Cupcakes Galore and An Empty Basket!

I don't usually make cupcakes.  Mostly because I like cake better, but my cake recipe doesn't work good for cupcakes.  It doesn't have a rounded top and it pulls away from the liner.  I have found a cupcake recipe that makes very pretty cupcakes but it doesn't taste as good as the cake recipe.  If you have a good cupcake recipe please share!  I am still on the search for a pretty and delicious tasting cupcake.  

I had to make a few batches of cupcakes recently.  One batch for Adda's school birthday party (All the kids get to celebrate their birthday at some point during the school year so that the summer birthdays don't get left out).  The other batch was for Adda's Easter party at school.

Rainbow Cupcakes

When I asked Adda what she wanted me to do for her birthday she said, "rainbow cupcakes please"!!!  I knew she would say that!  I looked around on Pinterest and found a few things.

I don't know that I would call this a "Pinterest Fail" but it sure doesn't look like the one on the left.  It looks like the top colors sunk to the bottom of the cupcake during baking.  Weird!  Adda didn't care!  She still saw the rainbow!  

Everything I read said to make sure you use very vibrant colors of batter so that the browning from the baking would not show through the color.  It would have been nice if I had a recipe with the Pinterest one.  It was only a picture.  It did say to use a piping bag to put your color in each cupcake liner.  

Very vibrant colors!

Put each color in a piping bag.

Here is what it looked like when I got them all filled.  They were perfectly layered...until they baked!

Ella watching them bake.

See, it looks like each cupcake had the darker colors rise to the top on one side.  Not sure what caused it. 

You can slightly see the rainbow from the outside. 

My handy dish loader/unloader.

Look at Ella sneaking a taste of the icing!

The finished product!

Even though they didn't stay layered like the Pinterest cupcake they turned out pretty cute!

Singing Happy Birthday to Adda!

Every kid in the class ate the icing first! 

My parents were here on their Spring Break and came to the class party!  Adda was very surprised! 

Easter Party Cupcakes

These were also a Pinterest inspired project.  I was very glad I ran across these because all the other Easter themed cupcakes were baskets with a candy arch that looked much more involved that I wanted.  These turned out much cuter than the rainbow cupcakes did.  I made the cupcakes a week ahead and had them in the freezer and the icing I had leftover in the freezer from Ella's avocado birthday cake.

The grass is made using a Wilton grass tip.  It's super easy and turns out looking just like grass. 

I let them both have a Peep while I was working!  It was their first! 

Fixing to hunt eggs at the class party.  This is Adda's buddy! 

And they're off!  

 Ok, I need to give some details before you see the next picture.  Adda has never had to hunt eggs with a huge group of kids.  She has hunted with her cousins and also with the kids I used to keep but there were always plenty to fill each persons basket.  I made two mistakes in preparation for this class Easter egg hunt.  One, I didn't explain to her that she needed to run like the wind and grab as many eggs as possible to shove in her basket.  Second, I bought rainbow eggs for her to take to school.  That was my biggest mistake!!!  I should have just bought the plain eggs that everyone associates with an egg hunt.  What was I thinking when I got the rainbow ones?!?!?!  I was thinking that Adda would think they were so cool and would love taking those to her class party for the big hunt.  She did think all of that but when the teachers said GO she had one thing on her mind...I need to find those rainbow eggs!!!!  In a matter of a few minutes 120 plus eggs were in all the other kids baskets and Adda had none.  I wasn't sure what to do.  I looked over and all the other parents were standing on the side just watching and here I was out in the middle of it all trying to explain to her that she just needed to grab eggs and not worry about those rainbow ones.  She quickly realized the excitement was over and her basket was empty and started to cry!  I was sick!  I wanted to cry for her and I wanted to go yank all those rainbow eggs out of the other kids baskets and put them in hers.  I wanted to tell the teacher that a better plan would have been to have each kid get 18 eggs and then stop.  I didn't do any of that.  I just watched and my heart broke for her.

Her teacher came over and talked to her and gave her a hug when she realized what was happening and right after I took this picture a few of the girl from her class came over and took eggs out of their own baskets and put them in hers.  Sweet little girls!  Adda later told me that none of the boys shared their eggs when she had an empty basket!  Rotten boys!  When the kids came in from outside the teachers had all the baskets in the hall and everyone got 18 eggs.  Guess what...Adda didn't get one of her rainbow eggs in the 18 that were in her basket.  I think she wasn't meant to have those stinking rainbow eggs. 

 Even though that was so hard for me to watch I think it was good for her.  She gets her mind fixed on something and can't get away from it.  She was bound and determined to get the eggs that she wanted and because of that didn't get any.  Parts of that are good but parts are bad.  She will be able to put her mind on a task and do it well.  But she also needs to be able to hear the adult in the background telling her that she needs to not worry about the rainbow eggs and just get some eggs in her basket.  She needs to be able to take criticism and instructions from someone on the outside.

When we did our egg hunt here at the house for the girls she ran hard and grabbed eggs.  She even helped Ella get eggs and put eggs in Chloe and Claire's baskets.  Maybe she remembered the horrible experience on the playground!  Poor thing!  I love my rainbow obsessed girl! 

It ended up being a very fun party and she forgot all about that empty basket by the time we got back to the classroom. I learned a lesson too!  Don't be fooled by all those fancy eggs in the store. Just go with plain!!!!

This is a boy in her class who is moving and this was his last day. She was so sweet and gave him a big hug telling him they would miss him for the next egg hunt!  

  

Table for...wait let me count!!

Tonight we went out to eat for my birthday!  Tonight was the first time we have gone out to eat since before the babies were born, with just Gonzo and I.  One other time we went with my parents and my brother's family to a little place where nobody would care that we needed seats for so many kids.  That didn't really count because the babies were very little and didn't make a peep and we weren't by ourselves.  We had many other adults who could step in if all H-E-Double Hockey Sticks broke loose!!! 

I was prepared and ready when Gonzo got home from work.  That's one thing I have had to become really good at...being organized.  When there are two infants yelling at you in time of need you don't have an extra moment to think of the next step!  I'm not great at being on top of things but I'm working on it.  Usually I just look like I'm faking it till make it!  Luckily none of my kids are super demanding...very often...only every once in a while.  Who am I kidding?!?!  Luckily the BABIES aren't very demanding!!!  Those other two are another story!!!!

We went to Chuy's because I was dying for some hot green chilies!  Choosing where to eat was hard for me because I think birthdays should be centered around something sweet!  After dinner we went to Cheescake Factory and Gonzo let me go in and choose two pieces to come home with while he drove around the parking lot trying to keep the children from going insane in an idle vehicle!  I came out with...Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough and Orea Cookie!!!  We all ate a little off of each piece and the best part is there is some leftover so I can eat it during nap time tomorrow!!!  Halleluiah!!!
 

Blowing out my candle!  Adda checked the drawer where I keep candles and said, "Um, Mom I don't think we have enough candles for you!"  That's okay, just give me one!  I'll go with that!!!

All my little varmints!!!

 I just snap pictures over and over until I think I might have gotten a good one!  When I look back later it makes me laugh because it's like trying to take picture of crazed animals!  This all happened in probably a 10 second time span!  No kidding! 

Here we go...1, 2, 3, cheeeeeese

LOOOOOk at the camera!

I will just try two at a time

One more time!

Ella says, "Come here baby!"

Adda says, "CHEEEEESE!"

Chloe

Awe!!!

They are fixing to be on the move!

 I decided I should stop when one was headed over the back of the couch and the other was fixing to take a nose dive off the couch!  I gave it a good effort!!!

It was a great day!  I am so incredibly blessed with Gonzo and my girls!  I'm thankful for another day I got to wake up and be his wife and their mommy!  Now, if I could just keep that attitude when the drama begins in a few years, I mean in a few minutes!  Somebody remind me to go back and read this!!!

  No, seriously!!  Thank you Jesus for another birthday!  Thank you for my best friend!  Thank you for all four of the girls!  You have outdone yourself in my 32 years of life!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

Update: I forgot to tell how dinner went with all the kids!  I didn't realize I skipped these details until a few people asked how it went!  It went so well that I forgot!!!  Maybe because it's been so long since we have been out...all four girls were pretty mesmerized by people watching. We had a 20 minute wait and it seemed like 10!  The twins pounded Cheerios and puffs!  Adda and Ella pounded chips and french fries. I had two beers and didn't care at all that their dinner was chips and fries. We had several people stop at the table and ask question!  Are they twins? Do you have two sets of twins? Are they all yours?  Do you have all girls?  Are you going to try for a boy?  Yes, No, Yes, Yes, NOOOO!  Some of these questions seem STUPID but you'd be surprised how often I get them!  Especially the "Are they all yours?" question!!!  So overall it was great!  I enjoyed every second of a really good dinner out with all six of us...and I didn't have to cook!!!!