Ayvri hits Double Digits!

Ayvri had a fun birthday - we went swimming for her adventure and she got to pick all the food.  

Of course for a girl of 10 she has very mature tastes - corn dogs with root beer and celery sticks.  She did make a great choice on cake and ice cream though.  We sure do love our Ayvri Belle!

My Very Favorite

Happy Birthday to my very favorite person!  Apple Pie a la mode.  

I don't think you'll ever get old!

Happy Dino-Birthday

Brigham had been talking about a dinosaur cake forever so when I found these toys I knew we could incorporate them into his cake.  The blood was his idea.  What a sweet boy.  We got to celebrate conference on his birthday and then enjoyed hanging out with some new friends who made us an incredible dinner.  His birthday adventure will come when Grandma's and Grandpa's come to visit.  

Kabe's a Tweenager

What in the world?  My Kabey-Baby is a tweenager?  He was so "cool" about his birthday.  At one point when we changed plans, yet again, to accomodate our crazy schedule he said, "Mom, you know what's hardest about having a birthday?  Making all the decisions - you can make the rest today ok?"  What a sweetheart.  

He wanted a checkerboard cake - too bad I didn't take a picture of the inside of it where it was a checkerboard.  

Kabe is such a GOOD person - always trying to help me out or make me feel loved.  He is a tender, smart, capable boy and I'm so glad to be his mom.

Hello Teenager

What in the world!  My baby girl is a teenager.  It's official and she's quick to remind us of it.  

Everyone says she looks just like me at that age, but I honestly don't remember being beautiful and graceful and smart and funny and kind and good like she is.  I tried to explain to her that strangers stop us in the store to tell me how beautiful she is, not because of her body - or at least not just because of that, but mostly because her spirit, all her goodness just eeks out of her face.  I'm not sure she got it, but I tried. 

She wanted a lime green zebra striped official teenager cake.  She's so easy to please.  

Keep on keeping on kid - you're pretty incredible and I can't wait to see where the next few years take you (just so they don't take you too too too far from me).  I'm sure it's hardest with the first and last, but I feel the bittersweet-ness of each milestone keenly.  She's only "all mine" for 5 more years.  I didn't think middle age would come so quickly.  And I remember my Mom saying that. 

Birthday Baby

This silly girl had a birthday - I told her not to, but she did it anyway.  I'm not surprised.

If I had to sum up Leisl in one word I couldn't do it - but two?  That's easy:

1. Determined

2. Loving

She is completely positive that she always knows the best way, always has the answer, always needs to say her piece and always needs to be obeyed.  She has no qualms about correcting and bossing adults and bigger children and gets very very offended if she feels like she's not being heard.  She wants things done HER way and is very concerned with giving her input.

She is also very loving - she adores absolutely everyone.  Her bus driver is one of her favorite people and she insists on giving him kisses each day as she gets off the bus (much to his discomfort).  She loves to hug and kiss on all the people in her life.  She loves to snuggle and quite often at home she'll come to find me like there's an emergency in a total panic only to say, "hug & liss".  

We love our little "weet-hot" Happy Birthday "Leetol"

Lucky #1

Look who's been around for a whole year?  First birthdays are always a little anticlimatic for me because for baby it's just another day.  Noah was a little ham opening his presents from Grandma though.

He totally got the concept of ripping paper and enjoyed every minute of discovery.

He was also pretty jazzed about the contents of said present and developed a love for books on the spot.  Before this he had no interest whatsoever but has since decided that reading and being read to is his very favorite thing.  He even has to have a book in his bed with him (a habit I completely support).

Happy boy with a thankyou smile for Grandma.

He enjoyed his birthday cake - but mostly just looked at me like, "Are you really going to let me eat this?"  

For a boy who doesn't get sugar very often he wasn't as excited about it as I thought he'd be and he certainly didn't make a mess with it like he does with his other foods.  

Still - he got messy enough to need a bath which is one of our favorite things.  Another one?  His scrunchy smile which melts me into a puddle every time.  I just love this crooked toothed little grin.

Oh my son, how could I have known a year ago how much joy and laughter and beauty you would bring to our family.  All I could see was my fear, my exhaustion.  I can never be thankful enough for the gift that you are - for this chance to relive all the babyhood I've mothered through and appreciate it even more than ever before.  I may ruin you for life by spoiling you completely rotten, but I'm going to try and enjoy every single second of this baby experience and be glad that it's not over yet.

Happy Birthday to my Singing Butterfly

Happy Happy Birthay Ayvri Dear.  Thanks for picking a simple birthday cake design.  

Can't believe you are already 9!  Where does the time go?  

Make a wish and then make it come true - you smart, beautiful, capable, confident girl!

One of my favorite things to do with you is to sing.  You have a beautiful voice and sometimes we tease you that you're Snow White because you sing everything at least one octave higher than it's written - you like to sing high!  I love to hear you sing and I love that you are confident enough at 9 years old to sing with the ward choir.  You're the only little girl there and you take your position very seriously.  What a beautiful voice you have, both in quality and also in kindness.  That voice gets you in trouble sometimes when it turns "demon".  We have worked together to keep our demon voiced under control.  I love to sing in the car with you and be silly - we play "opera" together and then "country" and just enjoy being silly.  Thank heavens for those moments when we two kindred spirits can just be alone and be ourselves together.  How I love you Ayvri Bell.  Always be YOU!

Let's Share a Birthday!

The boys are so great to share their birthday every year.  This year their cake was something special.

One side said something about "once there was a boy that loved reading more than almost anything"

The other side said, "once there was a boy who loved marshmallows more than his brother loved reading". 

They thought I was funny :)

Happy Happy Birthday, #5

Miss Darla is 5 years old.

She requested a plain old chocolate cake.

What a sweet little thing.  So glad to celebrate her!

Birthday Girl

For the first time in her life I wasn't with Ksenya on her birthday.  I don't know why that was so hard for me considering it will happen a lot in her future, but it was a keen reminder that this sweet girl is growing up, my time with her under my wing is almost over.

Ksenya got to go to Girls Camp on her birthday!  What a lucky duck.  So we celebrated a little early with green cupcakes.  The kids have become so understanding of my inability to create masterpiece birthday cakes!

Happy birthday baby girl. I couldn't love you more.

Happy Happy Birthday Princess

Leisl is 3!  That happened fast.  She just wanted pink cupcakes.  How easy is that?  And she LOVES her new Elsa jammies that Grandma Horse gave her.

I love simple birthdays.  And I love this little baby girl.  I call her the devil-child because she really does have two sides (very drastically different): the angel and the demon.  The angel is so angelic though, couldn't have a sweeter "weethot".

Happy Happy Birthday Tink

It's the big 8 for Ayvri Bell.

Her desert was a very random "I want cake in a cup with a red bird".  I didn't get it either but she loved it (and it was super easy) so I can't complain.  

Don't worry - all the kids got to drown theirs in sprinkles and life's always better with sprinkles right?

Birthday Boys

These boys just keep growing!  So I was pretty ambitious with Kabe's cake.  He's been reading the Guardians of Ga'hoole books and really wanted an owl, just like the one on the cover.  I did my best and was pretty impressed with the result.  

Then came Brig's cake.  Needless to say it was a total fail in the "looks" department.  He asked for three frogs on a pond (with marshmallows).  He pretty much made the cake with left over frosting from one of Aunt Jeri's baking projects and some tootsie rolls and skewers I had in the cupboard.  It's a good thing he's so easy to please because he loved it (I was so mortified I didn't even want to take a picture, but hey, let's be real).  

Birthday Princess

Look who just turned 4!!  She wanted princess cupcakes and these were the easiest (and cutest) cupcakes I think I've ever made.  Thank heaven's for toothpicks and printables.  Darla is such a delight and makes us laugh all the time.  She's gotten the nickname "Fat Darla" because those kissing chops are the meatiest most wonderful cheeks in the world.  Please stay little baby girl.  

Brave Girl Birthday

I'm not sure who's braver - me for having an 11-year-old daughter, or her for thinking she can survive her tween years with me for a mother.  We sure love this smart girl.  She chose a brave birthday theme with Cheesecake that looked like a target.  I know - not pinterest-worthy but she was impressed and it tasted great.  Again with the spaghetti and meatballs for dinner.  Sure do love this big girl!