Impressive!

 Scarlet impressed me today!  I had no idea she was even playing on the monkey bars... I didn't help her at all.  She literally just ran to me and was so proud that she could do it and wanted to show me.  Go girl!

Evelyn’s birthday

 Evelyn's party was on July 3rd because Daddy was going out of town a couple days later and on her actual birthday, July 7th, me and the kids were roadtripping to Abilene Texas to visit with friends.  Our friends made her birthday special with balloons, decorations, gifts, and cupcakes.  It was a cute little celebration and Evelyn felt super special!

Jungle Cruise Cake

I thought my Jungle Cruise cake deserved a post all it's own.  I was so thrilled with how it came out...I just think it's so neat!  There were just no hiccups with this cake, everything ran smoothly and it is better than I imagined.  I love to create and I was really proud of this one....

The base all prepped and in the refrigerator overnight

I made the waterfall out of melted jolly rancher candies and added some texture to it to make it look like flowing water, and then let it harden while it sat, molded over a bowl.

The elephant pool was also jolly rancher candy.  I submerged the elephants in the candy before it was fully hardened

Ta-Da!

Me and Evelyn watched a youtube ride through video of the Jungle Cruise to make sure we got certain elements right.  There is a scene with lions in a cave eating a zebra (they joke that the zebra is sleeping) and Evelyn was adamant about including that... of course we had to include the "backside of water" as that's one of more famous jokes of the ride...

Plane crash in the jungle...

I love how the waterfall has that see-through water look to it

For the wooden signs I molded them out of gumpaste, dyed it brown, and used an edible paint to color in the texture of the wood to make it realistic

Video below in the web version...

Evelyn’s Birthday party

 We had a great 8th birthday celebration for Evelyn.  July is monsoon season so about 90 min before the party we had crazy thunderstorms and torrential rain but it ceased just in time and succeeded in cooling everything off for the party.  Evelyn requested a "Jungle Cruise" theme.  The kids had pizza, cake, a giant bouncehouse with slide, an epic water balloon fight...it went very well!

My first attempt at a balloon garland.  I love it and it was so easy!

I love her joy when she sees her cake

Throwing water balloons at Dad

She doesn't look evil at all does she?  Scarlet actually succeeded in popping a water balloon down the back of my pants while I was taking pictures...point for Scarlet

These kids bounced for 5+ hours non-stop.  They barely stopped for cake and by the end of the day were beyond exhausted

three videos below in the web version...

June wrap-up…

 Pictures from June 

Bar D Chuckwagon!

Train ride at the chuck wagon.  It was such a good time!

A rare, quiet moment

Scarlet is getting her dolls ready for a bath

Someone opened up an early birthday present from Papa Joe and Maddie.  She takes her new Wonder Woman doll everywhere!

I do love the beauty of Colorado and even my backyard never ceases to amaze me.  The clouds are rolling in today and sitting upon the mountains

And my irises are coming out!

All of a sudden he's embarrassed to take pictures with his Mom!

Scarlet has a new sleep mask... going to sleep like a Queen!

...she may go to sleep like a Queen... but this is how I find her sleeping in the morning!

Rodeo with friends

End of weekend Durango Tournament