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Piano recital

I had a piano recital tonight and decided to get a little creative with the treats afterword. These are the brownies I made. I created my own stencil out of paper and put it on top of the brownies, then sprinkled them with powdered sugar. They were a hit!

Pics from Caleb's party

The treasure map led to this chest filled with popsicles. I made this from a styrofoam cooler. I painted it black and then put gold ribbon around the edges. It turned out really cute.

Our pirate chest filled with candy loot!

A real pirate battle!

Caleb's birthday

Caleb just turned 5 and he wanted a pirate-themed party with all of his friends. I wasn't exactly sure what to do at first, but the more we planned, the more fun we had with it. The party turned out great! First they did a "pin the pirate on the map" game. Then we gave each kid a tattoo. After that they all went on a treasure hunt and had a blast. The treasure chest at the end was filled with popsicles. They were a tasty treat for such a hot day! (It was 95 degrees!) Then we had a pinata. The pinata was really cute. Chris took a mini styrofoam cooler and painted it and packed it with candy. It worked out great because all the kids got to hit and it broke open a lot easier than those cardboard ones at the store. The final game was my favorite. Chris actually came up with this fun idea. We recently bought a freezer so Chris used the freezer box and cut out two pirate ships. Then he painted them. We divided the kids up into two teams and armed them with squirt guns and water balloons. Once we gave them the go ahead they attacked each other. They had a blast! We had kids chasing each other all around the water. Even the ones who weren't too sure about getting wet ended up having a lot of fun. After they were sufficiently soaked we gathered around the table for a cake. We made a treasure chest cake filled with coins, ring pops, and candy necklaces. It was not easy for me to make, but Chris helped me rig it so it stayed up a lot better. It turned out so cute. Of course we ended everything with presents for Caleb and gift bags for the kids. We ended right on time (it took 1 1/2 hours), and every one left with smiles on their faces. It was so much fun. I couldn't have done it without Chris. He was so good at herding the kids around and getting them moved from game to game. Besides that he saved me from a mental breakdown while I was making the cake. He is my superhero!

Some pics from our recent vacation

Matt's 1st birthday. Chris helped him by dunking his head into the frosting.
Family at Hogle Zoo
He's already a monkey like his older brother. He climbs EVERYTHING!
Bath time at the cabin.
Caleb and his cousin Katie on the 4-wheeler.

Summer time

Summer is here. Chris got a (long-awaited) week-long break. Playing with his kids, golfing with his friends, and 4-wheeling are a few of the things he was able to enjoy. Oh yeah, RELAXING was at the top of his list. He started his summer job a few days ago, and he's glad it only will last six weeks. Luckily he'll take breaks with his coaching camps. I guess I should mention that he is the freshman basketball coach for next year, so the coaching keeps him busy, even in the summer. I have 11 piano students currently, and have heard anywhere from 2 to 5 more are interested. I'll probably stop there. It keeps me busy, but I really love it. Caleb's birthday is in a couple of days and he is excited to finally be turning 5, because he's the last of all his friends. He's going to have a pirate party, so i get to attempt to make a treasure chest cake. We'll see how that turns out! Matthew recently turned 1 and is a ball of fun. He's been walking a little bit, and he's imitating a lot of things recently, so his vocabulary now consists of 6 or 7 words. I love my boys!