Happy Anniversary to us!

We just hit 2 years of marriage!! We took a trip to Boston to celebrate and visited Fenway Park on May 30th.

Sweet Baby Nugget

Cameron Georg Roos

Our sweet nephew, Cameron Georg, is here! He arrived at 4:03pm today, weighing 8 lbs, 10 oz. We were all anticipating a giant baby, but he turned out to be just perfect :) Tricia ended up having a c-section after about 17 hours of labor. He is so amazingly precious!!!

How to Make a Diaper Cake

I thought that I would share a few of my ideas about how to make a great diaper cake. I've made two so far, and I plan to make many more in the future! Here a simple how-to with pictures:

First, start with your supplies. You'll need 3M foam stick tape (shown below), a hot glue gun, some type of base (I used foam core board), exact-o knife, scissors, lighter, rubber bands (various sizes), and a dowel rod (about 1/4" diameter), and decorative topper. Along with a few more items listed below....

Other decorative items include: cake accessories like the ones shown below. Part of the items will be used to form the cakes "structure," which in this case I used: (1) medium size shampoo bottle (1) small bottle of baby powder.

You'll also need various ribbon colors/sizes. Grosgrain ribbon works the best.

And diapers of course. I purchased a (1) 80 count package of size 1 diapers. Try to purchase diapers with the LEAST amount of printed graphics on them. Start by rolling up each individual diaper and securing it with a rubber band (as shown below).

Create your base by cutting out a large circle from the foam core. I used the pencil and string trip to create a circle with a 15" diameter circle, then cut it out with an exact-o knife. Place the shampoo bottle in the center of your circle (as shown below) and secure it with 3M foam tape OR hot glue (I like 3M better). Surround the shampoo with the first layer of diapers (seam side facing in), and secure the layer with a rubber band. Repeat this step and create layers 2 and 3, securing each layer with a rubber band. This completes the first tier (see below).

Use the same concept on the 2nd tier as you surround the top of the shampoo bottle with 2 layers of diaper secured with a rubber band (see below for complete tier 2).

Next, use your 3M foam tape and attach the small bottle of baby powder to the top of the shampoo bottle......

Surround the baby powder bottle with 1 layer of diapers....

Group 3 diapers together with a rubber band and PLACE it at the top of your cake to make the 4th tier, this tier will be secured to the structure in a later step....

Next, use your ribbon to decorate the cake. Place your ribbon so that it hides the rubber bands. You can pre-cut your ribbon to fit the diameter of each tier. Tack one side of the ribbon to the cake with a small dab of hot glue, then wrap it around the cake and tack it together at it's ends with more hot glue. GOOD TIP: before placing your ribbon, burn the ends with a lighter so that they do not fray. Align all our seams at the back of your cake.

Next, cut your dowel rod to the correct height needed. Push one end through the top tier and work your way to the bottom so that the rod is touching the base. (this might take a few times to get it straight). Cut the dowel rod as needed so that it has just enough room to be glued to your topper. Remove the rod and secure it to your topper with hot glue (see below).

I used a wooden letter, but anything can be used. If you use a stuffed animal, tie it to the rod rather than gluing it. This final step should make the cake VERY stable.

Lastly, decorate! Place your items around the cake. I did not secure mine, but you could do this using hot glue or with ribbon. Below is the cake I made for my sister's baby boy.

Below is another example of a cake I made for a little girl. I used pink polka-dot fabric to cover the base. I made pink bows and placed them around the cake as accessories. The fake flowers were a fun touch! The little bird on top was actually a garden accessory that came on a stick, so I didn't have to use the dowel rod.

HAPPY CAKE DECORATING!!!!
Leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions....

Crested Butte

Last week, Jonathan and I took a road trip to Colorado to visit Crested Butte. It was a 14 hour drive and we made it there in my little Prius! Some wonderful friends let us use their condo for a week. It was fabulous and relaxing :) Here's some snapshots of the week....

And 851 miles later, we are there!

Few of Mt. Crested Butte from the mountain

Resting at the top of the mountain

The cute town of Crested Butte

Sic 'em Colorado!

SPRING is coming!!!

In Texas, you can't look at the calendar or the weather and say that Spring is here. Our weather is way too crazy! Last year we planted annuals during a very warm weekend in March, and the very next week it snowed and our flowers were ruined. Despite my early (and anxious) anticipation of Spring, God's creation always knows when to bloom. Our back yard is starting to show signs that a new season is coming and I am so thankful for it!

It's it strange how a tree never tries to bloom out of season. It never attempts to do something that is not of God's created order.

And when it is time to bloom, all the trees know. My tree and the neighbor's tree both know it is time. They begin to blossom and become beautiful.

I have this great anticipation of Christ's return. Despite our history of doing everything out of God's creative order, Christ will bring order on that day. I love the passage of scripture below. If Christ comes are you ready? Will you be left in the field or will God call you to blossom?

From Matthew 24:

³⁰ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

³² “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. ³³ Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. ³⁴ Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.

The Wreck.

We went to Cirque de Soliel OVO on Wednesday night. As always, C.D.S. did not disappoint. But on the way home my very pregnant sister had her car T-boned going about 40 mph by some stupid girl running a red light. She and the baby are doing fine. She went to the hospital and stayed overnight to monitor the baby. Praise the Lord for his protection. Both cars were totaled, but all 3 people involved walked away unheard.

My stomach is still in knots thinking about the accident, but I am so very grateful that she and baby Cameron are ok. I was able to drive to the accident right after it happened and was so relieved when I felt baby C move inside her belly. Please pray for her pregnancy as she only has a few more weeks to go!

This is stupid girl's car....

You see Tricia's car (brand new btw) in the background

Tricia's front end. The other side was up on a retaining wall.