From 2 to 12 in the Blink of an Eye

 

While I had my back turned, this little cutie. . . 

 

. . . went and grew up into this oh-so-grown up lovely young lady - can you believe it?!

We celebrated our Esther's 12th birthday last week with her favorite meal (chicken parmesan - how grown up is that?!) and a cake decorated with her favorite color (just a coincidence it's so close to St. Patty's Day) and fun times with family and friends.  

Her birthday wish list included:
     a floor lamp to put beside her bed (she's practical like that)
     a journal (a girl has ideas to jot down, y'know)
     pierced ears (just like her older sisters now!)
     and a kitten (she gets to pick from Sophie's litter, as soon as they are born)
 
Seems like yesterday this Little Queen arrived and we all spent our days sitting around oohing and aahing over her, walking the floors with her trying to convince her that sleep really is a very good thing, disguising vegetables so she wouldn't know what she was eating and would grow strong and healthy. 

It's an exciting time, watching what God will do in her life, helping her find the path she's to follow, what interests and talents will emerge as she continues to grow and mature. Our Esther is a joy and a delight, a sweet blessing. We love you dear daughter!

Green Ombre Buttercream Cake

Note: inspiration for Esther's birthday cake came from the Wilton Blog

Oh my, Oh my! How Time Does Fly!

It seems only yesterday we first entertained royalty. In actuality, it was 11 years ago today. You see, that was the day Esther Grace was born. Queen Esther, we affectionately call her. It had been a little over 8 years since we had brought home a new baby blessing, and so we were all too happy to oblige as she held court. We rather enjoyed gazing upon our very own royal baby. I remember how we would sit and watch and oooo and aaahhhhh and touch and snuggle and kiss and squeeze her. 

Queen Esther holding court

no longer the baby brother!

Well, I blinked and now she's getting so grown up! Right before my very eyes she's becoming a young lady. 11 years old already!

Happy Birthday, Esther!

Here you see her modeling her birthday dress. She chose the fabric and the pattern. Lovely!

These days Esther enjoys reading and handicrafts such as sewing, embroidery, making accessories (never can have too much jewelry and hairbobs!). She also likes spending time with Felicity (her American Girl doll) - you might notice the green riding suit she received from her sister.

 

Eleven years. Wow. It will take me some time to get used to that number. But I'm so happy you are my daughter, and I treasure the time we get to spend together. Your Dad and I thank God for you every day. We love you, dear daughter, very much!

A Special Birthday

Today is our Sweet Granddaughter's very first birthday. She is celebrating this momentous occasion away across the ocean, so we do not get to participate in the festivities in person. We actually started celebrating yesterday, because we received news of her arrival a year ago on February 5 here in the states, but it was actually February 6 already in Ghana. Crazy! This ol' Grandmom has to work at keeping her dates straight. Don't you just love that toothy grin? I do miss smothering those chubby cheeks in Grandmotherly kisses.



The Aunts and The Uncles gathered to sing 'happy birthday' to her long distance, and thanks to the speaker phone feature, everyone was able to hear her squeal with delight. And then, via Skype, we actually could see each other. With our wonky satellite connection, it isn't quite the same as being there, but hey! she could me, I could see her, we could hear each others' voices, so I'm good with that. Counting my blessings (and grand-blessings) and letting go of the rest. 

 Love you, My Sweet Baby Jemimah Belle!

Someone Had A Birthday . . .

and that someone turned 8 years old! During my blogging hiatus, Gabriel had another birthday. He is growing into such a fine young man.








We celebrated his day in the usual style -- balloons, streamers, birthday wishes, a visit from Grandma, gifts galore, a phone call from his overseas Sis.





And of course, a cake designed especially for Gabe.

Our Whirlwind Birthday Season

Since late May, it's been Birthday Central around here - 7 birthdays in less than 5 weeks, in our immediate family.

To start things off, Esther decided she'd like to make some fancy soaps to send to her sister-in-law for her birthday in late May. She chose a rose mold, and added scent and color to melted glycerine soap base, creating these fragrant blossoms:

We had lots of fun, and they turned out really nice. I think Esther surprised herself at how pretty they were, and Melissa really appreciated them. We also made 'Confetti' soaps, by stacking chunks of colored soap base into a cylinder, pouring in white soap base to fill, and then slicing into half circles (oh why did I not get a picture of these?)



Of course, the boys were not too excited about the whole flower thing, so they opted to make bug soap and turtles and frogs. Who knew creepy, crawly things could make such good, clean fun? These cute little soaps have made great gifts for some friends. This project is definitely on our 'Do It Again!' list.


Just a few days after Melissa's birthday, Brent celebrated his 24th. My, how the years have flown by! Having grown children, living away from home, FAR away from home, makes their birthdays tough on this old mom. I tend to reminisce and think on happy memories, and work at fighting away my melancholy. I miss the joy of baking Brent's strawberry/rhubarb pie, and decorating with streamers and a homemade birthday sign sporting his name. Ah, well -- life goes on! But I'm thankful for the luxury of telephones, as I was able to hear his voice from across the miles and a postal service that delivers my cards and packages.


And so, we move on. Look who comes next - me! Twenty-four years ago, we brought our firstborn home from the hospital on MY birthday. He was 2 days old, what a wonderful birthday present! How young and scared I was! How thrilled we were! Seems like yesterday.



Eight children later, they all join in with their dad, and make my birthday special. Once again, Caitlin surprised me with chocolate covered strawberries. She always finds a way to get them done without me knowing it. She is a wonder! She also whipped up a delicious Black Forest Chocolate Cherry Cake for me. Can you tell chocolate makes Mama happy? A gift card to my favorite restaurant, flowers wired from overseas, and my very own pocket-sized digital camera, along with special handmade pictures. They sure know how to spoil their mother!





A week later, it's Noah's turn! He is now 6 years old, will be starting first grade this year, and was very excited to have lost his 2 front teeth just in time for his birthday. You can do such cool things when you are missing so many teeth at once. The bottom 2 have not completely grown in yet, so there is quite a gap.



He especially wanted a baseball birthday this year, so Caitlin helped me make his dreams come true with the BallPark Cake. He loved it! Only trouble was, when it came time to blow out the candles, he needed plenty of help. What with that gaping hole in the front of his mouth, the wind went every which way, but straight out, and he missed EVERY SINGLE CANDLE! We told him this must be an extra special birthday, because this had never happened before. He was happy to have brothers and sisters around to help him out.



And so a few more days pass, and we are on the phone, making a call overseas to wish Alyssa happy birthday. My Flag Day Baby. 23 years old. All grown up, married with a baby of her own. I won't get into how emotional it is for me, but she's happy and doing what she loves. We all miss celebrating this special day with her, but sending cards and care packages makes it fun for us and for her. One of these years, I'm hoping God will bring all my children home for a visit during this birthday season, and we'll have One Big Birthday Bash - won't that be fun?


And 3 days later . . .



. . . Wee Bekah turns 4 - now, THIS birthday was a bit tough on Mom. On everyone, actually, because it means our baby really is growing up. I'm so glad she is generous with her hugs and snuggles and kisses.



Now, any of you that know this girl know that she's all about pink. And that includes birthdays. Especially Pink Poodle Birthdays! And so, Mama says, "My wish is your command" or something to that effect, and with some input from Esther and Caitlin, I whipped up this very cute cake for my baby girl.




Okay, it's Caitlin's turn. She definitely hides from the spotlight, but I caught her on film (so it was a digital camera, but you know what I mean). She's generally busy taking care of things in the wings, quietly helping out in the background, or behind the camera. On Sunday I had her front and center and wouldn't let her escape!



It is so nice to have Grandma near by. She is able to pop in to enjoy our little birthday celebrations.

For a change of pace, Esther and I made an Angel Food cake, covered with whipped topping and fresh strawberries and raspberries. Caitlin enjoyed it, and so did the rest of us! It was light and fresh tasting after all the heavier sweet treats we've been having lately.







19 years old now, and all grown up. But she still was very excited to receive another Nancy Drew Mystery computer game. How long will it take her to 'crack the case'?




Whew! If you have made it all the way to the end of this post, I applaud you and I thank you. This is a chaotic time each year, but a joyous time, filled with love and memories. Here's wishing each of you a Happy Day!

Spring Birthdays

Esther turned 9 in March. She is becoming such a lady. Because we were getting ready for our roadtrip, her birthday celebration was a whirlwind this year. I didn't even get an 'official' birthday photo of her - guess we'll have to do a summer photo shoot - I think everyone needs to have their portraits updated, anyway.



Her Birthday cake this year was a Spring Bonnet Fit For A Queen






On Dad's birthday, we were actually on the road to KC, where Luke played a double-header. So, as a special surprise, Caitlin and Mom whipped up a special birthday cake and we all surprised him the day before his birthday by showing up at the office with the cake and taking him to Taco Bell, everyone's favorite restaurant (ok, so it isn't Mom's favorite - but Dad definitely was happy about it!)





So, what did we create for Dad this year? We took the following into account:
1. He is THE BEST
2. He designs dams
3. He is an engineer
4. He likes cake









He and all the Engineering Department seemed to enjoy it.

Celebrating…

God’s Great Blessings –
Our Freedom, Our Liberty and the Courage and the Sacrifice of Our Founding Fathers


Once again, many of our family and friends gathered at our place for food, fun, fellowship and fireworks. It’s become quite the tradition. By the time July rolls around, I’m pooped, partied out. And so Luke and Caitlin have taken it upon themselves to pull this extravaganza together. They do a great job!

After grilling hot dogs for everyone, Luke and the boys synchronized their, ummm, whatever it is they synchronize and got the show on the road.

The girls waited with great anticipation.

After a few bottle rockets to set the tone, the younger crowd worked their way through a few sparklers.

Now, on to the BIGGER things!

As night fell, more sparklers – YEAH!

And then they brought out the really big guns – Spectacular!