A classic family picture! (Cara had
four permanent molars pulled that day for her braces so she didn’t fully
participate.) I guess that is a sure sign that she is getting older!
Caleb's
birthday kicks off birthday season on February 28th. This was a "no party" year for him yet he seems to
get most things he wants and had a bunch of boys over for a nerf war in honor
of his birthday. I was working on
his cake that night and had it on the freezer. (Yes, it is blue, just the way he wanted it.) When someone opened the freezer the
cake fell off and landed frosting down on the steps. Caleb wasn't too upset so we bagged the birthday cake for
this year. He likes picking his
own gifts so we gave him some money, along with a ski bag and snowboarding
boots. He spent the money as quickly as he could on an air soft gun. It is hard to believe we have a
teenager in the house, but he is doing his best to make it real by testing our
patience.
One week after
Caleb's birthday was Ali's big day.
This year we are moving to odd numbers, Ali turned seven. I love that she is so content and happy
with anything she receives. She
loved her new doll. Her birthday
was on a busy weeknight so we put off her birthday party until the
weekend. Somehow she ended up with
two cakes this year. The evening
of her birthday we had the Knights over to celebrate with us and to help us eat
cake and ice cream. Her party was
super fun! So many girls adore
Ali. It was really hard to keep
her party list short. We stuck
with the girls in our ward who do dance and other activities with her. We didn't invite any "school
friends" and we didn't even invite all of the neighbor hood girls. I just have to remind myself, everyone
can't be invited to everything every time. It is a hard lesson, but important to keep things in
perspective.
Her birthday
Ali's birthday party theme was "Art." The girls painted "treasure boxes." They were so cute meticulously working
on them. I hadn't realized how
gifted Ali must be at art. In
comparison to the others hers looked like a much older girls did it. They all worked for a long time on
them, and I think they were proud of their good work. Play dough is a great filler activity as the children
arrived and after they finished painting their boxes. Ali received some really fun crafty gifts including this
blanket that she recruited help with, a fairy garden, cards, and a much more. It is beginning to warm up and the snow
is finally melting. The kids LOVE
for Josh to bounce them on the tramp.
There are always a lot of squeals of delight when he is out there. I just keep my fingers crossed that
everyone stays safe!
Cara was also
spoiled for her birthday. She got
a crystal chandelier for her bedroom and a ski bag. It was a "no party" year for her too, but she did
have friends over after school on her birthday. She also had a late night that weekend. The weather had been nice and she
wanted to play night games. The
games didn't last very long because they all got freaked out about leprechauns.
It was just a little too scary to be outside on St. Patrick’s Day!
Cara is becoming such a helpful and
delightful young woman. She wakes
up at 7 AM every day and gets all of her chores and jobs done in the morning
before she leaves for school. I require some kind of talent development every
day so she is currently teaching herself the ukulele using you tube. Reading
and writing continues to be a challenge, but her iPad serves as a great tool
and she has understanding friends who help her often. She certainly has her
mood swings, but she is so helpful around the house. She loves to cook and doesn't fuss too much about cleaning
when she is asked. Ages 1-5 feel
like a lifetime, but it amazes me how quickly my children are growing up now!!
