{up to my eyeballs in cookies!}

I can happily report that I have been very busy with cookie orders! Here is a glimspe of some recent ones:

Mah Jong tiles for my mom and Arleen were tiny and a lot of work, but worth it in the end:

Soutwestern cookies for a friend of my parents who was recovering from surgery:

More hibiscuses, this time in pink and purple for a birthday:

Back to school gift boxes that I advertised on Facebook. I got so many orders (20!) that I had to turn people down! Several people who RECEIVED these cookies have already placed their own orders!

Piano keys and soccer ball for 2 of my favorite neighbor girls who were having a rough week:

By far my most detailed cookies yet. These New Balance sneakers were for my personal trainer. I had a friend take a picture of her actual shoes and I made cookies!

Gerard couldn't decide if he wanted to bring Pokemon cookies or cupcakes to his class to celebrate his birthday, so I gave him the best of both worlds: mini Pokeball cookies on top of cupcakes! (His class went wild!)

One of the teachers who received the back to school cookie gift box ordered these custom baby cookies. Her mom ("nana") watches her new baby (Caroline) while she is at work and she wanted to thank her.

Someone bought back to school cookies for the office staff at Gerard's elementary school and then one of the secretaries called me and ordered Elmo cookies for her granddaughter. I forgot to take pictures of those, but you can see other Elmos I have done HERE.

{back to school}

It's been a busy few weeks here with school starting. Gerard still likes his teacher and is adjusting to the new demands of 3rd grade. He is responsible for bringing me his agenda to sign every day, he has homework at least twice a week, plus swimming lessons one night and Morgan's dance class another night. This past Saturday was also his EIGHTH birthday. I cannot believe he is 8!

Morgan also had her first day of school on Monday and LOVES her teacher Mrs. H. It was actually a short first day so they could "meet the teacher" (even though it is the same teacher as last year). Her real official first day of school is this coming Monday and she asks EVERY DAY if she can go to school yet. I love that she loves school so much.

Sometime in the middle of everything I've been making more cookies. I have a lot of pictures to share (cookies AND kids), so I think I'll do them in two posts. First, the pictures of the kids:

Gerard enjoying his birthday cupcakes at school:

Morgan's first day of school (check her out on her first day last year):

Today was picture day for Gerard:

{it's the most wonderful time of the year}

First day of school!!!! Gerard was excited this morning (although a little tired). He was excited to start a new school (he's at the Intermediate School this year, which houses 3rd through 5th grades), he likes his teacher, and he's happy to see his friends. I think Morgan is excited too -- she likes the peace and quiet while he's gone. :)

Of course, here are the obligatory pictures. I love it that when we went outside to take them we could see at least 2 of our neighbors doing the same.

I can't believe how much he's changed. Check him out last year.

{i forgot!}

I forgot to post some other recent cookies and some fairly recent pictures of the kids.....

Some tropical-themed cookies for an engagement party:

Pink and teal sparkly guitars and mini music notes for a 7-year-old girl's Taylor Swift birthday party:

Little yellow smiley faces (thanks for the idea, Ma) for Morgan's friends who brought her gifts after she broke her elbow:

In kid news, Gerard and Morgan had a sleep-over and big Gerard put up the tent in the backyard and slept back there with Gerard, Maddie, Abby and Morgan. Here they are warming up in the morning:

We have a great neighborhood with lots of wonderful friends. Gerard loves his "harem", especially the newest lady in the neighborhood, Emily:

{more cookies}

I just finished an order for a nautical-themed party. I think these are some of my favorite cookies yet!

And since I haven't posted any recent pictures of Gerard, here is one of him with his hippie long hair, and one of the kids shucking 2 dozen ears of corn for me. Our freezer is now stocked with fresh corn for the winter!!!

{boo boo}

For those of you who may be out of the loop, the big news around here is that Morgan broke her elbow 2 weeks ago. She fell (or according to Gerard, she JUMPED) off the coffee table and landed just right. When she had cried nonstop for nearly half an hour, I decided I needed to take her to the ER.

After several HOURS, multiple doctors, a bunch of x-rays, and some Tylenol, we learned that she broke and dislocated her left radius. Essentially, she broke a piece of the bone off and it moved. By 2:00 AM they had sedated her and tried to move the bone back in place but were unsuccessful. She'd need surgery.

They discharged us from the ER in a terrible thunderstorm, and about 1/8 mile from my house I drove into a road that had flooded out and my car instantly died. The water was up to my car door. I called my lovely neighbor, Chris, who rescued us in his truck. The next morning I pushed my car out of the water and it started, but everything on the floors had been soaked and ruined. As of yesterday the car still smelled swampy, so I took it to get cleaned and detailed. It still smells a little, but that should disappear soon (hopefully!)....

Morgan's surgery was a few days after her accident.

Here is a short video of Morgan after they gave her some happy drugs to make her relaxed, before they took her into the operating room and gave her the IV:

They put her under general anesthesia and were able to put the bone back in place without any incisions, which was the best-case scenario. She recovered nicely, and has a neon pink cast now.

She is really such a trooper -- she hasn't complained about the cast or her arm at all! Even after she got stung by a bee on her cast hand she cried for a while, her finger swelled up, but then she was fine! What a tough girl!