Birthday Weekend!

We kicked off our birthday season last weekend by celebrating my birthday and Faith's.  In the next 5 months, 9 of us in our family have our birthdays, not to mention various other aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.  Lots of desserts and celebrating!

We brought dessert to Bible study last Friday.  I once again picked chocolate covered strawberries.  We dipped 4 pounds of them, and I had lots of eager (messy) helpers (tasters).

Faith really wanted a cake.  I thought she was going to pick cupcakes again, but she decided she wanted an actual cake.  We tossed around a few ideas for the cake, but then she pulled "snowman" out of the air--must have been memories of the blizzard!  I was happy because what could be easier than a snowman?!  We whipped it out in short order!

There was a small crowd at Bible study, so we all got to eat out fill of the strawberries.  Even though the strawberries were not to sweetest, juiciest, summer ones, they were still yummy, AND we got to take some back home with us, as well as a little bit of cake!

We celebrated Faith's birthday on Monday.  She was very excited to open her presents!  From Grandma and Grandpa she got a beautiful medieval outfit for her American Girl doll, on loan from her cousins.  She also got an outfit for her, a kit to make a garden stepping-stone, like we got Grace for her birthday last year, and some candy.

That big uncreatively-wrapped present that was just in 2 brown paper bags was this ice cream stand for her American Girl doll.  As one who constantly struggles with finding presents for everyone, I am loving the gift-giving opportunities that the AG dolls present!  This was from Walmart, so you know it was not ridiculously-priced, and now, hey, they have even more way to play with their dolls!  The dolls have taken over our downstairs guest bedroom, and the girls have made furniture for them out of boxes.  Each doll has her own separate living area, so it's more like an apartment building or something down there.  And now Faith's doll has an ice cream stand!  It's good to encourage entrepreneurship in dolls as well as kids, lol.  So fun!  The girls are having such a marvelous time playing with the dolls.  

So the first family birthdays have come and gone, and now we are back to our regular busy routine.  We had hoped to take a special trip today, out to Oregon to visit my side of the family, including my Aunt Rocky, who has faithfully made a beautiful quilt for each child, plus their well-loved blankets.  We were all set to drive up to McGuire AFB in NJ to try for a space-a flight out to Travis AFB, CA.  I got up at 5:45 so we could leave around 6:45, but when I checked the facebook page, the flight had been moved up to 0700 (from an 1155 showtime).  Since you have to be there an hour before showtime to check in, park in long term parking, etc., there was no possible way to make it.  I'm just glad we realized it before we drove 3 1/2 hours for nothing.  Still--very frustrating and disappointing.  All that frantic packing yesterday for nothing, and it would have been perfect, with the 3 day weekend!  As Christine keeps reminding me, "God doesn't withhold any good thing."  Sigh.  So now it's back to writing the biology exam and making up another Latin extra practice sheet.  Ah, February--it's a good thing we have 3 family birthdays this month, or else this would be a bummer, gray, winter month!