And Now on to the Good Stuff!!--Birthday Bliss!!

So after many years, Ryan really knows how to throw me a party!  He took care of me the whole day!

• He took the kids to breakfast.  Now anyone who doesn't know me might think that sounds weird--shouldn't he take you to breakfast?  NO!!  Quiet house.  Sleeping in time!!  And then apparently, they went shopping
• They brought home cake....  Butter cream frosting.  No explanation needed.  From a cake specialty shop.  Oh, yeah.
• ...and Flowers.   Don't tell the kids, but I knew this was coming.  About a week ago, Reed found a craft in one of his Highlights magazines that he wanted to make for me.  He and Ashton (with Ryan's help) made flower baskets from large mailer envelopes.  Throughout the week either Reed or Ashton had spilled the beans more than once.  The other would screech their name in disgust, adding, "You're not supposed to tell!!"  I tried to act as if I hadn't heard anything.  Reed chose a nice colorful arrangement for his basket, that matched the colors he had decorated with.  Ashton chose pink and yellow roses (that's my girl)!!  
• We celebrated with the kids for lunch.  At Itz.  It's like a Chuck E. Cheese on steroids.  And with better food.  I played the ball drop game and won 250 tickets!!
• And got a babysitter for supper!!  We did take Landis and went to P.F. Chang's.  Mmmm Mmmm!  Got me some potstickers!
• And then we went shopping.  He had also brought home some pre-paid Visas for my present earlier.  He was suspect that he might not get me what I would get me.  Well, he was right!!  First thing I went for was the Shark--the steam mop.  He said that he was glad I was getting it and glad that he did not buy it for me (because, of course, it plugs in)!  I also got a new purse/diaper bag, brown belt, and mini food processor.
• Ended the day with cake.  Remember, butter cream icing.  Too good.  None of us could finish our piece.
• He put the kids to bed!!  While I Skyped with my friend Jess.

Isn't he such a great guy!?!  

Happy Birthday, Princess

Our baby princess turned three today! It is so hard to believe it has been three years since she rushed into our world and our hearts! She has changed our world more than we can express! You may remember she is the first girl born into the Nelson family line for at least 125 years, and she wears her responsibility well. While we are scared to death about what we're doing, we are proud to have her as ours. She is well suited to be the only girl between two brothers!

She is really such a sweet little girl! When she woke up from her nap today, I was essentially done with her cake. When she saw it she exclaimed, "Thank you, mama! Thank you for my princess cake!" So here is the princess cake for my princess...
(This is the Pampered Chef doll cake recipe, but I totally cheated. You're suppose to use two cakes to make a dress tall enough for a barbie, but I didn't want that much cake around for the next two weeks, so I cut a hole in a paper plate and bowl to stick her feet through and put them on a cup to give it more height, then hot glued the ribbon around the bowl. I drew most of my inspiration from my sister Judy, who never met a crafty project she couldn't conquer! The model was very patient with me as I worked on her dress and kept her hands in the air for a very long time!)

She opted for a menu of macaroni and cheese for supper. We splurged and bought the "expensive" shells and cheese. I am glad for my kids' simple taste in meals when I have been working on a cake all day!

Here is the bag of rocks that Reed got for Ashton. He went with Ryan to a museum for a movie last week and knew he had to get these pretty rocks for her. Ryan tried to convince him to go with something like a book, but Reed stuck with the rocks. He was so excited! When Ryan was getting out the gifts before supper, Reed called back, "Would you bring out the rocks for her!" Then he covered his mouth in shock! We just ignored it so she wouldn't notice (and, of course, she didn't!), but he was so horrified that he had said that! He'd worked so hard at hiding them and keeping them a secret all week.
And then we had the bear chair (which arrived safely on Wednesday, thank you, Lands' End) as the grand finale. She was very excited to have her own "hippo" (Reed's is a hippo), so after the cake we broke it in with a movie. It is very soft and has a tiny fuzzy blanket that matches.
Then I had to figure out how to put candles on that cake without torching the princess' hair. We were successful, and she delighted in blowing them out!
So we have made it through Thanksgiving and Birthday without the baby showing up! We would like to get our carpet installed next week, if that also fits into his schedule. I have noticed less heartburn in recent days, so...we'll see.

Happy Birthday to my Wonderful Husband!

So it always seems that Ryan's birthday gets the shaft in our family. There's always something that distracts or interferes so that we can't celebrate him to the extent he deserves! Even the first year we were dating I didn't do anything because we'd only been "dating" two days. (I think there was a card...) I've always felt a year behind!

Yet again that happened this year so I just want to give him a few of the kudos he deserves here. There are so many reasons why I love an respect him. Here are just a few:

• He's a stand up guy who will do the right thing even when it isn't easy. He has faced this issue many times, and I know he doesn't enjoy it. But I always have the confidence in his character that he will do what's right, even when I don't feel comfortable with it.
• He's a great husband! My sisters-in-law tell me I got the romantic in the family! Even if it's not all flowers and chocolates all the time, he always tries to take care of me: giving the kids breakfast so I can catch a few more zzzs, letting me go out with the girls, ALWAYS putting gas in the van so I don't have to, preparing financially for the present and the future, etc., etc., etc.
• He's a super dad! Not only does he take responsibility for the hard part of parenting ("You're gonna have to talk to your dad when he get's home." "NO, please, No!"), he always makes sure the kids know he loves them. And he plays all those games with them that, frankly, I can't watch all the time!
• He is not afraid to try anything! Seriously! Car repair, home repair, yard work, ANYTHING! I mean, one time he cut a hole in the side of our house and had a window installed by nightfall! Impressive!
• He puts up with a lot! Not just from me, but the kids, and a lot of other people, too. And he usually does it with a pretty good attitude!
• And don't tell him or anyone else I said this, but he's funny! In fact, he's the funny dadest Reed has!

We love you, Ryan, and think you're the best! You deserve a whole lot more for your birthday, and someday you'll get it!

My Happy Birthday

1. Slept in till 9:13.

2. Awoke to Darlings serenading me and bringing breakfast in bed (Pillsbury cinnamon rolls). Ryan brought in the little table and we all ate in the room. When clearing out, Ashton said, "You welcome we sing Happy Birthday to you!"

3. Got to shower with the door locked while Darlings went present shopping.

4. Took children to pre-arranged child-care and had lunch with best friend Lesley. What interesting adult conversation we had!!!

5. Got unsatisfying chair massages with Lesley. But then went to get satisfying slushes at Sonic!

6. Came home to the smell of husband baking my childhood birthday cake--Chocolate, Chocolate Chip.

7. Went to favorite restaurant, Flying Star, and had their wonderful macaroni and cheese.

8. Arrived home too full for cake, so we opened presents first: New white sweater (desperate need), cute red coat, new Sharpies of all sizes and colors!!! My Darling knows me so well!

9. Indulged in wonderful cake.

10. Can't remember the rest, possible result of a sugar high. But it was good!

Thanks for the kind words and emails!