Rewind 7 ... Balloons, Candles, Corsages, Caps and Gowns, and life is Good!

Stephanie's Coconut Lemon Cream Cake

Random ... the thoughts rattling around my brain.  I'm trying to get these posts in without missing anything, but there were just SO many things coming at us in May. And May has fallen away and turned into June and more is happening and I feel like I'm trailing further and further behind...

So here I sit.  A deep breath and forward we will plow....

May brought a few more birthdays:   Ashlyn turned two and Stephanie? well, Stephanie turned another year more beautiful.  Brent and I got to celebrate both birthdays, as well as Mother's Day sandwiched between, with them. 

Ashlyn's party was going to be just a simple quiet thing and then it rained all day and suddenly all the cousins whose ballgames were rained out showed up to help with the celebration.

Her other favorite grandparents came up from St. George and these favorites (Brent and I) got to come, too.  And her Uncle Jared and her "swingset" Grandma.  Suddenly the house was full of people who loved her!

The gorgeous "Frozen" cake Stephanie made for Ashlyn

Excitement sparkled from her very being about every single part of celebrating her day!  Every gift, every decoration, her cake, her birthday song, blowing out the candles - every single part of her birthday left her giggling and happy and delightful!

Mother's Day - May 11

A box of chocolate covered strawberries were delivered on Friday from Sean's family as a sweet Mother's Day gift.  They managed to hold onto their sweet goodness until Sunday, but on Mother's Day, they bit the dust, or got bit, well, devoured.  Ashlyn is a chocolate-covered strawberry ...

 So were the rest of the kids, it turns out.  The strawberries were wonderful!  and made a great ending for a great dinner - one that actually went without me using the camera to record every bite, I'm sad to say.

This year's Mother's Day held a lot of emotion.  Every year since I was pregnant with Sean, I've received a corsage for Mother's Day.  It was technically supposed to be from Brent, but it was Leo who always ordered it, paid for it, picked it up and made sure it got delivered.   Originally there was some pretense about him just picking it up for Brent, but as the years went by, the pretense got dropped and the corsage was simply a sweet recognition from my father-in-law that he cared.  He never said so in words, ever.   But every year on Mother's Day, there was a gardenia for Edna, carnations for Kathy, and red roses for me - each of our favorite flowers.

And those very same corsages were there again this year.  Brent made sure it happened, but if it hadn't been Brent it would have been Mark, or Howard, or Ann.  At least definitely for Edna.  But I can't tell Brent how much I appreciated him making sure the corsage was there for me, as well.  I certainly didn't need it, and would have been fine without it, but it was a sweet remembrance.  And I never got a picture of it.  Hmph.

More Candles and Cake - Stephanie's Birthday

Another birthday!   This time we got to celebrate Stephanie!

Oops, this isn't Stephanie.   Nope, Kamryn had her formal photos for her dance class happening right at dinner time.  When she got back, Stephanie asked me to take a few pictures.  She had fun with her dance costume and wearing makeup and having her hair all dolled up.

Stephanie's cake came from Kneaders.  I know you are probably thinking it's covered with shaved white chocolate, but instead it's something even dreamier - coconut.  With a pineapple filling between the three layers.  It was simply delicious and worth a splurge for, I have to say!

Ashlyn was as excited to help celebrate her Mother's big day as she was to celebrate her own!

She especially loved her Mom's new shoes:

Happy Birthday, Stephanie!

Pre-School Graduation for Lexi

Preschool graduations have become a requirement for preschoolers it appears and all over the state the FB pages were filled with photos of the little mites in their various graduation get ups.  I have an ethical resentment about preschool graduation.  That, to me, is inherently just wrong.  Now High School is worthy of a graduation ceremony, and college is a HUGE celebratory event (too often ignored).  

 But preschool? 

 Really?

EXCEPT … Preschoolers are adorable in caps and gowns! 

 Preschoolers are HAPPY to have grandparents and parents and brother and sisters come; they want them there more than anyone in the world!   

Preschoolers are happy to share what they’ve learned in the year to help them move into Kindergarten and they aren’t ashamed to stand up tall and proud and declare it.   

Preschoolers are excited about life in a way no high schooler could compare. 

( Sorry if that offends some of the Senior (HS) set, but it is a fact.) 

  Preschoolers are thrilled to get a donut at the end of the ceremony.  

 Try giving one to a graduating senior (as their only gift) and see what they say?  

  

(Hahaha - she wore her super high heels from her Frozen costume for this most special occasion!)

Preschoolers have no preconceived notions, they have no set agenda, they aren’t out to prove the world they are what the world revolves around.  They don’t have to prove anything.  They know the world revolves around them and it’s a fact.

 

On second thought, maybe preschool graduation ceremonies should be the ONLY ceremonies celebrated this year.

I loved being able to be there for Lexi’s!