Happy 35th birthday Bruce

On June 26th, Bruce turned 35. He was at Youth Conference on his birthday so we didn't celebrate until the 27th. Eliza and I worked all day to make him a beautiful cake.
The cake was called Fudgy Pudgy cake. After making it and needing to make an emergency run to the grocery store for more butter, I know why they call it Fudgy Pudgy.

We made a buttermilk chocolate layered cake, butter cream frosting in between layers, with a chocolate glaze on top. 

The glaze turned out more like frosting then a glaze. It probably has somethingto do with the fact that I had to go feed a baby part way through the glaze making process. The final product is not pretty (this is why my baking is not featured on a cookbook cover) but it sure was delicious and I am not a big fan of chocolate cake.

The kids and I did put 35 candles on his cake. You can tell which ones the kids put on.

I also blew up 35 baloons. It didn't take near as long as I thought it would, but my lips were a bit raw afterwards.

We invited the Nelsons, Zowtiaks, and Olsen over to celebrate. 

Bruce managed to blow out all the candles in one breath. I hope all his wishes come true. 

Happy Birthday Bruce, you are the best ever.

4th of July fireworks

Despite the heat we faced during the day, a thunderstorm swept the area during the late afternoon and cooled everything off quite significantly. We ended up,wearing sweat shirts and blankets to watch fireworks that evening. 

Immediately following the parade, Eliza wanted to watch fireworks. She talked about it all day long, and kept asking if it was time to go and watch them. She kept worrying that the rain would cancel the fireworks, and this was definitely not okay with her. She ran around all day without stopping. I'm sure she was afraid that if she didn't run around she would surely fall asleep. We watched fireworks in Evanston, Wy where fireworks are not illegal. Fireworks, big ones, were shooting off every where, all around us. It was like watching fireworks in surround sound. I saw hundreds of fireworks before the city show even started. Hazel fell asleep almost immediately after we sat down, and she managed to sleep the rest of the night despite the all night long pops, booms, and bangs. Zabien liked the green and pink ones the best. 

And Eliza.... Poor Eliza. Her excitement must have got the best of her.  She snuggled up on the blanket  because she was cold, positioned herself just right to get a good view, and promptly fell asleep before the actual firework show began. 

She did get to see some. As mentioned before everyone was shooting off fireworks, but I do feel bad she didn't get to see the big ones. Good thing we do this every year. Next year babe, next year.

How to play tag

Step 1: When you are "it", sit on the steps and think about who you will tag.

Step 2: Once you have decided who to tag, shout out the victim as loud as you can. Another helpful hint is to always choose the same person, that takes away the element of surprise. It's also helpful to always choose daddy.

Step 3: if you are doubtful that you will be able to catch the person you want to (in this case daddy), ask your sister to hold him in place.  That way he is easier to catch. 

Step 4: Stand in place so you will be tagged "it", then repeat step 1.