Halloween Cake Pops

I have been hearing about cake pops for over a year. Wanting to try and make them, but never having the time or fearful of the outcome. I am not a baker, although I LOVE to bake and try new recipes. I was having mommy guilt over working full-time this year and not being able to go to my children's parties at their school. I also wanted to make sure fun treats for my new class this year and for my new coworkers who have openly welcomed me to a new school. So I set out to make 100 cake pops in two days, which ended up I actually making 130. It was a learning experience. It was super fun and I thought they turned out cute, nothing like bakeralla who invented cake pops, but my kids were excited to bring them to school. I don't have the right technique or chocolate to make them super smooth, I will have to perfect that between now and then if I want to make the adorable reindeer cake pops during Christmas time, that is probably why I loved making the mummy the best because they hind my imperfections. Anyways, they were a hit, I think... and I tried something new!

Just plain with sprinkles!

Pumpkin, you can barely see the stem (it is a watermelon jelly belly).

Mummy cake pop

Family Photos

My brother and his girlfriend Erin.

Jim, Bethanie, James, Daniel, Erin, Audrie, Abbie, Dave and Beckie.

My three kiddos!

So cute!

My husband and me.

Mom and Dad

Mom and Dad and the three grandkids!

We went to Portland last weekend for my cousin Michael's wedding. My mom wanted to have some pictures taken. Unfornately, the more faces you have to capture (especially little ones) the less likely you are to get everyone looking and smiling at the same time. But here are a few of the moments we did capture. We did alright.

First Day of School

I know I am a little late at posting these pictures, but things are very busy with the new job and getting adjusted to full-time, etc. James is in 4th grade now and Abbie is in 1st. Both kids had a wonderful first day and for Abbie this was BIG! She has had huge anxiousity about going to school since the end of last year. We are so thankful and blessed with two amazing teachers for our kids this year. Thank you to Grandma Beckie for James studdly outfit. Thank you to Grandma Willa for Abbie's adorable first day look, even the backpack. I am very proud to have such great kids that love school and are eager to learn.4th grader!

1st grader, if you can't tell, the shirt, headband, skirt, and schools are silver sparkles!

Getting set together. James even helped Abbie to class on the first day. What a great brother!

Deception Pass - Audrie

Audrie keeps us on our toes, she is always trying to keep up with the rest of the kids and be as big as they are. She adds so much excitement to our lives. She loved camping, except the sleeping arrangements, she would always ask to "Go, bed" every night, but when you put her in the play pen, so would yell "NO!" She definetely likes her crib at home! Here are her fun shots for our weekend at Deception Pass.

Sticky, icky fingers....

Loving my sucker!

Loving the beach!

Sisters!

Digging with the kids....

Digging in the sand.

I love little toes. She thought it was so funny that I was taking pictures of her toes.

Finding rocks, again the Duvall genes are coming through!

Showing her treasures.

Look at what I have Mom!

Deception Pass - James

So I didn't get many pictures of James at Deception pass, want to know why? He was busy exploring all over, I couldn't keep up with him and his good friend Blake. Jim and James also spent everyday fishing with all the guys, so I wasn't able to get photos them either. But James did catch only one of two fish caught by the men all weekend long. Way to go, James!

Climbing the rocks on the beach.

Deception Pass Bridge, making them stop to pose.

Our major explorers!

Back to climbing!

Deception Pass - Abbie

Collecting rocks, a Duvall tradition!

We went to Deception Pass with 7 families, probably close to 20 kids the weekend before last. We stayed in the group sites, which was PERFECT! Although the weather cold, especially at night, the kids had an unbelievably wonderful time exploring the woods without any boundaries. I decided to blog each child's experiences separately to shorten up the post. We love getting together with these families. Our kids always enjoy each other and the adults laugh alot and with everything I had been going through with the new job, laughing was such an answer to prayer.

Abbie roasting marshmallows.


Kyley and Abbie at the beach, toes in the sand.

Abbie, Hadley, and Kyley in the shack on the bunks.


Marshmallow face again!!

Finding rocks on the beach.

Still new to blogging can't figure out how to delete multiple pictures.

Hadley, Kyley, and Abbie exploring....

Cute girls again!!

My Abbie Grace!

Changes....

I haven't been able to keep up with my blog as much as I would have liked lately because I took a new full-time job teaching full-day kindergarten at Meridian Elementary in Kent. It was a VERY hard decision to leave my school I love of 11 years, staff and parents as well. I shed many tears and couldn't talk about it without getting choked up. It has been a whirlwind packing up my old room, moving, cleaning my new room (oldest building in the district), setting up my new room, learning the ins and outs of my new school, and trying to get my own kids ready for their first day. I worked many 12 hour days. We also did kindergarten pre-assessment, full-day kindergarten training, and got trained about our refugee kids from Burma (very interesting, ask me about it sometime). School starts on Wednesday, I am nervous and excited. It is hard to be new. I was well-loved at my old school and knew everyone. Here, I am a stranger. It is not easy for me. It is a growing and learning experience. Financially it is the best decision for my family. I look forward to the many stories I will be able to tell. I have a potty in my room, so that should be interesting...