The second birthday of Isabel.

Up late, loaded on sugar, it was a pretty fun day. We ate out, then all four of us when shopping at the big sale at Toys R Us, got Mrs. Spider's tea set, a blue Booh-Bah, a dinosaur piano and some weebles (which are great for working-out muscle knots in your back, by the way). She has been growing and changing by leaps and bounds lately, and thinking of her rough start and close calls early in life makes it all the more amazing. She is tiny (a whopping 24 pounds of charm), but she is talkative, expressive, so sweet and cuddly, already has quite a wonderful sense of humor, and even bats her eyelashes on cue every time.

She calls herself Bee Bah.

She showed relief when I finally started calling her that - shame on us for giving her a name impossible for a two-year-old to pronounce. She does tell you she is two (cheee-oooo) and holds up her crossed fingers when you ask her how old she is - I find quite impressive.

Happy Cakes - out of the mouths of babes

Man, have I had a sugar-tooth lately. Here is a most delicious cake design, made into a perfect little skirt for Isabel: "Happy Cakes." I love this: my older daughter Hannah's name for birthday cakes - from when she was little of course. I just adore the names that babies give to things when they are just learning to talk. In fact, Hannah is also the "brain child" behind the name of the Pack-Pack (our Chinese Mei Tai baby carrier). Other names she had were Roast Beast (Roast Beef), Smashed Potatoes, and an old friend just wrote today telling me how her 3 year-old calls her job her "dumb-dumb." This apparently came out of her saying she needed to go back to her "dumb job" one day - this cracked me up.
While I am reminiscing, Hannah once drew a picture of me. "Mom, here is a picture of you. ...But if you turn it on it's side, it is a loaf of bread, or a potato."

Strange Cakes

Cake #2; don't look too close. And don't ask what it is, or what it is for. It is crazy green sea-urchins with drippy web-bowers, leaves, and hearts.

I am finding the food colors a bit difficult to work with, not to mention the consistency of the butter cream frosting, but it really is making me want to take some classes in this. My first scrollwork I laid seemed pretty good for freehand, then I started getting mixed up as far as the direction of the scrolls, and realized how nice a scroll stencil would be. The fondant is very difficult as well. I have a TON more appreciation for cake makers/decorators now that I have tried my hand at it.