Etiquette Dinner

So... a couple of months ago I agreed to help Billy with a combined youth activity etiquette dinner that they had planned.  Well, we both kind of forgot and at the end of last week Billy reminded me about it and said that it was the next Wednesday!  Well, we didn't really get to planning until Sunday night, but I think things came together very well.  Billy has been stressed at work so I wanted him to have one less thing to worry about.  Amanda and I went to the church during the day (she took a nap in the Relief Society room) while I decorated. 

Billy wasn't expecting the lights, so it was fun to surprise him with how much it was decorated.  I had a CD of classical piano concertos playing in the background too!

Billy gave a little lesson on etiquette in the other room while I was finishing up in the kitchen, then the kids came in and practiced what they learned.  At first, I think everyone was afraid to talk, but they soon got into the groove. 

The food turned out good too!  Here's what we served:

Salad

Spaghetti, Green Beans, and Rolls

(not the best picture, but it's the only one we got)

Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting

It was a lot of work, and I am tired today, but it was a lot of fun too!  I'm glad it all came together at the last minute!

Happy Birthday / Easter

Happy 1st Birthday Amanda Kaye! 

Time has really flown by and we can't imagine life without her!  She definitely keeps us busy.   We celebrated this weekend by having a combined Easter/Birthday party between conference sessions.  We went to the church and had an Easter Egg hunt, dinner, and of course, cake and ice cream!  I had a lot of fun making Amanda's cake! 

I have never done a bright and colorful cake, so I thought I would give it a go!  I am proud to say that everything in/on this cake is made from scratch... even the fondant!  I actually wasn't originally planning on covering the whole cake with fondant (I was just going to use fondant decorations) but I couldn't get it to work.  Because of this, I didn't prep the cakes for fondant like I should have, so they are a little bumpy but it was a fun learning experience!

This little girl is definitely loved!  My mom and dad, Charles and Lex, and Katie all traveled to West Valley specifically to watch Amanda eat her cake!  A lot of Billy's family was able to come too! 

Amanda was very tired during her party because she refused to take a good nap (too much excitement I guess) so she didn't get into her cake as much as we thought she would, but I think she still had fun.