FLORIDA

We made it!

 Olivia and Nick are in Florida this weekend with Grandma Joan to see Harry Potter World at Universal Studios. Aunt Kat is there, too, and it sounds like the four of them are having a really great time. They are texting me cute pictures every so often so we can see what they are up to!

N & L licking a giant sucker outside sweet candy cookers

"I just rode a huge roller coaster and I loved it! Love, Livi"

The house seems a lot quieter-and younger-without them here. Ben is LOVING being the oldest kid in the house for a few days and being spoiled with swimming and ice cream and all kinds of fun things. We are also having fun with Grandpa Cookie, who is getting ready for some business meetings in Denver next week.

 

OWL

About six weeks ago, Nick came home with some important news. Here it is, in his own words:

"Mom, today Mrs. Peirce came into our class and asked Mrs. Wright (his teacher) if Nick was here. She said yes and then Mrs. Peirce asked if she could talk to me in the hall. So we went into the hall and she told me that not very many kids had auditioned for the part of the Wise Owl for our play "The Bear Went Over the Mountain." She had asked Mrs. Wright who she thought would be good and she said 'I think Nick would do a very nice job.' She told me it was a big part and asked if I would like to do it and I said yes!"

He stressed out because he didn't get his script for a week, but then he practiced and practiced until those lines were perfect. He almost backed out a time or two because during play practice, all the kids would watch him say his lines and that made him "uncomfortable." (I didn't mention to him the many many people that would be watching him on opening night.....) He promised me I would cry during the song "Forever" because his teacher said all the parents do. (I did.) He was thrilled to hear that his costume was to be the most authentic of all the forest animals. He was sad when Bobcat #2 broke his leg over spring break and they had to make room for his wheelchair on stage. He didn't like the yellow socks I had for his costume and was relieved to know his owl pants were long enough so he didn't have to wear them. It was six weeks of excitement in that boys life!

The kids did two showings, one in the afternoon for the school and then one in the evening for parents. Grandpa Randall and Grandma Jen came to see the play and when Grandpa asked him how the first show went and if he was nervous, He responded, "No. I just pretended they were all in their underwear. AND I said a prayer....."

Nick did AMAZING in the evening show as well. There is not a cuter owl on earth!  It was so fun watching him up there on stage. He said all of his lines beautifully and had the biggest grin on his face the whole time. His giant wings flapped as he moved and danced to the songs and I could tell he was loving every minute of it.

Afterwards, we celebrated at  Jack-n-the-Box with Nick's favorite Oreo shake. It was such a fun night. Way to go, Nick! Love you.

NEISY

Grandma Jen and Grandpa Randall came for a visit last Wednesday. When they arrived, they rang the doorbell and the kids answered it right away. Grandma told them she had a surprise for them in the back seat of the car and when Livi opened the door, she saw a pair of legs hiding under a pillow. The legs belonged to Anneliese, one of our very favorite cousins!!! Lots of screaming and hugging went on by all of us, even Chris and I didn't know she was coming. In fact, Chris had just been on the phone with his sister (Neisy's mom) and had said, "Well Mom and Dad should be arriving any time." Annette played along and said, "Oh really? I didn't know they were coming out this week!" What a stinker.

The next week was full of sleepovers, laughing, skipping school, cotton candy and swimming. Livi stayed home two days, Nick stayed home one day and Ben and Kate also got a day with Neisy all to themselves. Kate fell in love with her right away, It was so cute. Neisy is a sweet girl and we just love her like crazy!

CAKE

Early in January, Ben decided his birthday cake this year was going to be a shark. I got online in January (before the crazy moving chaos started) to find the perfect shark cake. Nick helped me and together we found an awesome 3-D cake with shark head coming up out of the cake. Not easy, but doable. Decision made.

Fast forward to two days before Ben's birthday when I jumped online to get a printout of the masterpiece. Ben happened to be sitting next to me when I pulled up the image and said, "I don't like that cake." He told me the me the dorsal fins "were all wrong." And it wasn't the right kind of shark either. I tried to convince him of just how cool it was for a few minutes but he wasn't budging. We looked through tons of cakes to find what he wanted, then printed out a picture of the "right" shark species that he colored to look just right. I baked while he colored and we talked the entire time. He confirmed with me several times exactly what his expectations were for the cake. While totally entertained by his attention to detail, a gift that only yours truly could have given him, I gently reminded him that this wasn't National Geographic.....

The next morning was Operation: Decorate. After a second trip to the grocery store before school for more supplies and then a run to the neighbors for two more sticks of  butter, I barely had enough frosting. With nearly two double batches of frosting gone, I said a little prayer and kept going. I love the actual decorating part and had a blast making this little shark fella come to life. Ben had been kicked out of the kitchen- kids in this house never see their birthday cake before the party-but spent most the morning trying to sneak in and see what what going on. I kindly informed him that all was going well with his ballerina cake and that he had nothing to worry about. He said he saw what he thought was a fish, but I confirmed that it was actually a butterfly. It made him craaaazy, thinking that I had thrown all of his very specific requests to the wind. The teasing kept up all day and he loved it. At one point, we were in the car talking about it and he said, "Ok, let me get this straight. You are teasing me. You say you made me a ballerina cake but you really made a shark cake. I know it. I KNOW IT!"

When it was finally time, he closed his eyes and waited for his cake to be brought to the table. That sweet little face light up at his stared at it. A huge grin spread across his face and he looked at me and said, "I KNEW it was a shark!" Nick said something to him about it being a ballerina and Ben responded with, "Yeah, Nick, we're gonna make YOU a ballerina cake...for real life!" As the birthday boy, he got to choose the first piece......


Later, when I went in to tuck him in, he was looking at his books in bed but stopped for a second to say, "Thanks mom, for making my shark cake." My heart melted. He loved it and I knew he did. The last two days had been full of sweet moments and happy memories, which thankfully, would last longer than the cake.