For Tessa's birthday we took her to Build-a-Bear Workshop for the first time.  I don't know why we waited so long to take the girls there… it was AWESOME!

Tessa picked a white and pink bear that she named "Anna".  She picked out pink leggings, a pink skirt, pink flip flops, a pink tank top, a pink hat, and pink sunglasses for Anna to wear.

Emma picked a brown dog that she named "Goggy" (like Doggy) and picked out a yellow princess-butterfly outfit with silver flip flops for her to wear.

I think our favorite part was watching the animals get stuffed, and making a wish on the little heart they put inside.  SO CUTE!

Look at those smiles.  Totally worth it!

P.S.  Did you know that they have a fluffing station so you can bring your bear into the store and fluff him up?  It looks like a shower head but has just air coming out of it, and they even have brushes you can use to fluff your bear up. 

**This post is more than two months late.  Emma's birthday was November 27, 2007.**

When it was time to plan Emma's second birthday we knew the only theme that we could possibly use would be Elmo, since Elmo is the love of Emma's life.

I still had the Elmo cake pan from Tessa's second birthday party… SCORE!

I got a cake mix.  Strawberry, because Elmo's insides are pink, right?

I mixed it up…

and poured it in the pan.  Ready to bake! 

Elmo looks worried.  He says, "Elmo wonders what you are doing to Elmo's head!"

Emma watched it bake for a while.

All done baking.

Now the tricky part… flipping it over onto a platter.

Time to frost.  Thank goodness for Wilton Ready-to-Decorate Icing.

I bought red and white icing early so I'd be prepared ahead of time.  The day of the party I got the icing out and realized… hey, Elmo's face isn't just red and white.  I need orange and black also.  Uh oh. 

Fact.   In my neck of the woods there isn't a single store that carries this particular icing in all four colors I needed (red, orange, black and white).  This means multiple trips to stores, after multiple calls to stores, all on the day of the party.  Awesome.

Fact.  Black icing is nearly impossible to find unless it is Halloween, so stock up in October if you plan to make this cake.

Okay, ready to start frosting Elmo.

Now frost some more.

And more frosting.  Almost done.

Ahhhh… finished.

Feed Elmo cake to Elmoid Emma.

Other uses for the Elmo cake pan include, but are not limited to…

Freeze water in Elmo cake pan for Ice day at preschool.

Can be used for play dough, although I doubt you'd ever have enough to actually fill up the Elmo cake pan.

**Emma's second birthday party post coming soon.**

This post is super duper late… like over a month late, but I still wanted to say Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband. 

Rogene, 

After sixteen years I still feel very lucky to be married to you.  You are a terrific husband and father.  You're the best!  I love you!

I had to work so Tessa gave Rogene his presents and helped put his candles on his birthday pie.  (Tessa was very, very happy to be in charge of the birthday celebration, and I think she even took this picture.)

My much older brother (ha!) Tim turned 40th on August 29.  Happy birthday Tim!

We had Tessa's 5th Birthday Party at our local Carousel.  Our theme was Barbie Twelve Dancing Princesses.  For a craft all the kids decorated foamy sunglasses and then posed for a picture.  We had dinner, and then the kids ran off to ride the carousel.  After that, we had cake and gifts and passed out goody bags.  Tessa had a blast playing with her friends from preschool and church!

We had a small family party for Tessa's 5th birthday last Friday night.  (I know, I know, I haven't posted about her big party at all yet… that post is coming soon.)  The highlight was when everyone in the family (including Rogene's sister Lhevinne and her 5 kids) decorated foamy sunglasses and posed for a picture.  Why?  Because we are just crazy like that.

P.S.  All girls had to wear a tiara and all boy had to wear a sheriff's badge.  Why?  Just for fun.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

(This picture was taken this morning.  We do presents first thing in the morning.)

New bed from Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Tim.  New Holly Hobbie comforter and pillow from Mommy and Daddy.

Favorite new toy. (She is playing with it right now.)

Birthday newsletter and birthday party pictures coming soon.

Start with a pink cake mix.  Actually buy several, just in case.

Mix.

Prepare Barbie…

… by removing her legs. (Gasp!)

Bake cakes in several shapes and sizes including…

Bundt

Round

Pyrex measuring cup (what?)

and cupcakes (which you should frost in case the Barbie cake doesn't work out)

Assemble barbie cake by stacking the bundt cake on top of the round cake.  Jam a cupcake down into the hole, and then cut up the pyrex measuring cup shaped cake into three pieces and see which one seems to fit the best.  Jam legless Barbie into the center of the cake. Begin to frost with copious amounts of frosting.

Keep adding frosting.  Lots and lots of frosting.  Realize that legless Barbie is sinking into the cake like quicksand. 

See if adding Barbie's tutu helps.  Nope.  All the frosting in the world isn't going to hold her steady.

Decide to reattach legs.  Pull Barbie out of cake.

Reattach legs.  Realize Barbie is now too tall for the cake.  Cut Barbie's feet off with snips to make her shorter.

It worked!  Here is the finished Barbie Cake.

You could follow these steps and make your very own Barbie cake. 

~~~OR~~~

You could buy a Wilton Wonder Mold and do it the easy way.  It even comes with a Barbie doll pick… so there is no possibility of having to cut any limbs off Barbie.

*When I was searching the Internet for how to make this cake I found this Barbie doll cake.  That is where we got the name "Princess Lumpy." 

**Tessa was very offended by the name Princess Lumpy.  Since she had a Barbie 12 Dancing Princesses Party she wanted the cake to be called Princess Genevieve.

After freezing at our campsite for a while, we decided to head down to the beach.  It was about a quarter of a mile from our camp sites.

Lets just say that riding two to a umbrella stroller was NOT my idea.

(It was my dad's idea.  This is the same guy who pulled me and my brother in a wagon behind his motorcycle.  I'll let you guess how that turned out.)

Tessa decided to fly a kite.  Braden and Emma are enjoying the show.

This picture totally makes me smile because it reminds me of every beach trip I went on as a kid.  When my dad goes to the beach he sits on a blanket with shoes on so his feet don't touch any sand, and he covers up with blankets.  My grandmother was the same way.

Braden dug a big hole in the sand.  Emma was really excited about it.  My mom forbid Braden to let anyone bury him up to his neck in the sand.  When he asked why she said, "If a tsunami comes you won't be able to get away."  Frankly, if I were Braden and I was buried up to my neck in the sand, I'd be more worried about someone kicking me in the head. 

Emma went straight for the ocean and didn't stop even when her feet were getting wet.

My sister Pam and her husband Darryl, who was sporting sweat pants that he had put on backward.

Kiara and Emma playing around.

Tessa, taking a break from the kite flying.

Rogene and me, rocking our Roots USA 2002 "pie man" hats.

Tessa trying to keep warm.

Emma making raspberries.

Rogene helping Tessa ride her bike back to the yurt.

Lessons learned on this camping trip (learn from my mistakes, people!)…

• No camping in May in Oregon
• No camping at the Oregon Coast (usually cold and windy)
• Be prepared for the barfing with extra EVERYTHING