Minion Cupcakes

Regular cupcakes with my own frosting creation.

Blue Fluff Frosting
3 pkgs cream cheese
12 oz jar marshmallow fluff
1 C white sugar
1T vanilla
2 pkg Duncan Heinz cotton candy flavoring (next to the frosting)
blue food coloring

Cupcakes and frosting alone.....

Minion factory assembly line...

Finished products

another batch just before their hair transplants.....

I love the one in the top left corner.  "

Decorating cookies with edible Markers

I wanted an activity to play during Dominic's birthday that would bring out the artistic drive in these kids as well as allow them to gorge themselves on their masterpieces.  Enter, edible markers.  These wonderful tools allow you to draw whatever you'd like, on your cookies.  I highly suggest making bigger cookies next time.

Here is your basic canvas made of shortbread sugar cookies

Next I used a royal icing

Some artists are more abstract,

while some prefer realistic beach scenes with floating smiley faces in the sky.

And then there are those that prefer to hoard all the markers and eat their canvas while they create.

Chuckie Cheese

Mike had a day off to watch the boys one day after Christmas.  He texts me as I'm leaving work and suggests pizza.  Sounds great!  He then suggests going to Chuckie Cheese.  As soon as I get home, we pile in one car together and head out.  During the drive, Dominic hands me a photo and say "look at my picture with Chuckie Cheese".

 

I'm a little confused as I thought we were on our way for dinner and games.  I quickly realize this is not the first time today they will have been at Chuckie Cheese!  Mike thought it would be funny to pull up and then show me all the tokens and tickets they had acquired earlier in the day.

 

I made a comment about let's hope none of the same people who were working this morning are still there.  Guess who was letting people in?  Oh, yes, someone who was working before and asked Mike "Weren't you here earlier today?" Nice.

 

(I don't know who wanted to come back to play games more...Mike or Dominic?)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

 

 

We don't really endorse guns but Jaren wrapped his gift for Mike to look like the below.  It was pretty impressive for a set of grill brushes!

Zipper?  I don't need to use the zipper....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pre-Christmas Road Trip

We made a short trip before Christmas to Missouri.  My parents and the boys left with an extra day to stop and see my Grandpa and Aunt Rita & Uncle Jerry.   Of course the highlight was for the boys to see the cows.  They also got a ride in the back of the pick up truck.  Quinton didn't want to leave the truck when we returned to the house.  We might have a truck man on our hands.

The second part of the trip was to Branson, MO to meet up with my cousin, Tamara and her family along with my aunt and uncle and cousins.  We had rented a house and just were able to hang out, eat too much food and visit.  Also seeing baby Liam was special too.  Seeing the kids all hang out and play was special and nice to repeat the tradition of cousins spending time together.  I have such good memories of growing up with my cousins that I hope for our kids to have that same experience....even if it's with second cousins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanna didn't think her actual potato head was as funny as her uncles did!

 

To build or to eat....that was the ongoing debate