Jonathan

Wow 5 months already! He's 27 1/2 inches long, 18.7 pounds and loves to eat his toes and just about anything else that is in reach. We've been keeping him busy lately with apple picking (getting ready to make his baby food soon), Grant's Farm, the Zoo, playdates, Parents as Teachers, Meetup St. Louis, and just hangin' with his big sis. What a life!

Starburst Rose

Check it out...instead of making roses out of icing...why not starbursts...they taste yummy and it turns out...it looks good too. I hear tootsie rolls get the same effect. Yeah for creativity! This is the base...1 whole starburst.




First you need to smoosh (technical term) them out. I cut them in half because I didn't want a huge glob (another technical term) of starburst at the bottom. I also thinned the edges a bit more.






Then comes shaping the rose and adding petals to the base.







Yeah for the final product!

Looking hot for 27!

Well that's it...we're 27 now. We celebrated with drinks and dinner at a Sushi/Hibachi restaurant and Jen ate sushi for the first time....and she's going back for more. Anyway...then we concluded the festivities with a movie, The Bourne Ultimatum. Yeah...the cinematography was awful. Way TOO jerky and while it was probably trying to give you the feel of everything moving sooo fast…it just made me think that the budget didn’t allow for good editors and the compensated with jerky camera motions so you didn’t see that all the punches didn’t connect. Good plot and a very nice looking leading man but it was overshadowed with trying to focus on the images while they were shaking. Not easy to do after a red dragon and whatever green tea/vodka drink Jen had which was good too.

Happy Birthday

Hey everyone...so my twin's birthday is tomorrow (or today the 25th)...go to Mueller time in my link section and post a happy birthday comment on her blog page...she's also listed on myspace at myspace.com/jennica2002 . Thanks you all. Jess

my sweet kiddos!

The whole reason I got into cake decorating was for these (well at the time my daughter) kiddos. Man how my little guy is growing. He's soooo much fun...I love it!

Sparkles...shimmer...and shine

So I'm really getting into using my airbrush to add shine to all my cakes. And as seen, also getting into making calla lillies....so cute. Anyway, the first cake is all fondant that I did as a demo for my class last week and the latter is for my mom where I fooled around with brush embrodiary and making my own white chocolate fondant...way yummy! Just thought I'd share.

Whirlwind Visit

Well Sarah came to visit and brought the whole gang with her for 3 great days exploring St. Louis. First we all went to the Botantical gardens, then the Children's Musuem (Magic House) and ended the visit with a 4 hour plus trip to the St. Louis Zoo which we didn't even get to see everything! But it was great. All four of the little tykes were super with of course their little fits here and there but really...they were all great. I'll spare you all the picture of the hairless monkey but here are some of the hippos and the newest baby elephant Mahila I think. Louis (Sarah's hubby) was great wrangling the toddlers while the two mommies dealth with the infants. Jonathan slept for most of the Zoo but woke up in time to see the elephants and exit. In the evenings we all relaxed either by the two families hanging out or we split up for a little quality family time. My favorite part aside from seeing the two toddlers get excited at just about everything....my time with just her shopping and treating ourselves to a "little" ice cream. Miss her already!

Still so little

So this week has been great! Jonathan has started cooing and smiling all the time, he's growing so fast but yet he's still so little. Carolyn is meeting little buddies in St. Louis and Illinois now and I'll start working again soon doing what I really enjoy...teaching others how to make fabulous cakes for their friends and family. Life is good because God is good.

Happy Father's Day

This year Evan has two adorable reasons to celebrate. I so love watching Carolyn interact with Jonathan. Last night she even stopped playing with her cousin Josh to give Jonathan a kiss when he was crying...what a display of love from a two-year old.

Boxcar Beauty

Now that Carolyn is two, I'm really trying to be more crafty with her and she is loving the fact that I let her play with my "special" paper, stamps and pens (scrapbooking stuff). The other day we made a boxcar together using some old ribbons and crayons and of course...lots of tape...she calls that stickers. LOL. Anyway, we borrowed Jonathan's steering wheel from his swing and she was off honking at every bird that flew by. Very cute!

Summer lovin'

Well the cousins are at it again. First Carolyn was squirting Caleb with the hose then he retaliated and got her back. Jonathan was smiling away watching this crazy mess and the third cousin, Josh was off playing with a toy lawn mower. What other fun summer experiences are these crazy cousins bound to share this summer. Stay tuned!

She belongs in the Zoo

A couple weeks ago, we ventured out and took the children to another St. Louis Landmark...the St. Louis Zoo. It was a blast watching Carolyn run from one railing to the next to see all the various types of animals. Of course, right now she's in a Curious George phase and loved the monkey house but the birds in the 1904 World's Fair Bird Cage also caught her attention. We didn't make it to the butterfly exhibit...that will be for the next trip.

A St. Louis Landmark

The St. Louis Arch is the tallest national monument in the United States at 630 feet; it is the city's best known landmark and a popular tourist attraction. Over a million people take the tram up to the top of the Arch however, Carolyn and Jonathan will have to do it another time. I wasn't going to subject the two of them or my two ears to the potentional crying in the small enclosed "egg" shape tram to the top. Many people often ask about the Arch's construction. It began February 12, 1963 and the last section of the Arch was put into place on October 28, 1965.

New baby in the family

Tonight we went to the hospital to visit Jonathan and Carolyn's second cousin Addyson. She was born this morning at 1:32 a.m. and weighed 5 pounds 14 ounces and measured 19" in length. She's SOOO tiny. However, she does dwarf Jonathan in the hair department!

made with love

So haven't made a decorated cake in a while but I did work on this latest creation. For Mother's Day, my little sister Ellie and I made an edible bouquet for our mom. It was my sister's idea to buy one but I thought we could make it. Boy was the experience memorable! We laughed so hard coming up with "the plan" and then getting fruit juice everywhere as we pierced pienapple flowers and skewered grapes. It was fun and definately yummy!

Just a mom

The following is from a MOPS international email and I think it sums up my job but also my priviledge of being "just a Mom" at home everyday coming up of new ways to teach my children our family values while they discover the world around them through activities and just plain curiousity.

Just a Mom
By Rhonda Headley, Council Coordinator
"During my youth in the 80's, I recall Nancy Reagan's anti-drug slogan, "Just say no." Well, if you've ever been or known someone addicted to drugs or alcohol, you know just saying no is no small feat. The intoxicating power of drugs and the stronghold of peer pressure are difficult to break. Then there's the Nike shoe commercial campaign of "Just do it." If you're an athlete, accomplishment in your sport doesn't just happen. Hard work, discipline and often overcoming mental challenges and physical injuries are ingredients to athletic success.Now think back to your dating years. Is there a girl out there who hasn't heard the heart-wrenching words, "Let's just be friends?" Fast forward to your mommy years. How often have you heard, "Just a minute," uttered from your kids? Their definition of a minute and yours are totally different... there's no just about it. You're bound to have to repeat your request or say it louder to get your point across. So imagine my surprise the other day when I was answering an e-mail from an old college friend with whom I've recently reconnected. When he inquired about what I've been up to lately, I almost found myself typing, "Just busy being a mom." As if being a mom is a less important vocation than his own, or a sheer drudgery, or beneath me. It saddens and sometimes infuriates me when I hear women describe themselves as "Just a mom." I admit motherhood can be lonely, far from glamorous, stressful, exhausting and plain hard sometimes. But it's never unrewarding. The hugs and kisses we get from our children are sheer bliss, and that's just the beginning of our rewards. There's nothing just about being a mom!
Prayer From a Mother's HeartDear God, thank you for the privilege of being a mom - help me to instill in my child that there is nothing little about the responsibilities and joys of parenthood."

RSVP for four

Okay so I thought that I'd post the news, the Zelkovich family is returning to Indiana! Caden A. has so graciously opened up his parent's home to host his first sleepover with Jonathan but since the kiddos are so young, it will be a parent supervised sleepover in case either of them need well anything at this point, I mean come on Caden is 2 months and Jonathan is 3 weeks. But while we're up there, we decided we'll stop in and bless the marriage of Cindy to Scott and cry alongside her daddy as he gives yet another daughter away-really he's just collecting son-in-laws right?!? (wink wink). So see you all in a few weeks with our newest addition in tow and we'll let you know how Jonathan's first sleepover went-but you might be able to tell by the bags under our eyes at the EARLY morning wedding on Saturday. Until then.

Tank Tu Meemaw

So my little girl in her high pitch voice goes "tank tu meemaw, tank tu" as she happened upon some stickers my mother bought for her. Now I say, thank you meemaw, thank you as I now have stickers on my toes, and my hands, my table and couch and of course, all over my little girl's face. It is tooo cute!!! Thankfully this time, Jonathan was out of reach!

Here's Jonathan!!

Well the family is home now and beginning our new chapter. Jonathan joined us on Tuesday, April 17 at 11:39 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds and 5 ounces and measured 21". Carolyn is such a proud big sister and can't keep her hands or lips off of him. It's way cute and we are so blessed. Delivery was a bit rough this time but God protected mom and son and that's all that matters. We'll continue to post new stories and pictures.

dancing with daddy

Okay so Carolyn has this Leapfrog magnet farmhouse thingy that plays four different songs (I think) with a banjo and we call the thing her toddler stereo because she'll go in the kitchen and start dancing to the music. Like normal, she typically drags one of us in there with her to dance, which is more like stomping and swinging her arms like crazy. Anyway, so on this occassion I snapped a few pictures before she noticed me but then she wouldn't stop looking at me so here's one of her pausing for her close-up. I think Evan kept going...must be the effects of dance, dance revolution on him. (thanks Jeremy!)