Black Tie Bakery

My mom opened her own bakery several years ago.  My dad built her a bakery on to the house and she is state certified.  Her business has really started to bloom here lately and she is getting recognized in various ways.  Recently a bride gave her a 5 star rating on The Knot and they contacted her to have her on their website!  We are really proud of my mom and the work she does. She is such an awesome cake designer.  If you need a cake you should contact her - she's amazing!  Blacktiebakery.net

One of my favorites she done - a tree!

Peacock wedding cake

Sunflower wedding cake

Claire's 3rd birthday cake - Tinker bell

Cole's first birthday cake and crab smash cake

Claire's 4th birthday cake - Tangled!

Claire's first birthday cake and cupcake smash cake

Claire's 2nd birthday cake - Abby Cadaby

River Rock Bed and Breakfast

Back at Christmas, Michael and I won a nights stay at a Bed and Breakfast through a contest on Facebook.  We have not had time to book this stay.  I don't know if you know this - but the craziest time in a teacher's life is the last 3 to 6 weeks of school.  I don't know if you know this either - the craziest time in a youth minister's life is summer.  Which means that we move from 6 weeks of crazy life with me being overly stressed out, straight into Michael being in the most insane time and gone for 2 weeks straight!  So we were in some serious need of some down time.  So I called last week to book and told her at first we were looking at July and August. She was booked solid! She told me she had this Tuesday and that was it until late September.  So I booked it!  We dropped the kids at my parents around 1:20 ish and arrived at the house around 1:30.  This house was sooo quiet.  Michael and I got settled and found a comfy spot on the couch and read - a lot.  Around 4, because we are old, we went out to eat.  We came back and watched a movie and read some more.  Then we headed out and walked a trail.  Then we were ready for some ice cream.  We had dessert and just sat and talked for 45 minutes uninterrupted!!! Back at the house we continued reading and watching movies. I told Michael around 9 o'clock that I felt like I had been napping all day long because we had just been still and quiet.  It was exactly what we needed. 

We went to bed early and woke up around 8 - not once did I have to get up to put a paci back in someone's mouth, or someone having a bad dream, and I didn't have to share my bed with anyone but Michael! It was awesome!  Michael and I highly recommend the River Rock Bed and Breakfast. Danielle was amazing to work with and made our stay so comfortable!

 What you can't see or smell luckily is the dead cat to the left! SO gross!

Day Two of Jenna's Commenting Challenge

Again, I'm linking up HERE with Jenna and her commenting challenge.  Today we are sharing why we started blogging and why we still blog.  I started blogging back in February/March of 2008 right before our sweet Claire was born.  It was a SUPER easy way for me to share about her and her milestones with all of our family.  With Michael in youth ministry and me teaching we are very busy and it is hard for me to send pictures of the kids to our family (mainly grandparents and great grandparents) but this blog makes it all possible. 
I love that blogging also keeps me connected with friends that live far away. It has also helped me to "meet" inspiring people who have lived through so much more than I have and have done so in a way that glorifies the Lord.
This blog is also basically a "baby book." I had such a hard time keeping up with a written baby book, but I can find the time (usually) to sit down and blog about milestones my kids hit.  I also have plans to turn my blog into some books for the kids to keep forever.
Thanks for stopping by!!!

The reason I blog!

Caper's Family Reunion 2012

Claire learned to climb a tree!

Biggest moth I have ever seen!

My family reunion is always a blast!  Our family is so big and spread out it is so hard for us to get together but we really try to all be at our family reunion each summer.  This year my uncle Joe hosted us for the 3 day event.  We have so many little ones running around these days that it makes it a lot of fun.  Friday night as we arrived we all made sandwiches and had a dip competition - which I won!!  I made a buffalo chicken dip that was super yummy! On Saturday we all got up and had breakfast - we take turns each year on which family makes breakfast. This year we had a breakfast burrito bar!  Then we all just sit around and visit.  We have a horseshoe competition that plays out through out the day but we just really enjoy being together.  We had 2 kid pools and a slip and slide so the kids just spent the day in the water.  My cousin's daughter Sydney (who is the oldest by a long way) planned a scavenger hunt for all the little kids.  That afternoon we started a murder mystery and played over dinner.  We ordered BBQ from a local place and everyone brought a pot luck style side.  After dinner we have a dessert competition.  We then put the kids to bed late and sit up and talk about anything and everything - nothing is off the table.  On Sunday we get up have breakfast and head out.  I love my family and love spending time with them.  I kind of wish we had 2 reunions a year!!

Meet the Haffners

I'm joining up with Jenna over at Jenna's Journey for her commenting challenge.  I have several blogs I read daily and I can't wait to find a few more that spark my interest!
If this is your first time on our blog let me introduce myself.  My name in D'Ann and I live in Fort Worth, Texas.  I have lived in Texas all my life and don't see myself living outside of this state unless it is God's will for my family. 

What life is really like!

My husband and I have been married for 9 1/2 years.  Michael is the Minister to Students at our church and we LOVE doing ministry together.  We have 2 kids, Claire turned 4 in March and Cole turns 2 in less than 2 weeks.  I am the Preschool teacher for the district I teach in.  I have been a first grade teacher up until this year. I am excited about a new challenge and excited to see what the Lord has in store for us this year! 

Invitations Done!

I have Cole's invitations created, printed, in envelopes, and should be in the mail tomorrow!!!  I am SO happy with how they turned out.  I looked at a bunch of invitations online and created my own.  I usually use inkscape but Michael has our computer and I'm using my school laptop and can't download anything on it. So I think it turned out pretty good for using only power point!!  I can't believe my baby will be 2 in 2 weeks.  I am having a hard time with that!  However, he has ushered us into the terrible twos about 5 months ago!  Such a hard headed adorable baby!

Missing Michael

Where summer is the calmest time of year for a teacher, it is the craziest part of the year for a youth minister. Michael left last Monday, June 11th, for camp. He took our 6th graders to Wild Week since they are not old enough for Super Summer. He came home Friday around noon. The kids and I left around 4 to head to my family reunion. Michael then left Saturday morning for Super Summer training. Our kids left this morning to meet him down there. Super Summer is the most amazing week of the year. It is very hard to explain what Super Summer is like - you have to experience it! Anyways, Michael is on exec staff at SS. He is the assistant dean of orange school (kids going into 10th grade). Although I am missing him with all my heart I am also praying for him SOOO hard. I feel like my job this week is to cover him and our youth kids in prayer. I have very specific things I am praying for Michael this week. I'm praying for a godly confidence when teaching, that he would teach what God wants him to teach, and that God would not only fill him up beyond what he thinks he needs! There are some other ways I am praying for him - some that he didn't even know I was praying and it is so much fun when he calls to tell me things and I get to giggle and tell him how that was a specific answer to a specific prayer! God is so good.
So...I am missing him - a LOT. However, I am so excited to see and hear all things God is doing this week!

Zoo Day

 We spent today at the zoo with my mom, Jamie, and Scott.  It was a blast. We go to the zoo all the time and enjoy taking others and sharing in the fun.

 Cole's first time on a carousel

One of my favorite pictures of the day!  Cole has the funniest face on him!

They were feeding the otters!

Jamie's favorite animal - a Jaguar

 The kids loved petting the snake! I was grossed out and barely got these two pictures - the others were very blurry!

First time on a train!