I have a teenager!

Yes, yes, I know this post is a bit late. The last two weeks have been super busy. Hannah's birthday was on the 10th, then we travelled to Ohio to return her to her dad's house for the school year and now we've spent this week recovering.

Did I mention that I can't believe that I have a teenager? Where oh where did the last 13 years go? It is strange to realize that we have just a few more years before she is heading off to college as an adult.

So, Hannah requested a chocolate cake covered with fondant for her birthday. She isn't a flowery, girly girl, so I decided to try a soccer ball cake, as she will be playing soccer this fall. That is the short version of the story, anyway...I definitely didn't have a clue how I was going to pull off a soccer cake, but did it anyway because she liked the idea. So, here is the cake:

I was totally displeased with it. The top was okay, but the sides just look warped and strange. The cross lines between the blue patches are all wonky on the sides. She was happy with it, though, so I suppose that is really all that matters.

And here is a pic of my birthday girl!

And this is what I believe will be labeled as the "official" 13th birthday picture. I used to have photos taken at Penney's or Sears or some such place each year, but I realized that I was getting just as good (if not better) shots on my own than I can get with their (often) inexperienced staff.

Happy birthday, Hannah!