Birthday baby

I have a theory. It goes like this. Brace yourself. It's very insightful.

First birthday parties are more for the mamas (and maybe for the papas too ;P) than they are for the kiddo in the spotlight!!

See, "first birthday party" means - WE SURVIVED THE YEAR! We've navigated sleepless nights, transition upheavals, breast-feeding, first cereal feedings, sibling adjustments, shopping outings with three kids piled on one stroller. Tummy troubles and family travels and nap time habits. We've gotten to know this little peanut and her many and varied preferences. We've gotten TWO teeth and a bit of rest. What a journey it has been!!

First things first. The cake. I am NO Betty Crocker. I don't enjoy baking much; kitchen duties are not the first things I sign up for. However, I do enjoy putting together my kids birthday cakes. Go figure. A glutton for punishment - perhaps. This year I thought I'd try playing around with fondant because I am inspired by a friend who gave it a whirl. (Joy, if you're reading this, you inspire me on so many levels. Fondant included ;P.)

Anyway, discovered that fondant can also be pretty pricey. Since we do want to reserve a bit of money for the kids RESP I came up with Plan B - Gum paste. Well, there's the pre-made version and the mix version. I bought the mix because, again, it's a bit cheaper. Of course, if you're really adventurous, the cheapest route is just to google a recipe and mix it all yourself. I didn't want to push my luck!


Gum paste is a TON of fun - once you figure out some of the .... kinks. It takes a bit of messin' around (and at 11:30pm, I didn't have a whole lotta energy left for that!) but once you got it, it's fun! Jon heard a lot of muttering under my breath (and some a bit louder than that!) but eventually TADA. Birthday cake.

I have learned to take pictures of the cake that moment they are done - because no matter how hard I try, something always appears different the next day. Like the time the gel writing ran and looked --- odd. Or the smarties bled color OFF the smarty and onto the cake. Again, didn't look as nice. This time, sure enough. The gum paste started to get a bit soft and the color started to blend into the whipped topping. All in all, it still looked okay.

Secondly, it's always fun to add a few final touches. I don't go all out in decorations. It's just not my thing. I have read of gals that literally STAPLE table clothes to the walls just to make an "underwater scene." Since I want to stay married, and I'm almost certain that "unnecessary holes in the walls due to stapled table clothes in an effort to create a birthday party theme is not allowable" was part of our wedding vows (right up there with for better or worse, as long as we both shall live), we keep it simple around here. A little bit of clip art and a little bit of color. Voila. Eat. Drink (punch or pop is what we serve!). Be merry.

The weather was lovely, and we were able to enjoy the great outdoors a bit before moving in for supper. Supper. Food. Ah. Again, kitchen issues. We decided, due to temperamental MB weather we would not bbq. I have a bbq "issue" (namely I hate it because I either burn it or undercook it, and let's just say it's not my thing. Although I have not given up, and do practice and someday... maybe someday.....) and I didn't want Jon to have to BBQ in his rain suit. Again. Because he's already done that once in a down pour this spring and I felt kinda bad about that ;). Except that he looked kinda cute, but I'm not sure that's exactly what he wanted to hear :). So, we went with p.i.z.z.a.

Now, if you've known me for a length of time you'll know I have a "history" with pizza. Love to eat it, have not given up on making it, but have struggled to get it "right." It either comes out too doughy in the middle (YUCK!) or ..... well, that's it. Usually squishy in the middle. I've tried all sorts of remedies for this and have yet to find one that I am satisfied with.

So, I used that mighty google tool again. Prebaked all my pizza crusts (poke them with a fork so that they don't get all big and fluffy) and then REBAKED them the next day with the toppings. Turned out FABULOUS. Because I used a light-colored heavy aluminum pan the crusts did not get overbaked at all. They were crisp on the outside yet barely even brown. I wasn't sure about the "rebaking" step, since there were many different theories on this out there. However, I popped them into a slightly cooler oven (375F) and could get away with baking them a full 17 minutes - toppings were done rather than precooking all the pizza toppings as well (a bit labor intensive!). Piping hot pizza, out of the oven. Served a crowd, simply, cleanly (as all the mess was made the day before) and I could enjoy MINGLING rather than COOKING!

See what I mean about first birthday parties being for the mamas :)? 

Here she is, my little one year old. Becoming a rather a dainty eater, so even though we gave her icing, this is about as crazy as she got!!

She is a sweet little gift, through and through. She's taught me so much already; I'm sure there'll be more lessons on the horizon as we move through toddler hood and into the preschool years ;). 

Now, pardon me. I think I'm going to enjoy a lazy-daisy Monday ;P.

Punctuality

Just over a week ago, I celebrated 33 trips around the sun!
And what a grand adventure it has been!!
Wow.
Some delightful moments.
Some .... less than stellar ;).
All in all, I'm thoroughly enjoying the journey!

I come from a family who loves to give fabulous gifts. In the "love languages," this definitely stands out. I am certainly not complaining ;) --- I have received many thought-filled presents, and have tried to return the favor!

Now, if you've ever waited for me to show up at a coffee shop, or swing past your house to drop something off, or ever had to wait for one of my "just one moment please" or if you've been sitting in your driveway an extra moment or two waiting for me to pick you up.... or if you realized that I collect clocks but ALL of them are really set at different times (not entirely intentionally, some are lacking batteries, some are strategically set 5 minutes ahead!!!). In fact, if you've ever ever had to wait for me at all, you'd realize just how hilarious this precious gift is:

And like all truly great gifts, this one has a (small, but cute) story attached to it. This past winter, while we were in Florida, I was walking through the gift shop of a restaurant chain and saw this clock. I burst out laughing. It's me, through and through. However, true to form, I reasoned that we'd already spent so much money on a holiday, why buy (yet another) clock. Plus I had three kids with me (who were well past bed time) one of which had been howling for about an hour already and fishing the cash out of the diaper bag seemed like a ginormous amount of work! Blah blah blah. So, of course, I left it.

And it's one of those things I thought of obsessively on that loooong drive home!

So, when my parents decided to head south for a few weeks, I mentioned to my mom that SHOULD SHE come across this restaurant chain, and SHOULD SHE happen to find this particular clock in the store window, COULD SHE PLEASE BUY IT FOR ME. I'd pay her back. Promise promise promise :).

She, being sweet and kind and a very good listener, picked it up for me and gave it to me as a birthday gift :).

I was now able to remove a very ugly clock and replace it with this beautiful shiny clock that makes me all happy and smiley every time I see it.

You see, I am working on my punctuality. And yes, I have really really improved over time. However, I suspect it will always be something I have to be intentional about. Some days I'm okay with that. Some days I'm not. And some days - well, sometimes you've just gotta laugh!!

Annnnnd she's FIVE!

On December 21, it was 5 years since the morning (early, 3:38am) that Little M came into this world.

Those 5 years have been filled with much adventure, laughter, discipline :), and quiet and not-so-quiet moments together.

That first week that I was home alone with this tiny baby, I decided to make a trek out to the post office. It was BITTERLY cold, so I was going to take the car. It was my first "outing" alone. It felt like it took forever just to get out the door. Everything still felt awkward and was I forgetting something... blah blah blah. I backed the car out of the garage and down the driveway. All clear. HOWEVER, there was a patch of ice lurking beneath a small pile of snow. The snow was not an issue, but the stupid ice patch was. And there, in my driveway, 1/2 onto the road, I was totally and completely stuck.

Did I mention I'd brought the dog along, just for fun!?

Hmmmm. What to do. Baby is in the car. Dog is now very anxious. I am more than a touch nervous myself. Quite a quandary. A friend neighbor stops by. So thankful for her familiar face, I open my door - and the pooch ESCAPES! It takes me a while to catch him, and when I do, my friend says that her husband clears driveways and would be more than willing to help me out. A simple tug later, and my car is free.... except that in the process, he drives straight off the culvert in ANOTHER neighbors driveway and now his truck was totally and completely stuck. And sitting at an angle that didn't look....good. Five hours later, all the vehicles are back in their respective garages. I never did make it to the mail!

Almost every time we head out together, I ask Little M -- HEY, wanna go off on an ADVENTURE together!? 

One time, when we were headed off to the city for some fun, she calls out from the back seat, "we're off on the greatest adventure EVER!!"

Life is always an adventure.

You just never know what might happen :).

 

She's worn her birthday girl ribbon every day since she got it :). 

Year ONE

 Year TWO

 Jammin' it up on Year THREE

 Cheesin' it up for Year FOUR

 

Year FIVE.

Wow. This pic doesn't show it, but we've probably lit the birthday candle 

about five times. Sung Happy Birthday every time :).

Such a hoot!!!

We've started letting Sweet K blow it out too, 

just to practice for her birthday in June :)!

Happy birthday, my sweet little girl.

You're a one-of-a-kind and we love you very much!

You make us laugh and laugh and laugh.

We are thankful for you.

32 trips around the sun.....

Wait.
I better stop and check the math on that!
2010 - 1978 ======= yup. 32 years.
The older I get, the more often I have to pause and recount the years!!!
For a while I thought I was still 25. I was actually 29. Oops!!!


Birthdays are exciting events around here.

Not so much because of the fuss and fanfare (though I thoroughly love getting cards, well wishes, going out for lunch with my mom, hearing "Happy Birthday" from my little family members, having Jon treat me to dinner --- lately we've been ordering in our our birthdays, finding time for a date night sometime in the birthday vicinity! --- and usually a glass (or two, maybe even three if I'm feeling particularly sassy!!!) of homemade wine (this year reserved for AFTER baby's arrival!). I also love getting ready for the girls birthday parties, especially the "delightful" habit of creating a cake, which usually happens at untimely hours of the night! All in a days work, right :)?

However, birthdays are special for another reason too.
As I take time to pause and reflect on God's faithfulness throughout another year, I am completely blown away by His generosity, gentleness and grace.

Life is not always easy. 
Sometimes it's the little things that add up. Just this week, as I dealt with a series of tantrums, terrible nights, development issues, and a host of other things, I had to send Little M to her room (which was quite the fanfare of kicking and screaming!) and I stood in the kitchen and sobbed. Fatigued and frustrated, I fought the urge to run and hide away myself.

Other times it is the big deals in life. There are situations and circumstances that I would change if I could. Things I would never have let happened if possible. Though I can pray for the strength and integrity to influence things in a positive way, there simply are things that are beyond my control. Yet, in spite of these things, even BECAUSE of these things, God continues to meet with me in a powerful way and redemption unfolds before my eyes.


² I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
       apart from you I have no good thing."
  ⁵ LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; 
       you have made my lot secure.
 ⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
       surely I have a delightful inheritance.
 ⁷ I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
       even at night my heart instructs me.
 ⁸ I have set the LORD always before me.
       Because he is at my right hand,
       I will not be shaken.
Psalm 16


Lately, as I have witnessed hardships unfold also in the lives of those I love dearly, a line from the David Crowder Band song How He Loves has been a constant refrain (and if you wanna see a dude with some pretty funky hair, click here to see the video!!!)...

He is jealous for me, Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree, 

Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy. 

When all of a sudden, 

I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory, 

And I realize just how beautiful You are, 

And how great Your affections are for me. 

So, for me, birthdays are a day to step out of routine a bit, get together with loved ones, laugh and reminisce and all around have a good great time!

They are also a day for me to stop and declare....
Thank you LORD for your faithfulness.
Thank you for the joy and satisfaction of the good work you've called me to at this time.
Thank you for peace that passes understanding and joy that is beyond circumstances.
Thank you for the good things you give as gifts.
Thank you for the hard things you also turn into gifts.
Thank you for everything.
I am grateful.

Today should be a very fun day. I am anticipating a lunch out - chinese food maybe :)!? I will putter in the gardens and take out the kids sprinkler. We will enjoy supper THAT. I. HAVE. NOT. HAD. TO. PREPARE!!! I may or may not tackle a few pre-baby-arrival projects, we'll see how much energy is left at the end of the day. I have lingered over a cup of coffee, donned a pretty shirt (one of the few left in the closet that actually FITS anymore!!!) and appreciated many notes of encouragement that have already come my way.


Yes, I have a feelin' that today's gonna be a good day, that today's gonna be a GOOD DAY, that today's gonna be a GOOD GOOD DAY!!!

Happy birthday!

How can it be that another year has passed!!

This morning, as I sat in my chair, basking in the silence and the cozy warm glow of the Christmas tree, I pencilled into my journal...
Monday, December 21, 2009 - Mikayla's 4th Birthday!!
"Four years ago today we met Mikayla face-to-face for the first time @ 3:39 a.m. What a great way to start the day!! Today, 4 years later, I smile. It is 7:30 a.m., the house is still quiet (except for Sweet K's occasional  squeak :)...) and here I sit, absorbing the moment. Another great way to start the day!"


In the respite of solitude I found my grounding for the day. Life has been full. Which is fine. It's the wonky nights that throw me for a loop!! And, of course, we've had both at the same time. And I wanted to be able to embrace and enjoy this day. Little M's 4th birthday party. What fun!!

With a shudder, I recalled the chaos of last year!! Once again, I discovered the joy of perspective :). This year, I LEARNED A LESSON. Or two. Or three.
1. Pick an easier "theme" to find "goody bag items" for!!!
2. Head out a little earlier in the day. This prevents sob-filled break-downs in the Dollarama parking lot :). Even shopping with kids in tow is better than not getting in a visit to the bargain bins!!!
3. Make it simple.

It helped that J was home on holidays this morning. He was able to get the girls fed and dressed for the day so that I could enjoy setting the last few things up. It helped that I did things in bits and pieces this week (pregnancy drains whatever energy you haven't used up throughout the day!!). And it helped that I  started my day off right. Quietly :).

We had so much fun!!

Here is the cake I made to help celebrate the day.

Notice the time on the clock when I actually BEGAN this project!!

My friends, that is not a.m., but p.m.

Two round little cakes awaiting icing.

Please take note of the nicely arranged spice cupboard.

It doesn't always look like that :P.

One hour later....

Little Tink, sittin' pretty!!

After a few short hours of sleep, it was time for the Big Day :). With a little "decorating" done the night before, this is what Little M woke up to on her special day :)...

The bargain store had little confetti in the shapes of Tinkerbells

that are actually STICKERS! Bonus :). This year we saved all those

"confettis"to be used on various craft projects :).

The few days before her birthday, Little M assured me in ALL seriousness that you simply

CANNOT

have

a

Birthday party

without

balloons.

Of course, the one thing I HADN'T bought!!

Good thing we were planning to go shopping one more time :P.

These have to be my favorite finds!! Little Tinkerbell wings and wands!

These were part of the "goody bag" however, we also used them for a game --

The Dance of the Fairies!

Strap on the wings, crank up the worship music and let 'em fly!!!

My two little sweet peas :).

All in all it was a fun day. There were lots of giggles from every one :). What a great way to kick off the holidays!!!

Was it only three years ago....

Back on December 21, before the rest of the mayhem of December unfolded, we celebrated M's THIRD birthday! Officially she's no longer a toddler, and in actuality has been a "little girl" for quite some time. Mature for her age, she keeps us entertained with her non-stop chatter and challenged with her ... passionate expressions :). I may have mentioned those before!

But, on Friday, December 19, we hosted her first "friends" birthday party! What fun we had :). As a result of time spent at Sea World, M wanted a DOLPHIN BIRTHDAY PARTY. A quick search of the internet reveals some pretty elaborate festivities! Since I lost my shopping list, since Dollarama was closed (thanks a BUNCH!), and since I didn't want to staple yards upon yards of blue fabric to my walls (yes, some people do that for a dolphin birthday party!!!), I had to be ... innovative. Creative. And quick about it, too!!

Here we are, getting ready for the par-tee! Baking buns (whoever said that many hands makes light work has not worked with kids in the kitchen!!), the mobile from our light fixture and the pretty blue table cloth that Daddy had to pick out (since Dollarama was closed and all!!)

And the cake. Oh the dolphin cake.

Everything has to have a story, right!? Well, it is Thursday night before the party. And time to decorate the cake. And time to finish the laundry and pack the bags to Las Vegas and get the kids in bed and get the house ready for the morning. When, in our balmy MB -40 climate - our furnace breaks. Yup. Stops pumping heat. Quits. Finished. So, whilst placing an emergency call to MB Hydro, I am decorating M's bday cake. Thankfully, I had crafted the sugar-cookie dolphins earlier in the day!! It was a flurry of icing sugar and food coloring, but I finally got it done.

Oh, and the furnace was repaired - but only the NEXT DAY! Thanks GOODNESS for space heaters!!

Right from the get-go, M has been a fire cracker! Wow. There's no wake-up call like that infant crying from the back seat on the way home from the hospital! Somehow, we found our way through those early months, and pretty soon new became manageable,manageable became normal, and normal became -

enjoyable ! She has brought so much joy (and a few tears!!) to our hearts! What a spunky little gal!

Little M - you are such a GOOF! Our lives are so much brighter because of your presence, our prayers so much deeper, our laughter so much more frequent! A bit belated, but then again this December has been a little wonky!

Happy Birthday, little one.
We love you!!

Happy New Years Day!

I would like to start the year off right - by creating a list of completely unreasonable expectations and not anticipating on keeping a single one . But, alas, I will not bore anyone with the hundreds of things I'd love to change about myself, and switch to a more entertaining topic instead.

Like, where on earth did the month of December go!? Oh yes, now I remember. It whizzed by in a sea of lost shopping lists (don't even get me started!!), birthday party mayhem, a heater that went on the fritz (the NIGHT, of course, before the big birthday bash, at 10pm between cake decorating and packing bags...), Christmas celebrations and a trip to Vegas. Yeah, I threw in that last one for fun .

Approximately 2.5 weeks ago, I freaked out in traditional Leah-style, desiring to eradicate the month of December from the calendar year. However, we survived to tell the tale. Let me share a few highlights with you .

We celebrated M's 3rd birthday. Somewhere, sometime between December 21, 2005 and December 21, 2008, my beautiful first-born daughter stretched from a tiny little infant (8lb, 2oz) to a witty, expressive, talkative little girl. I will do a whole post on her birthday, which was simple in comparison to some elaborate events I read about online (you find out all sorts of things when you google "dolphin party"!!!)

But I cannot begin to convey the stress that results when Dollarama closes at 9pm during holiday times. C'mon people! When Walmart is open 24/7, you can at least extend your hours to those brief windows of time when the rest of us are able to get away for a few quiet moments!!

Anyway, Thursday night before the party, the day when I'm running around like a maniac trying to get laundry done, suitcases packed for Las Vegas, children tended to, birthday party stuff ready --- the furnace breaks. Yup. When it's -40 loveliness outside, it's 10pm at night, and the timing juuuuuuust isn't great! So, at 10:03pm I am simultaneously on the phone with the gas company and decorating M's dolphin birthday cake. Who says moms can't multi-task ?

Long story short - the furnace couldn't be fixed that night. The birthday party rolled on without a hitch. Some young fellow came the next day and fixed the furnace (we did warn him about the houseful of children under the age of 4!), which was very nice, we got our bags packed AND we flopped into bed at a delightful 2am. And we think that 11:30 feels late!!!

Friday, December 19, we celebrated M's birthday with her little friends. What fun a birthday party can be! It turned out very well, all things considered.

The next few days were full of preparation. We celebrated Christmas with family, got a few last minute things done and then...

VIVA LAS VEGAS! A family member had invited us to share holiday time with them in Vegas. So. We went. Traveling with babies isnot the same as traveling with adults, but we all lived to tell the tale. Sort of. I think I lost a few days of life due to stress, but we flew in, flew out and enjoyed our time in between. I will save a whole post for our Vegas extravaganza. There is much to tell .

And then, finally, we landed. We came home. We settled in. We took time to look through presents, stories, laundry  - and breathed. Oxygen is very important, so I hear, and I find that when life is harem-scarem, I forget to do that. Helps to clear the head and heart .

Next year, stay tuned for Advent: Unplugged. !! I long for an Advent season that is less dramatic and more conducive to reflection, worship and appreciation.