So, you know those resolutions we made at the beginning of the year?  Its time to officially check in and see how they’re coming.

Remember my resolutions??

1) I resolve to get in better shape this year. Notice…i did not say I resolve to lose X amount of weight. If that comes with it, great…but if not, I still expect that my heart health will thank me for exercising more this year than I ever have. I also hope to enter a 5K this summer…walking, or running, i don’t care which

and

2) I resolve to notice (and recognize) good customer service instead of just complaining about bad.

Lets start with the one I’ve been hitting pretty hard.

Number 1.

Since the beginning of the new year, I’ve worked out 29 times. Thats 29/56 days. That’s not too terrible. Roughly an average of every other day.

Workouts are at least a half an hour with my heart rate up. More if time allows.

My friend Stacey and I joined one of the local gyms together, and have started the couch to 5K running program, and we’re just happy to admit that it hasn’t killed us yet. Today starts week 2 of the program. Today is day 30 that I workout in the new year!

We have chosen a 5K (actually a 4 mile course). The “Run Like a Mother” on Mother’s Day weekend in May. Like I said, running or walking, I don’t care which. It is going to happen!

The only thing that i’ve been frustrated with is my failing body. I have a knee which has been hurting and an ankle and hip that hurt only after I run. Hoping this doesn’t hinder my progress.

As for Number 2.

I still have high expectations of myself for this one. I just need to kick it up a notch.

I don’t know if its because I haven’t been anywhere this year…or because I just haven’t made an effort to notice, or because the customer service I’ve been given just sucks, but I haven’t been on top of my game on this one.

I resolve to do better.

Good thing I only made two resolutions!

Keeping yourself accountable is hard…you’re keeping me accountable.

I’ll admit…my first reaction was “a what??” when I heard this from my little girls mouth.

“Mommy…I want a chicka chicka boom boom cake”

But since I do my best to make birthday dreams come true…I dove right in…

and because I tend to appreciate over-achieving in life…I decided to make it a rainbow cake, with homemade fondant to boot.

So, pull up a chair, sit down and enjoy the creation!

The cast of colors…

I used gel food coloring. I’d never used it before, but it turned out to be way easier than the liquid, and way less messy. And if anyone really knows me, less messy is automatically better for me!

Layering the colors.

Two beautiful pans of cake batter waiting to go in the oven!

And those same two beautiful pans, out of the oven.

I didn’t have any round cake pans myself, so I borrowed these from my friend Beth. They were so pretty…and the cakes literally fell out of them when I went to turn them out onto a cooling rack.

My fondant draped cake. I just like the word draped.  The fondant…homemade marshmallow fondant. Yummy…and fun to play with. A HUGE mess to make, but fun if you’re into that sort of thing.

And…the decoration stage.

A big thanks to my friend Rachel who lent me the letters to complete the chicka chicka boom boom cake.  Because it wouldn’t have been much of a cake without letters. The tree and the palm fronds I just cut with a knife, but used scissors to make the leaves look more realistic.

The book has pink edges with orange polka dots…something I just couldn’t resist adding! Plus, I thought the cake needed a little more.

The dots…waiting patiently to be put on.

The finished cake.

One happy four year old!

The rainbow inside.

I will definitely be making a rainbow cake again…so easy…so pretty…and it elicited quite the response from the party goers! (And it tasted good too!)

Looking forward to a great day! There are so many things we love about birthdays in this house…besides the obvious.

The birthday doughnut…

The birthday book…(dr seuss’ happy birthday to you)

The birthday dinner…this year…chinese food!

Getting Happy Birthday sung to you all day long…

and of course, presents…

My big girl…showing the world how old she is! I think she is slightly disappointed in this birthday already…she told me, “mommy, I’m four, but I’m still not as big as you”…no honey, you’re not…and honestly, I’d like you to stay little forever, please.

Love you, big girl!

I came out after nap one day to find this…

I think I’m in trouble.

someday, he’s going to make the dentist very proud

I leave you with quite possibly the cutest picture known to man (in my completely biased opinion, of course)

don’t ya just want to kiss him? I think i’ll go do that.