Devon's Birthday

This past week we celebrated Devon's 9th birthday.  It really is truly amazing how quickly the years slide by.  One more year to double digits.  I am very proud of the responsible young man he is.  Since our move to Washington he has been able to participate in Cub Scouts through the church and it has been a very positive experience for him.  It really fits his personality.  He likes having a handbook with specific instructions to follow, loves wearing a uniform, and delights in having a code of honor to obey. 

Because we got a late start, and his parents are Cub Scout greenies, we barely made it, but did succeed in passing off all his requirements for Wolf.  He is now a Bear and ready to tackle the new requirements quickly so he can do the fun arrow point activities.

Once again, Devon requested a Harry Potter cake for his birthday.  Sadly, I procrastinated so long (I was honestly really busy) that I had to make the entire cake the day of his birthday.  To top it off, the kids were on mid-winter break from school, so I had a houseful of kids here while I was trying to work on it as well.  That does not make for my best work.  The good news is that he asked for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, so I knew that even if it didn't look amazing, it would taste amazing.  He did not want fondant over the entire thing either.  That makes for a not so tidy cake, but yummier.  (Final battle between Voldemort and Harry.  Trees represent Forbidden Forest, bricks represent Hogwarts in shambles.  Very conceptual.  ;) )

The real life-saver of the day was his birthday dinner request: Sub sandwiches and boxed macaroni shells and cheese.  Dinner required almost no prep time. 

Devon had been asking for a suit coat for quite some time, so I started checking thrift stores for one several weeks, maybe even a couple months ago.  Finally, the week before his birthday, I found one at Goodwill that I thought might work.  I dropped it off at the dry cleaners and hoped it would fit him.  I also picked up a new white shirt for him.  Luckily, the coat fit, but probably won't for long.  I can't keep up with this growing boy!  He was so excited when he opened it up. 

Another thing he has been asking for FOREVER, is a new wand.  Last year for his birthday, my cousin Karen had made him a wooden wand carved from one of those oversize pencils.  He loved it and carried it everywhere with him.  One day he jumped off the stone wall and the wand broke.  We taped it up and repaired it as long as we could, but it finally had to be thrown away.  I then gave him a wand that I had originally purchased for his birthday, but never gave him because of the cool wooden one he got from Karen.  It was a plastic one that lit up and made sounds.  Totally cheesy.  That was sufficient for a while, but he actually didn't like the bells and whistles much, or the plastic look of it.  He kept asking me to call Karen and have her make him a new one.  I decided I would make him one for Christmas, but never got around to it.  I put him off for a couple more months, during which time he finished reading the Harry Potter books and then watched the final movies.  That's when I got the idea to make him an elder wand.

 My efforts were worth it.  He loves the wand and proclaimed it his favorite gift--which is saying something since he also received a couple Lego sets. 

So birthday #9 was a big success, and our first little boy is not so little anymore. 

Goodbye, February

I figured that since the last time I posted on this blog was the first of the month, it might be fun to round out February with one last post. This is just my little way of celebrating the end of what is always a trying month. Spring is truly around the corner now. I need warm sunshine on my face, no doubt.

So what happened in February that might be of interest to you? Well, for starters, I did two cake orders and received another order for April. I hope this is the beginning of a side business. At this point I'm really still learning and discovering what I can do, but getting an order here and there is lots of fun. It keeps me motivated to keep developing my skills and learning new techniques.



Also in February, Devon turned seven.




He is growing up so quickly. He continues to be bright and funny and organized. We implemented "Special Nights" this month. Each child gets an evening once a week where they get to stay up half an hour after the other kids and spend time with Mom and Dad. They get to choose the activity (it has to be at home, free, and able to be completed in the 1/2 hour time slot) with Mom and Dad holding veto power (no Monopoly). For Devon's special night last week, we spent half the time moving a set of drawers into his room and organizing and cleaning up. Lincoln thought he was crazy to use his special time for that, and maybe a little too much like his mother. Devon loves Legos and is currently on an Indiana Jones kick. Which is why he requested this birthday cake.


Renie, and the rest of the kindergarten, had their mid-winter program. It's always a treat to watch kindergartners sing and dance.



We held our annual Valentine's Party on February 11th. We kept with the format of desserts and a poetry contest. It is so much fun to hear the poems that everyone comes up with each year. I also had a lot of fun making these pom-poms for decorations this year.




On the last Saturday in February, Lincoln took the Young Men from church to Madison for a basketball tournament. They won one game, which was their goal. It was the first time a team from our branch had ever won a game in a Stake Tournament. Lincoln really enjoyed coaching the boys and I'd love to see him with a regular coaching gig. He's really good at it and derives a lot of joy from it.

That same Saturday Julia had her dance/cheerleading recital. She's been taking a class at Lands End and continues to love dancing.


We also had parent teacher conferences this month. We got great reports on all the kids and I'll spare you the details, other than to say I was so pleased to hear how well Julia is doing. When we first moved here, her teacher was concerned about her reading level. They put her in a special reading group and kept a close eye on her progress in first grade. Fast forward to fourth grade and she's a top reader in her class. Her test scores- in all areas- are well above the average. She seems a bit more motivated lately, (maybe because of the monetary incentive we give our kids. But does it really matter what motivates her if it encourages her to be more responsible and make the extra effort to keep her grades up?), and this helps her to be a bit more organized and responsible.

February is pretty busy around here, but I like it that way. It keeps me distracted and helps the month to fly by so we can get on to March and springtime.