Happy Birthday Leon

Joshua wanted to make his dad a birthday cake from scratch all by himself. So he got a recipe. Disregarded the instructions. Dumped the ingredients in the bowl. Whipped it till it was light and fluffy. And VOILA! Bon Appetit!

The cake was fantastic. Moist. Chocolatey. Delicious.

My Sweet Baby Girl

My sweet baby girl turned 17 today. She is such a wonderful young woman. There isn't much trace of the little girl left anymore. I am so proud of her. She is my pride and joy.

Happy Birthday to Me

On Saturday (my actual birthday) we had a lot going on. Leon had to work. Joshua, Ishmael, and I had a scout fundraiser that morning. Then I had an appt with the girls. So my family planned ahead to celebrate my birthday on Sunday.

Leon woke up before me and cooked everyone breakfast. The coffee cup is a gift from the kids. They also gave me some peanut butter M&M's. My new favorites.

After breakfast, we just sort of hung out around the house. Leon and the boys played video games while Kelsea and I read our books. It was very relaxing. We almost never have mornings together like this. 

Then we took off to Palace Pointe to use Kelsea's gift card that she won at the library. We chose rollerskating. It's so much fun to zip around the rink, playing with the kids, all while moving with the music. Also, way better than sitting in a dark theater not interracting.

I was crusing around the rink and passed my family on the side...taking a break.

Leon made a cake for me again this year. It turned out so pretty! It was moist and delicious too.

I love birthdays. I love being 32. I don't mind getting older even the least little bit. I've experienced so much joy that I would never take any of it back.

Happy birthday to me!

Happy Birthday Joshua

Joshua is quite an extraordinary fellow. His interests are broad. It's sometimes hard to narrow down just exactly what he's into these days.

His favorite hobbies include fishing, camping, biking, skateboarding, and reading. His music of choice is rock. Particularly anything from Bon Jovi.

He has a very considerate nature. He's always thinking of others and trying to make them happy. Though, he has a bossy streak.

In school he's good at everything. Math is his favorite subject. He's a straight A student.

He's getting tall and has big man feet. According to his growth chart, he is expected to reach at least 6 feet.

I can't believe he's 11 already.

Someone is 9!

My youngest child is 9 today. He is still the delight of his family, full of curiosity and imagination.

He was a "late bloomer" in reading. I suspect he has some right-brain thinking going on. Imaginative people sometimes have difficulty with concrete learning objectives. We started using Right Brained Phonics with him. I'm very impressed with the results. I'd say he's right on track and reading at a 3rd grade level (for me this means he can easily read books on 3rd grade reading lists). He has been working hard and is currently reading the How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell. I used this series to sort of bribe him into reading harder books. He loves dragons and dinosaurs.

He is a fun loving kid. He likes to snuggle with his family. He's so thoughtful about showing his affection. He also still terrorizes his big brothers. It seems to be his job to keep them on their toes, as it often goes with younger siblings. He builds up their character and reminds them to keep their stuff put away. haha

He's one of those kids you can't keep in the house for very long. He starts to stare out of windows daydreaming. I have to give him his school work in small spurts or else the learning doesn't seem to stick quite as well. Rainy days equal a very restless little boy.

He's a great story teller like his big sister. I can often find him and her making up new stories together.

Being homeschooled, he is very "young" for his age. I'm glad for it. One of the reasons I homeschool is so that my kids don't have to grow up so fast. However, pairing that with the fact that he's also pretty big for his age, gives him the effect of a bull in a china shop.

He has a great sense of humor and is usually easy going. He bounces back very quickly from hurt feelings or being corrected for wrong behavior. He's always a good sport when I suggest we try something new. I can count on him to get excited about a new project.

I just love this kid.

Happy Birthday Ishmael

He's 12! Of course he didn't want a birthday cake. This year he opted for Brownies A La' Mode.

He love music and his playlist is very random. He likes everything from blues and R&B to some Heavy Metal classics. He is not usually a fan of top 50 hits, but he makes and exception for Eminem.

When he grows up he wants to be a U.S. Marine or a football player.

Sweet 16

Kelsea ran some last minute errands with her daddy just before the party. Nana, Andrew, Karen, Matt, and Emily arrived while she was out.





Nana brought her cake. It was truly gorgeous! And delicious!








The girls all ate junk, watched movies, and clowned around.

Happy Birthday To Me

Leon baked me a cake...all by himself.



It was perfect.

The kids always get excited about my birthday...I'm not sure why. Jeremiah was so excited he couldn't stand himself. Notice my new earrings and necklace? He was in on the surprise. Kid had to work SO hard to keep the secret.


Leon always works hard to make sure my birthdays are special. I love that man!

Joshua's Beach Party Jam

Food was served in sand buckets. I didn't get a picture before people started digging in, but you still get the idea.



They played a variation of dodge ball, only with sponges and water.



Beach Ball Pinata.






His "Under the Sea" cake from Dewey's Bakery.





When all of his guests left he said, "This was the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER! Thanks, Mom!" and then gave me a giant hug and kiss on the cheek. Truly the best reward a kid can give their mom.