...zac's zest...

the other day, zac came up to me, with a big smile on his face and said..."mom, i have to tell you something." ever so curious as to what he was so happy about, i said, "okay zac, what do you have to tell me?" and so matter of factly and with the cutest little tone in his voice, he said, "i LOVE this life!" it was so cute...and obviously made me smile. if there's anything i want to instill in my children, it would have to be a love for life & a realization that the skies are the limit when it comes to what you can get out of it...and what you can become. i hope his love for life doesn't fade any time soon...hopefully it just keeps getting bigger!

...Friday's Favorites...

i've had a few people asking me about my cake decorating class. i actually took the class almost 2 years ago at shepard's in orem. since then, however, shepard's has closed...(very disappointing, i must say)...BUT, there's good news! the class i took was a wilton class...and there always seems to be a craft store or some cute lady teaching the classes nearly everywhere! sooo...if you're interested in taking a cake decorating class...i would highly recommend these ones. i took the "discover cake decorating - course 1"...it's very basic & perfect for beginners, but they have more advanced classes as well. anyway...by clicking here you can see whether or not the class i took is offered in your area...try it out...so fun!

...in awe...

zac and i had so much fun watching these little caterpillars change into butterflies! i was amazed and still am at how quickly they transform into a completely different life form...pretty cool. anyway...here's our little experiment and their amazing journey summed up in just a few pictures...

this isn't the best picture...but it's the only one i took the night we got them. they came in the mail just like this...all the yellow stuff at the bottom is their food.

about 10 days later, they made their way up to the top of the container and somehow wove themselves into these cocoons. you can see the last one of the bunch is still not quite there.

once they were all in their cocoons, we moved them into this fun container...and anxiously waited. sometimes i wonder if i got this little kit for zac, or if i got it for myself. i seriously thought it was the coolest thing ever! anyway...they stayed in their cocoons for another 10 days or so...

we woke up sunday morning to find our first butterfly! by that afternoon all of them had come out of their cocoons.

a couple of days later, we decided to let them go...and i was so bummed because i didn't get one picture of them flying out of the cage...they were way too fast for my picture-taking skills.

but i did get a few shots once they landed on some blossoms... :)

i couldn't help but draw some sort of parallel between these little creatures and each one of us. we all have so much potential...and everything we need to make us into the amazing beings we truly are is already inside of us...it's all right there, just so many times we don't realize it. i mean really, if we all could recognize the strength and potential that already lies within us, and we actually did something with it...this world would be a much better place!

"just like the butterfly,
i too will awaken in my own time."

...deborah chaskin...

...how time flies...

yes, emerson turned one last friday. it really is crazy how fast time flies...and for that reason, i thought a bird theme would work great for the occasion! it was so much fun putting this together...it may be a sickness of mine, i don't know...but i did love every minute of it. and as you can see, emerson was enjoying the decorations just as much!

the invitations (i made a whopping foUr of them...)


i must say that my cake decorating class finally paid off...this was really fun to make...and even more fun because it actually turned out...hoOray!! :)

i found these little suckers for 30 cents at michael's...and then used my parent's cuttlebug to make the tags...nice, cheap, and easy!

the banner...that i have yet to post instructions on how to make it...i will though...someday i promise! ;)

the birdies...i used the same template that i posted a while back. click here for the template, and then if you want, you can resize them for a nice little variety.

little emmy was a bit somber for her party. she fell asleep right after dinner...so we forced her awake to open presents and do the whole cake thing...i don't think she was too happy about it, but hello...she was the whole reason we were even having a party, so i couldn't let her sleep through it!

i think this is the only smile we got out of her during the whole birthday cake event. she liked the singing and candle...but did not want one thing to do with getting dirty. which is ironic, because zac was the exact same way on his first birthday...i think our kids are neat freaks or something...i mean seriously, how many one year olds don't like to get dirty?!

this is emmy's reaction after i forced her hand in the cake...and yes she remained this way for a very long time!! i must say though, a one year old with attitude can be pretty cUte!

the crazy party goers...some of them at least.

i had to include this picture of kYlie...so cute she is!

and last but not least...zac had a great time with grandpa field this weekend! it was nice of them to make the trip over for the occasion...and nice of everyone that came...thanks for a great time family!!

...Friday's Favorites...

since i was a little girl, this has always been one of my most favorite desserts. it's quick, easy, and perfect for a sunday afternoon dessert...you'll have to give it a try! :)

...chocolate ribbon...

1 cup flour
1 cube butter
1 heaping tablespoon powdered sugar
8 ounces cool whip
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large package instant chocolate pudding
2 1/2 cups milk
chocolate bar shavings

preheat oven to 300. combine the flour, butter, and heaping tablespoon of powdered sugar. press into a 9x13" pan. bake for 25-30 min, or until barely turning golden brown. remove from oven and cool completely.

combine cool whip (6 oz. ONLY), cream cheese, and powdered sugar. once it is well mixed, spread on top of the cooled crust.

combine milk and pudding and mix together until thickened. once that's done...spread this on top of the cream cheese mixture. top with remaining cool whip & chocolate bar shavings.

**this is best (i think) if you refrigerate it for a couple of hours before serving it.**