I have mentioned the famous "Slugs and Bugs" CD on here before (Top 5). It has become Big C and Little H's favorite van music. Hudson: "God me me, like the sea, ok?" - "Yes Hudson, we will play the God Made Me CD."
Well, Randall Goodgame (singer and songwriter) came to our church this past weekend! The boys were ecstatic! And I have to say, Will and I were pretty excited to take them to their first kid's concert!
Big C got to invite two of his close buddies, William and Caden. The three musketeers had a blast! - Even with Little H tagging along!
I was so excited that even my parents, Aunt Shannie and Adalyn were able to join in the fun!
These wild 4 boys (minus Gray, who fell asleep during the concert) and so many other children had a fun-filled afternoon of dancing, singing, and just simply acting crazy! It's that what kids are supposed to do? Singing and dancing while learning about the truths of God! How much better can it get?
I am so thankful for a church that is so incredibly family-focused!
So........., I have seen adorable cake pops all over the internet! A few of my friends have even tried these adorable bite-size cakes on a stick. Naturally, I thought I would give it a try. I have to say, there were scrumptious, but they were quite a bit of work! I'm still not quite sure they were totally worth it, but they were a hit at the Daniels' house!
Because I was making these cake pops for Big C's school Valentine's Day party, I decided to use red velvet cake for these bites.
I have never made a homemade, and I wasn't about to start last night - so, I used a red velvet cake mix and followed the directions. After the cake had cooled, I used my hands to mash up the cake into crumbles. Then added about 12 oz. of white frosting (from a can). Mix and blend thoroughly with your hands!
(YES! It was messy!!!)
Mold the cake mixture into small balls (a little smaller than a golf ball) and place on cookies sheets. This mixture made two full trays of red velvet balls. Refrigerate the cake balls for about an hour, until firm.
*You will need a large piece of Styrofoam for the next part* After they are firm, you need to place the stick into the flat side of the cake ball and secure with a dime-size amount of chocolate around the stick. After each stick is secure, you will place back into the refrigerator until the sticks are securely in place.
I used approximately 4 bars of melting chocolate for this next step. After the sticks are secure, it is time for dipping. Hold each pop by the stick, and dip into the melted chocolate. Placing each pop back into the Styrofoam to catch the chocolate drippings. *You will need to decorate the pops as you dip, before the chocolate has a chance to harden.* After each pop is dipped, decorated, and placed back into the Styrofoam, the cake pops will need to be refrigerated again for another hour. This will allow the chocolate time to harden.
After the cake pops are hardened, I wrapped each pop in a small cellophane bag and tied a small ribbon around it for decoration.
I have to say - they do make the perfect bite-size treat! Happy Valentine's Day!
Valentine's Day is becoming one of my favorite holidays (2nd to Christmas of course). Chocolates, goodies, crafts - you can't get much better!
For the past 3 years, Clayton has been assigned to make a "homemade Valentine box" for his class Valentine's Party. This year (since Clayton is playing Upward basketball), we felt that a basketball box was the perfect fit! For those of you who know me well, you know that I rarely come up with any ideas myself. I search Google images and Family Fun magazines until I find exactly what I want. Thanks to Google images and Daddy Will's crafty skills, Big C has the perfect Valentine's box.
Each year, between my Kindergarten kiddos and C's little class, we fill between 30-40 Valentine treat bags! We've established a system - lay out all of the bags, and start spreading the treats! But, my favorite Valentine tradition with Big C is making homemade Valentine cards. As you head into Walmart or Target, Batman, Sponge Bob, and Scooby-Doo cards fill the shelves. However, I have found, that is so much more fun to sit down and make these cards each year. We have made shovels (I Dig You), robots (U R Cool!, U R GR8) This year's cards were alligators (another idea from Google images). Big C loves them and I think they turned out pretty cute!
This year, I'm starting yet another tradition. Tomorrow, we will have our 1st Daniels' Family Valentine's Dinner! Big C has chosen this meal - steaks, sweet potatoes, macaroni & cheese, and salads. Sounded great to me! I even had a little help tonight making a Valentine's Day cake for dessert!
My husband gently reminds me (all the time) about saving money. I know, save more, spend less. But what fun is that???? No really, I do try to be somewhat money conscious, but there are 4 Mommy Splurges that I just can't resist!
1) Great family pictures - I love having family pictures made! About every six months, I feel that it's a necessity to have new family pictures. After all, the boys are so young, and they change so much - it's absolutely non-negotiable! My favorite photographer is Gabrielle Bush - we love her!!!! She's been taking our family photos since Clayton was 18 months old! She's a perfect blend of great family shots and non-staged photos!
2) Adorable clothes - I do love cute clothes for boys! Though, as I mentioned before, that cute boy clothes are soooooo hard to find! I do use two magazines where I purchase the occasional matching outfits for the boys (Chez Ami and Kelly's Kids). I don't do this often, but for family pictures or holidays, this is pretty mandatory. It's pricey and Will usually complains, but they are so worth it!
Don't get me wrong, I love Target and Gymboree, but some things you just have to splurge for!
3) A GREAT camera! - With three little kiddos, I try to capture many of their adorable moments. I constantly leave the camera in the living room, so I can grab it at a moment's notice. After we had Hudson a couple of years ago, I convinced my husband that I needed this camera (for Father's Day!) - it's was the next upcoming holiday (= and we purchased it! I currently have a Nikon D40 and absolutely love it! This camera has been to the zoo, beach, parks, family get-togethers, play dates, births of babies, everywhere!!!
4) An awesome stroller! When we just had Clayton and Hudson, a single stroller was perfect! Hudson sat in the stroller, Big C was 3 1/2 and he walked beside the stroller, holding on to the handle or one of us. Throw Baby G into the mix, and we needed an upgrade. I researched strollers for two kiddos that would suit our family. I talked with a couple of friends, and found the perfect stroller for our family.
This stroller is a sit-and stand stroller that perfectly holds Little H and Baby G. Huds can stand and hold on to the side bars or sit on the seat in the back and go for a ride. Baby G sits in the front and is perfectly content. We love it!
5) Baby Must-Have of the Week - the Jumperoo! While we were on splurges, this is probably the most expensive baby toy that we have. However, we were given our Jumperoo when we were pregnant with Big C and it has lasted through the many hours of jumping from Clayton, Huds, and now Graydon! So, it's been more of an investment! At about 4 months, we drag out the Jumperoo and our boys jump for many hours until they become mobile and then are uninterested! This toy has been a life-saver!
Clayton is getting to the age where he really doesn't want his picture taken all of the time. I have informed him (on numerous occasions) that in order to be in our family, he must have his picture taken! Many times, I pull out my camera and he ducks behind a chair, runs to the other room, or simply makes a crazy face.
Well..............today, I won (I think)! He was waiting at the front door for a friend to pick him up. I managed to capture these shots -
Ok...........so maybe I didn't win - you be the judge!?!
After the winter we've had, our family is getting pretty good as these snow days! Sleeping late, snacking on yummy munchies, wearing our pj's all day - this is the life!
Clayton and Hudson were so excited to have big cousin, Cameron, over for a day of fun! Poor Cameron is sooooo mistreated by these big two rowdy boys; but, she does seem to love the "big cousin" role! The three big cousins spent the day playing games (castles and Batman), "Bull Hunt" (running around the bonus room), and Frogs and Tigers (where Cameron is the animal trainer and Clayton is the animal) - Yes....., what vivid imaginations! Cameron and Clayton even managed to write and illustrate their very own book - Cheesy the Mouse.
Big C and Cousin Cam did venture out into the snow for a bit (Little H is still recovering for a double ear infection). While Cam seemed to enjoy the snow much more than Clayton's constant complaining of the cold! Pleading for "hot cocoa" the minute he stepped back into the house!
I am loving these snow days with my family; though I am beginning to dread the amount of make-up days that seem to be accumulating!
It's looks like more Snow Fun and Cousin Cameron time tomorrow - bring on Snow Day #13!
I am a wife to the best husband and my best friend. I am the mother of three rowdy boys. During the day, I teach Kindergarten to 18 eager little minds. I also spend time with 6 toddlers teaching them developmental skills. I love spending time with my family!
Daddy
Daddy is a production improvement coordinator at a local manufacturing plant. He loves movies and softball. He adores his three boys more than anything in the world and loves wrestling with them and making them laugh. He is the #1 husband who helps me with everything & is the love of my life.
Big C
Clayton is our oldest son, born in December 2004. Our big 1st grader has become a great little reader and loves the outdoors, Legos, Mario, games, and taking care of his little brothers. He is the most helpful and hilarious little boy and is the best big brother!
Little H
Hudson is our rambunctious 3 year old, born in July 2008. His smile and his dark eyes will melt you! He loves imitating big brother, C. His favorite things include: Little Einstins, Jake & the Neverland Pirates, the outdoors and playing with his brothers. He is our "Little Wild Man" who is Daddy's best buddy and pal!
Baby G
Graydon is our 18-month old chunker. He has the sweetest personality and the same big blue eyes as Big C. He loves to run and chase his big brothers. He is not a fan of strangers and would rather be at home with his family. He thinks he's a big boy and wants to be wherever C and H are! He is just beginning to speak random words and short phrases. We are so excited to see the little boys that he will soon become.
