooey stuff was rough. I'm not sure if I'll do it again. But it was really nice to be able to manipulate it and mold it to make a simple turtle cake. 

See, we learned while in St. Louis that Kenzie loves turtles. So I decided to make one. I used a small Pyrex bowl for the shell and then cupcakes for the head and feet. Okay, so it was a lot of fun using fondant, but MAN, first time is always bumpy, right?

When it came time to sing and cut the cake, I asked Kenzie which part she wanted. She didn't respond so I asked Caleb, and he of course said he wanted the head. And I obliged, not even considering what the repercussions from Kenzie might be. And boy where there! She bawled, we reapplied the head; she ate the eyes off. It was hilarious!  

Hopefully that video works. It was funny! 

And for the kitchen. This was something I wanted to do a year ago, so finally in November we found this gem to transform. We figured we had 6 months, we should be fine...

We didn't plan on me being sick for 2 months...or for just crazy school (why did we not plan on THAT?)...so it was crunch time before her birthday. And Justin really did all of the work. I made those little pot holders and the apron, but that was just a fraction of the time and effort Justin put into making it (especially with limited tools, which he hates). 

I personally love how it turned out. The kiddos play with it together and make very creative soups and Kenzie serves me water repeatedly. It's lovely. 

Again, happy birthday to my 2 year old little girl!

Celebration!

What a month!

Mackenzie turned 2 (almost a month ago...wow). Between the kitchen Justin created for her and the turtle cake I decorated for her, it was a fabulously dramatic and memorable birthday celebration.

My little 2 year old loves her animals and gets very sad if they are taken from her. She loves her big brother and tries to copy him in everything he does, even if we've already said not to do it. She MUST do it. She is an independent, lovey, always hungry conversationalist. When we put her to bed, she has as many animals with her as possible. Last night I counted 8, including the bear that is bigger than her and the caterpillar she can ride. And she always insists on a blanket even if it's hot.

She is girl through and through, loving shoes and always wanting to wear Sunday shoes if they are within reach (plus she can do them herself...independent!), and she LOVES bows and dresses and bracelets and babies. Her active loves are for slides and balls and she consistently tries to step up to the bat. She loves water, and was more daring on the slip and slide than Caleb was.

She is such a sweetie and I love that she gets excited by Daddy and baby and life in general. Happy 2 years my little Squirlie Girlie!

I had my birthday...which was fun! Justin and I were able to go see Star Trek and enjoy some cheese cake. It was pretty low key but quite enjoyable!

We had a successful ultrasound where we were able to see our little baby moving around, see all the body parts, hands feet, nose; we saw baby drinking, saw the heart pumping. It was a beautiful, special, emotional experience! And we learned the gender. *drum roll* (and Daddy, if you happen to check my blog, stop reading, NOW). I'll say it in Russian just in case Grandpa does get on her and doesn't stop reading, he'll have to work to find out. The rest of you..sorry, you have to work too. Anyway, the baby is a мальчиk! We are super excited, especially our children. :) We went out to IHOP that night for dinner, told the kiddos what baby was, and then they helped us continue our tradition of selecting and buying a special take-home outfit. It makes it so real! I'm having a baby in October!! I don't think I'll ever be ready...

Our lives are getting crazier (between fitting 3 car seats in our little car, fitting 3 kiddos in the same room, Justin preparing for Super Block, weddings, and crazy primary calling...), but we feel blessed and excited!