Celebrating Jake’s Birthday
I am just now getting our pictures updated from our last big adventure, so yes a little later than planned…. Our family was able to celebrate Jake’s birthday this year while on our Alaska Cruise vacation! Thankful for an opportunity to spend time with the whole family.
We surprised Jake and had the chef on the cruise ship make him a birthday cake! It was big and extra rich chocolate! The crew sang him “Happy Birthday” in Indonesian which was really cool. He was so thrilled that we made a big spectacle of his birthday celebration. We were so full after the delicious meal that we ended up taking the cake back to the cabin to eat later that night after all the other activities that evening.
SURPRISE!!! Happy Birthday Handsome!
Celebrating Jake’s birthday with the whole family.
Thankful for a wonderful time together and for this amazing man who I get to live my life with!
Love you JACOB!!! Happy Birthday! Wishing you many more healthy, happy, and fun adventures!
Flashback Friday: Celebrating & Fun with Family
Brina trying to steal a piece of Rachel’s birthday cake!
Today’s Flashback Friday goes back to September 2005 when the girls were eight months old. We celebrated my brother Lee’s birthday with several of our cousins who were still going to college in town. The girls learned how hold their bottles on their own. They loved being silly and playing together. They could easily make each other laugh.
Brina hanging out with cousins Rachel, Alecia, and Jordan.
Playing a game….fun times!
Daddy gave Karlie a bite of Uncle Lee’s birthday cake. He let her lick off one of the candles.
Ummm….Karlie….I think you might have some frosting on your nose.
They think they are so funny…silly girls playing around before drinking their bottles – Brina & Karlie
Brina happy and playing on the floor
Karlie smiling at all the fun toys around her
Two babies in a bucket, they were ok with this until Jake spun them around. Then both Brina and Karlie didn’t like it.
Brina in the Johnny Jump Up with her feet on Karlie’s walker tray. They thought they were so funny in this position!
Karlie you have a bulls eye target stuck to your nose. She didn’t care.
Brina laughing and making some noise.
Silly Brina it’s time to get dressed not time for playing!
This was a big moment for them. They officially can hold their own bottles. It was an exciting and sad day for Mommy. I was glad they could do it and it saved me a lot of extra time, but I did miss some of the morning snuggles with them. I was able to squeeze in plenty throughout the day though.
Daddy and Karlie reading a book together. Karlie LOVED reading books!
Brina was thrilled to find the blue ball and that she could pick it up and throw it by herself.
Birthday Celebration
Happy Birthday breakfast
The girls got two of their birthday wishes on their birthday – one was that they would have snow on their birthday and the second was that they would not have to go to school because of a snow day. They got both wishes and were very excited. It’s not every day you get out of school on a Wednesday for snow in South Carolina. Thankful for these two girls and look forward to many more amazing memories this year with them. They each got to pick out what they wanted to eat for their birthday breakfast. For their special birthday dinner they wanted a Seafood Meal at home.
Karlie had eggs with spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese in them.
Brina had a slice of cinnamon swirl breakfast cake.
My sister-in-law Becky shared a chocolate cake recipe with me that was both egg and dairy free so I decided to try it for their birthday. It turned out really well. They loved it. You couldn’t even tell that it was egg and dairy free. The flavor reminded me of my Grandma Doris Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake she used to make from scratch.
The girls wrote out a list of inside and outside activities they wanted to do on their birthday since they were home from school due to the snow. Even though they didn’t get to do all the items on the list I would say they did the majority of them. We packed a lot of fun activities into the day.
For their family birthday dinner they requested a seafood meal and specifically asked for King Crab. They love seafood and the King Crab was a hit and they are getting better at digging out the meat without assistance.
Jake and I picked up Mai-Mahi steak burgers to try as well for their seafood birthday meal. The Mai-Mahi steak with the fresh bakery bun, lettuce, and tomatoes were a tasty hit too! Thankful for our girls and that we can celebrate another birthday with them!
Birthday Celebration with a KitKat & Starburst Jellybean Cake!
Jake’s Birthday Cake decorated with chocolate frosting, KitKats, and Starburst Jellybeans
We celebrated Jake’s birthday a week early this summer due to upcoming family travel. The girls helped make the cake and created a fun topping for him. They used two of his favorite candies KitKats and Starburst Jellybeans to decorate the cake. It was cute hearing giggle as they decorated the cake (and ate some jellybeans I am sure). We had a great day celebrating my Handsome Man’s birthday! Thankful for time together to relax, have fun, and enjoy a celebration.
The backside of his KitKat and Starburst Jellybean Birthday Cake!
A slice of sugary goodness! I highly recommend you offset the sweetness with a glass of milk, but hey it’s nice to have something sweet every once in awhile to celebrate birthdays!
Jake reading the birthday cards the girls picked out and wrote notes in for him!
Birthday Celebration (part 2)
Happy Birthday Brina & Karlie
We were actually traveling on the girls actual birthday (they had a great time visiting their grandparents in Vermont). After we got back from our trip we scheduled a birthday party for the friends and family in our area. It was held at the Upstate Children’s Museum. The girls had a blast playing at the Children’s Museum with their family and friends. It was a great place to have a birthday celebration!
Karlie having fun at the Children’s Museum
Brina shopping at the Children’s Museum
Karlie having fun at the Children’s Museum
Daddy and Brina building a structure
Karlie having a blast
Daddy and Brina playing the Turn the Lights Off game
Karlie made a giant “K” out of the light brights
Family Celebrations: Happy Birthday Skipper!
Best Buddies - A Girl and Her Dog (Brina and Skipper) The fifth member of our family is full of energy, a loyal friend, loves to play outside and adds a lot of laughter to our family…….Skipper! She is our sweet black lab who the girls absolutely adore! Our little Puddle Skipper Hayes was born on March 14, 2010 and she had fun celebrating her 1st birthday with us! It was a busy day full of a lot of activities but ended it with a little celebration for our furry family member. The girls were so excited to celebrate Skipper’s birthday.
Here are a few pictures from our fun together!
Brina and Karlie wrapping Skipper's birthday gifts! The girls wrapped Skipper’s gifts in newspaper and A LOT of tape! They even had tape on the floor when they were done (you can see a pile in between them on the carpet). They were so excited and had a blast doing the wrapping for their furry sister!
Skipper's Special Birthday Meal! The girls thought it was hilarious putting Skipper’s candle in her special meal. They thought it was funny she would rather have a special birthday meal with “bacon” then a birthday cake. The girls were worried that Skipper was going to burn her nose so she barely got close to the bowl until the candle was blown out, glad they were looking out for her. It was great watching them trying to keep her away from the candle while we sang Happy Birthday!
Skipper eating her birthday treat! The best puppy birthday meal you can ask for – Meaty and Moist, simply delicious! Plus she got to eat her special birthday treat all by herself (no one was wanting to share it with her).
The unwrapping part of the birthday celebrations was exciting and confusing for Skipper, good thing the girls were there to help! Skipper was very excited to get new bones and a toy! She immediately took one bone into the yard, then realized the other one was still on the porch so went back for that one. I really think she stayed up all night playing and eating her bones!
Happy Birthday Skipper! Hope you enjoyed your play time with the family, your feast, bones, and toy! The girls had fun picking them out, wrapping and celebrating with you!!!
CONGRATULATIONS to Our Winner!!!
CONGRATULATIONS to Jen Greene for winning
TWO 20% Off Amazon Mom Diaper Coupons!
Thanks for making a comment in honor of our girls birthday!
An email has been sent to you with more information.
Happy Savings on Your Diapers!!!
Photo by Siti Saad
Family Recipe: Dad’s Favorite Carrot Cake
My Mom is an excellent cook! Over the years my parents have hosted a lot people in their home and continue to have people over regularly. I am thankful for all Mom taught me about cooking and for her willingness to allow me to “experiment” in her kitchen as I was growing up. Mom makes the best Homemade Carrot Cake! She would make it for special events such as a Holiday or birthdays. This is my Dad’s favorite cake. It is rich, moist and delicious. Here’s her recipe:Dad’s Favorite Carrot Cake
- 2 cups of Sugar
- 2 cups of Flour
- 2 teaspoons of Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon of ground Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/4 cup Oil
- 4 Eggs
- 3 cups grated Carrots
- 1 cup chopped Nuts (optional)
Combine all ingredients. Mix thoroughly and pour into a greased and floured 11 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 for 40 to 55 minutes. If you want a layered cake you can do it in two 8 or 9 inch round pans just reduce the bake time by ten minutes and add the Cream Cheese Frosting in between the layers. Cool, then frost.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 stick Margarine (softened)
- 1 lb Confectioner (aka powdered) Sugar
- 8 oz Cream Cheese (softened)
- 3 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1 cup chopped Nuts (optional)
Cream ingredients together until smooth and place on cooled carrot cake. Optional you can add the nuts in with the frosting or sprinkle the chopped nuts over the top. Optional you can add green and orange food coloring to a small amount of the frosting to create a decorative carrot(s) for the top for the cake.
Recipe: Grandma Doris’ Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake & Peanut Butter Frosting
Grandma Doris makes an amazing Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake with Peanut Butter frosting! Although it sounds interesting the cake is moist, delicious, and easy to make. It was one of the first cakes I made as a kid. When Grandma Doris made this cake for dinner and family Holidays there was rarely ever any cake left by the end of the meal.Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake
- 1 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 cup warm Water
- 1 1/2 cup Sugar
- 2 cups Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
Mix all ingredients together and bake in 9 x 13 dish at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.
Peanut Butter Frosting
- 2 cups Powder Sugar
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 1/4 cup of Milk
- 2 tablespoons of Peanut Butter (either smooth or crunchy)
Mix frosting ingredients together. If necessary add more milk until frosting has a smooth texture. Spread frosting over the Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake.
