Go Storm!

Chocolate Maraschino Cherry Cake

~ the cake in the picture, I made for my daughter's 9th birthday. I made a three layer cake with plenty of yummy chocolate frosting~

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate fudge cake mix
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/3 cups water
3 eggs
1 cup chopped almonds
1 (16 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch pans.
2.In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and cocoa. Make a well in the center and pour in water, mayonnaise and eggs. Beat on low speed until blended. Scrape bowl, and beat 2 minutes on medium speed. Stir in chopped nuts and cherries.
3.Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Three Week Old Baby Fiona

~Clickinmoms~

For all you picture taking moms, Clickinmoms is a great forum to learn all the basics and more. If you want to take better photos and chat with other moms who have the same interest, try out this site!

Baby using Sign Language

Brother and Sisterly Love

My kids have picked up a new hobby....coloring toads with chalk.

Fireworks 2009

Damask print

Nine short months of photos

Rules that Toddlers live by...

I found this while surfing the web and I thought it was so cute.

If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it is solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be removed.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy’s hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn’t stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it IS food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a car seat, it must be protested with arched back.
If it is Mommy, it must be hugged.

Drew 1 year old

Josie and Dylan...

My little girl, Josie, is getting closer to the end of school. Next year she will be in 3rd grade and Dylan will go to Kindergarten. Time seems to be flying by. Mommy will be with out kids for the first time in almost nine years. My children have helped me to find a passion that I didn't know I had. Watching them grow and taking pictures of all those important moments has filled my life with so much joy. Little did I know, that thousands of photos later, I would be starting a business of my own. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and children. I thank the Lord for my family and for everything he's done for me in my life.

More photos of baby Brooklyn...

My son Dylan will be going off to kindergarten in August.

Brooklyn with her big blue eyes...

Family

Over the weekend, I spent time with my family that I haven't seen in a very long while. My two Aunts, cousin and I were afraid that we wouldn't be able to make it because of the snow. Three and a half hours of driving, a little help from the GPS and made it there in one piece! It was a lot of fun, traveling in the car and at my Aunt's house.
My cousin is pregnant with her first child (a girl). She had her baby shower with friends and family Sunday. I'm hoping to have a nice collage made for her from the photos I took at the party. Her baby will definitely be loved by many and dressed in style.

Be my valentine...

An email to his loved ones...

Letters... really help pass the time away and you can reread them when you get home sick.

The one thing you could send though are blankets. Last year, in the village right next to us, over 300 people died because of the cold. It's really sad but when the guys go out on patrol when it's cold, they find someone dead almost every day. The sky is always filled with smoke because they burn anything they can find to stay warm including tires and plastic. I didn't even realize I was surrounded by snow capped mountains until a wind came one day and blew away all the smoke. The Afghan winters are brutal and some of our outlying posts already have three feet of snow.

... if you have any extra blankets, socks, gloves, scarves, or stocking caps, please box them up and send them to me. Try not to send anything with American Flags on it. It sort of sets them up to be a target for bad things to happen. Any size jackets from infant to adult.

So that's what I need for people to send me while I'm here. I would love for you to send me snacks and things, but I couldn't enjoy them knowing that there are people just outside of my gate freezing to death. Here's my address: Chris Heck, HHC 634 LTF, Camp Phoenix, APO AE 09320.

In response, some Illiopolis area folks have already sent out some boxes, and are planning to send more. If you would like to help, donations (blankets, socks, etc...) may be dropped off at the Illiopolis Post Office during regular business hours. A monetary gift to help cover the cost of postage may be sent to Jan Heck, PO Box 204, Illiopolis, IL 62539.

-The Sentinel Illiopolis-Niantic-Harristown, Illinois

This blog is still in the works but I finally got it published!

Little Wonders