The Orangetastic Birthday

My girl loves orange, orange, orange, and so when it was time to think abut her birthday I knew there was only one way to go. Orange. Orange decorations, orange cake, and everyone wore orange to the party (everyone meaning Woo, Sparky, and Tiger because they are the only ones who own orange clothing). 

 When my girl got home from school these super fun balloons were waiting in her room from Grandma D. How fun and cheery are they? So fun and cheery that Tiger was not able to leave them alone and all day long I found him in her room looking at them and feeling them and just hanging out with them.

 The orangetastic cake on which I must say that I totally outdid myself. Have you ever had Swiss Meringue Buttercream? Have you ever made it? It is silky and buttery and heavenly and takes quite a bit of time to make, but it is worth every effort. Holy heaven. It's just too bad that I now know just how much butter this frosting has.

 The birthday girl checking out her cake. She was dying to try it and to see the orange cake inside.

 Tiger being the cheeseball that he is. He saw me taking pictures and insisted that I take a picture of him, because of course if the camera is out, it must be to take pictures of his cute face.

 Tiger and Woo

 Opening presents. Of course there were a few surprises.

 Happy Birthday to my big 9 year old. She is precious and happy and sweet and funny and a general pleasure to be around. I love this girl. I just wish she would stop getting older. Although not pictured, this little celebration of orange was also attended by Doug, Sparky, Grandma D., Aunt Katie, and Uncle Chad, all of whom wonder how they ever got through life without surrounding themselves in orange.

Neon Night With Dad

Last month, my little girl had the opportunity to attend a Girl Scout dance called Neon Night With Dad. They dressed in their finest neon attire and headed off for a night of merriment. I think a dance was even had. Special time with her Dad is always a favorite of my little girl. 

5 Things

1. Sunshine and more sunshine

2. Doug came home at 5:20.  Total shocker!

3. Doug installed my curtain rods.

4. Bedtime only took 1 hour tonight instead of 2.

5. My Woo's birthday present arrived two days early which means that we will actually be able to give it to her for her birthday tomorrow.

5 Things

I think that I am once again being taught patience in my life and so in an effort to feel gratitude and to try to live in the moment I am in right now, I will now start stating 5 things that I am thankful for or that bring me joy. 

1. Tiger has decided to take a bath this morning. This means about 2 hours of blissful happy water play for my boy and some uninterrupted productive time for myself. Don't worry, I add more hot water around the 1 hour mark.

2.  The sun is shining so brightly.  It is filling my house with light and energizing me.

3.  It is supposed to be close to 80 degrees today.  Although that is a little hotter than I would like for March, I will take it.

4.  We have a big tree in our backyard which houses a million birds in the summer.  I love hearing their chatter coming through the window in the morning. It is the sound of Spring and of warmth and of the hope and possibilities that those two things bring.

5.  Although I will not be planting a garden this year, my father has a wonderful one and I get to live vicariously through him and his garden. I can hardly wait to get my hands into the dirt. Speaking of which, I never thought that I, someone who dislikes so much to get dirty and who does not enjoy sweating, would love to garden. But I do. My next house will have a big garden.

I learned something new today

I was playing Lego guys with Tiger this morning. Well, really I was sitting next to Tiger while he was playing with his Lego guys. That is is how you play with Tiger.  You sit there and watch him play and occasionally comment on whatever make-believe scenario he is acting out. It's exhilarating. Today's game was titled, "Knights vs. Ninjago vs. Zombies". In case you can't tell from the title, the game included Knight Lego guys, Ninjago Lego guys, and a special appearance by a newly built Zombie Lego guy. From what I could tell, the object of the game was for the Zombie to eat the brains of the other Lego guys.  After the Zombie was done eating the brains he would walk over to Tiger's cup of water and get a drink. I asked Tiger if the Zombie was thirsty from eating all of those brains. He informed me that the brains were spicy and so the Zombie needed a drink. So there you have it. In case you ever wondered, brains are spicy and so you better have some water on hand.

Here's what's going on these days

1. It seems that I have been blessed with headaches.  I usually get them periodically during the year, but most definitely in the Fall.  They seep into my head, plant some roots and hold on for several weeks to several months.  Sometimes they are piercing and throbbing, attacking my eyebrows and making it hard for me to open my eyes fully.  Sometimes they start from the front of my head, wrap around to the back and squeeze my head as if it were in a vice grip.  Sometimes I have the pleasure of having all of the above.  It is not enjoyable, but through it all I am grateful that I am usually able to keep moving and to continue to function in some sort of capacity.  Sadly, this year it appears as if the Spring is going to be a bit of a trigger for me.  I am now on week three of headaches and my patience is waning.  Some days are good, some are bad, and I will just keep trudging along until I can finally break this cycle.  I just might be a little cranky in the meantime.

2. Soccer season is about to start and this is my little man's first year to play. He is so excited. I can hardly wait to see him running along in a pack of players chasing after that little ball. I look forward to taking many pictures of his debut season and since I have been uninspired in the photography department lately, this will be a nice motivator for me to pick up my camera again.

Have a great week.

One Morning

I walked by the boys room and this is what I saw.  It made me happy.  I don't see scenes like this nearly as often as I used to.  My boy is getting bigger you know.