Kaylie Marinda

Dear Kaylie,

Happy 15th birthday hon! It amazes me how fast time goes....I see it with the little kids, but it started with you. I remember one of the first times I met you. Daylen was standing at the front gate waiting to be picked up and you came over to meet him. You were in 3rd grade and it was spirit week. I remember this because you walked over with Whitney and you were twins. I think you were wearing a jean skirt, new shoes and a new shirt- so cute. I remember our wedding and how beautiful you looked and I remember thinking how lucky I was.

I have such big dreams for you. I hope that you love high school. It was a BLAST for me and I will always have those memories. I met 2 of my best friends in high school. I hope that you treat yourself right. I hope that you find yourself and what you are looking for and never look back. I hope that you find a couple friends (which you may already have) that will stick with you for life....even through all the crap that will come. You need true friends that will 'slap you across the face' sometimes, ones that will hold you accountable for your actions and tell you when you are being stupid. I hope that one day you understand how much Delaney and Brody love you and miss you terribly when you are not here. I hope that you will always have a relationship with them. I hope that you realize how much your dad and I love you and will ALWAYS be here for you. I know I am not your mom, and I would never try to be, but I am married to your dad and have only your best interest at heart. I hope one day that we have a relationship that other 'step families' are jealous of. I hope that you listen to your heart and don't settle. I think about a year from now when you are driving and I know that we will see even less of you. so I hope that you will want to come visit. I hope that you dream big and never forget that no matter what happens, you will always have your family. Always.

I know that if you are reading this it's because someone told you to, but I know that the chances of that are slim.... so I hope one day, you get curious and check our family blog and click on your name and read it. We may not have the best relationship in the world, but I do love you and will always hope for more....

Happy Birthday Kaylie.

Love,

Nicole

The Mikkelson girls

Kaylie and Brody

Kaylie.

I have a step-daughter. She is 14 and she is gorgeous. I met Kaylie when she was in 3rd grade and loved dressing likes twins with her best friend, Whitney. She knew me as Miss Kelley and I thought she was the cutest thing ever. Now she is going to high school. High school. How crazy its that? I have a one year old, a two year old and then a step-son who is going to be in 7th and Kaylie who will be a freshman. She is going to Cienega and will be a freshman cheerleader. I loved high school and I hope she does too. I hope that she has opportunities to "find herself". To figure out who she is and what she thinks and feels. Not what others tell her. I hope she has a blast, but studies and gets good grades. I hope that she realizes what a support team she has and will always have and that she will utilize us in that way. I hope that she makes friends that are true friends. I met two of my closest friends, in high school. I hope she goes to dances and experiences things.... on her own, because SHE wants to. I hope she is happy:)

She had her promotion from 8th grade, which apparently is a HUGE deal at her school. All the kids dressed up and she looked gorgeous.

This is us... not sure why my hand is on my hip and I am talking....as usual

Eric's step-dad and mom

Move over Buddy... There's a NEW BOSS IN TOWN!

For those of you who don't watch TLC, the show Cake Boss, is awesome! It is so funny and the cakes that they create are amazing to say the least!!! Buddy is the owner... but not for long:)
My dear friend friend, Heather, holds the "Betty Crocker" title right now. She is the reason that THE CAKE existed. First I want to mention that I have known Heather for a VERY long time. She is that friend that no matter how long you have "been apart" you feel like you just talked to her yesterday. She is beautiful. We used to have modeling sessions at our house during sleep overs, that's right, we were way cool. We also used to hang upside down, paint faces on our chins and call my mom in to do a show. And we were in like 8th grade.

Heather and I reconnected thanks to a random lunch we decided to have one day when I was super prego with Brody. She helped me with a problem and boom, we were back. I saw a cake that she made for her gorgeous niece, Abby. It was so cool! I begged her to help with a cake for my step-daughter Kaylie.

I had an idea about a zebra cake. Kaylie was turning 14 and was into the whole zebra thing. Heather jumped on it!! I went to her house one night to make the fondant... oh yeah, there was fondant involved! HOMEMADE fondant! Here are some pictures of the masterpiece as a work in progress!!

Ingredients for fondant.....
okay so not the margarita stuff, but it was very important in the creating process.

Again margaritas are important!

Just keep kneading, just keep kneading, just keep kneading, kneading, kneading!

After making the fondant nice and black- my hands were dyed purple for a whole day!

My Heather and me!

Heather aka Betty Crocker

The cake with HOMEMADE strawberry something (Betty Crocker I am NOT)

We were excited....

Then we weren't. The fondant tore, but never fear.....

The CAKE IS HERE!!!!!

Whew, it worked!!! The flowers were real, cuz we were tired of making stripes!!

I am so happy that we did this for Kaylie. I was really hoping it would turn out, but just in case,

I made a regular cake and had Kaylie frost it, in case it tasted gross.

There she is, the 14 year old. I still can't believe it!


Thank you Heather! You are a true friend!

Next up, a cake for my soon to be brother-in-law and then Delaney's 2nd birthday cake!!

I have a 14 year old step-daughter. OH. MY. GOSH.

14! 14! I can't have a 14 year old step-daughter.... but I do. She turns 14 today. She has a few holes in her ears, just got her cartilage pierced and looks like she's 20. I can't believe it!

When I met her she looked like this:

2004.... how sweet.

NOW SHE LOOKS LIKE THIS:

Big sis, holding baby Brody

Delaney LOVES her!

I love these two girls!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAYLIE!!!!