Cluster Birthdays

Birthdays are a wonderful excuse for a family to gather and celebrate the life a loved one and the enduring relationships and feelings of the heart. This month marks three important birthdays for us. 

BIRTHDAY #1

First of all Myles turned 15. He has grown up so much! For his birthday dinner we made home made pizza and followed it up with the cake of his choice which this year was confetti cake with chocolate icing and skor bits on top. Myles even helped to light his own candles. He is a very responsible person and there are a number of people in the community who rely on his help when it comes to shoveling snow or helping in other ways. Myles is always willing to lend a helping hand. He takes after his dad in this respect. What a blessing it is to have such a kind-hearted and caring son.

BIRTHDAY #2

Naomi recently celebrated a major milestone birthday. I now have three adult children. We had a lot of fun together as a family celebrating her birthday. I prepared before hand to decorate and surprise her with the extra effort. I wanted her 18th birthday to be a day that she will remember. A day that she can look back on and know how much her parents love her.

Here she is, ready to start celebrating!!!

   

Decorating theme: Time. We used stars (plates and tablecloth)
little metal clock gears and clock hands to create the theme.

Naomi EVEN got a cool party hat! Charity and Brenna
picked it out for her. She got a gold knights helmet! Pretty cool!!!

Birthday meal

First of all we made funeral potatoes - her choice of dishes - we also cooked a roast and vegetables to go along with it. Since Beth was feeling the agony of new braces, we even had a jello salad loaded with whipped cream and cottage cheese to compliment the meal. The most fun though was the cake. You see, Naomi had a hard time choosing between two different kinds of birthday desserts. For her, it was a toss up between a red velvet cake or a chocolate trifle. In the end she decided the trifle sounded yummiest. However, unbeknownst to her, I made both desserts. Putting the trifle in the fridge out of sight I iced the red velvet cake ready for blowing the candles out! When Naomi got home from school she saw that one and I think was a little disappointed that I hadn't done the trifle, but to her credit, she took it well.  We served the meal buffet style and brought out the cake! After singing Happy Birthday, Naomi blew out the candles. She was so excited that this year, with so many candles, she actually managed to blow them ALL out with one blow!!! At that point I took the cake back to the kitchen and pulled out the trifle. I was careful not to let Naomi see the switch. Then I dished her bowl and brought it to her. It was so fun! She looked at it and kind of did a double take for she had been fully expecting red velvet cake. "How did you do that?!!!" I assured her I was magical and proceeded to dish up the rest of the family. She puzzled over it for a few minutes before she realized that I had to have had this one tucked away somewhere.

Red Velvet birthday cake with Skor bits

Alreight ... I'm ready to blow these candles out!

Inhale.....

... and BLOW!!!

WAHOO!!! I got them ALL out! I am GOOD!

The cake is then served as trifle....

Hmmm... how did you do that!

Next we opened presents. Naomi received a quote book, with uplifting quotes, a pair of semi-precious earrings, a set of eating utensils, and the books she wanted and hoped for and asked for inside a fancy box. She had actually asked for the cutlery as well, but the books of course trumped all other gifts. Following gift opening we all went downstairs and watched Epic. A DVD we had picked up while birthday party shopping. It was a pretty good day!

Here is Beth, covering her new braces ☺

This month my dad also turned 80. My brother did a fabulous job of organizing this party. The cake that he had done was phenomenal. I wanted to give my dad something special and personalized for this momentous occasion. So this morning I sewed up up a rice pack. I created a hand made tag which read "Each grain of rice within this pack represents the love of the Rice family members for you. To feel the warmth of this love, simply heat in the microwave for two minutes and then hold it close to you. Our love will warm you every time. PS. Apply our love to your aches and pains for muscle and joint relief."

These are wonderful heat packs. I hope dad can find a good use for it.

Whether your turning 80 or 18, every birthday is a wonderful celebration of life. There are so many things that I learn about and enjoy and I can't help but look forward to what this next year will bring by way of learning new talents, acquiring new skills, and seeking to do what I know is right. The Lord is my JOY. He is SO very good to me!