Josh's birthday

On Saturday, we celebrated Josh's birthday with dinner at our house with his family. That morning the girls and I headed to the fair again to watch Mich and Matt compete in the round robin. Then, we came home and baked Josh's cake. He requested a white cake with raspberry filling so that's what we made. I also put a layer of whipped cream in it too. I covered it with a chocolate ganache which is just a fancy word for chocolate and cream heated together. MJ decorated it with Raspberry Almonds from M&M's Premiums. They are quite yummy. We also made homemade vanilla and chocolate ice cream. It's my grandma's recipe and definitely worth the effort. It brings back memories of home. After he opened his presents, Emma walked around "reading" his card that Mackenzie wrote for him. She just kept talking and showing everyone. I think he enjoyed his day and we had fun celebrating with him.  

I know it's been awhile, but until Wednesday I hadn't even taken any pictures of the girls lately. Last weekend I drove over to Twin Falls to photograph a 70th birthday party. It was a lot of fun. Stephanie was the party planner and I stayed with her and her folks that evening. We had a great time visiting. I felt as if I was at home and my own mom was taking care of me. It was kind of nice. The girls stayed here with Josh and they had a nice weekend together. Every time I talked to MJ she said they were having so much fun. It was good for all three of them to have the time together and for me to get a little break. This week I have been working on processing the pictures from the party and finishing a freelance story. The real fun was on Wednesday when we spent the day at the county fair. The girls had a great time. We went to watch Mich and Matt show their steers and take in all the sites of the fair. Emma enjoyed the animals from a distance. Although once she saw her friend Austin get really close to the chickens, she decided maybe they would be okay to look at closer up. MJ was in her element. She had been asking for weeks when it was fair time. She was so excited to have a new horse shirt from G'ma and G'dad in Kansas to wear too. In the afternoon I brought Emma home for speech and Mackenzie stayed with Carla. She said she had so much fun helping while I was gone. Emma found a new friend (Matt's friend Joel). She really took a liking to him. It was a long, hot day, but it brought back many memories for me and my days showing at the fair. 

Payette County Fair

Payette County Fair