It's a fun tradition

Every year, year after year, Darin's birthday is the day after Jane and Ruby's (wink!).  Every year since we have photographic evidence, I make him a homemade Red Velvet cake, and he poses with his cake and his kids on his birthday.  It's a fun tradition.  But this year, on his birthday, he had to head to D.C. to participate in a week long conference.  There was no time for the cake photo, or even for the cake!  Thank goodness we found time to squeeze it in on Sunday night before his official birthday week came to an end...

2011

In the event you are in the mood for a glimpse at the years past, might I refer you to a post from a few years back, where you can see how far we've come!  CLICK.

Maybe I can't resist a repost of at least one picture:

2010

Happy Birthday Darin!


P.S.  Want to see what my sisters have been up to lately?  Click HERE...

Falling behind and catching up.

February passes like a blink of an eye.  So do the years that my girls have been alive!  It's sad and happy, all wrapped into one.  They turned 6!  I tried to talk them out of a birthday party.  I wasn't really feeling it this year, but that was impossible.  It was two, way too enthusiastic girls, against one totally unenthused mom.  I lost.  We had a grand party!

There was dancing:

Cupcake decorating:

A game of pinning hearts onto stuff:

Of course there was some crafting:

And my favorite part of all was the beautiful weather and the outdoor Fairy Scavenger hunt:

The girls, all 10 of them, were full of smiles and giggles.  I took that to mean that everyone had fun, and we did a good job.  I thought I was keeping it all simple and manageable (and I really was), but still, I was completely exhausted by the end of the weekend.

Of course, the next day was their "real" birthday.  So there were more presents:

More jubilation:

They got their long over due GIRL bikes:

And there was the requisite blowing out of the candles, on the cake, on the birthday, on the day, and on the weekend.  Phew.

Ruby kept telling Jane that they could not consider themselves 6 until they blew out the candles on their cake, which technically did not happen until fairly late Sunday night.  It might have been my preference, that if Ruby's theory was correct, that they never had blown out the candles. 6 sounds old.  I'm pretty sure when Henry turned 6 I was ready to hand him the keys to my car.  These girls, how come they have to grow up so fast?!  They bring a sparkle to my life, which I will tragically miss when they are gone.

They aren't going anywhere!  I'm going to secretly follow them, and their sparkle around this world, wherever they go.  I think they'll love that!

Happy Birthday sweet Ladies.  I love you so.  

They really are six.

Without any consideration for their poor mother, they went and turned 6 this weekend!  Need I say more?!  

I will.  Soon.  Just let me go sleep for a few days.  It was a B U S Y weekend.

Some Valentine's Day Love

If you want to see some Valentine's Day *love* MOM style, check out what the girls got to wear to school today, HERE.

If you want a delicious treat for FHE tonight, follow the link HERE.  Or here.

But do not follow that link above if you want skinny thighs or to look cute in your swimming suit in the next few months.  I'm just saying, it won't help!

If you want to know how proud I am of my boys for being good students, then observe the pictures below:

George at the Honor Roll assembly.

Henry was there too.  Super excited as per usual.  I keep trying to tell him it's not always going to be as easy as it is right now to get straight A's, so he should really enjoy it while he can.

Do you think he is listening to me?

If you want to read about how George won the Pine Wood Derby, well then, let me just tell you, George won the Pine Wood Derby!!

Here I am, being super excited for him!  It was his first time getting to participate in a Pine Wood Derby. That's a really big deal in the world of Cub Scouting!

Of course, huge kuddos go out to Darin for helping both of his young Cub Scouts earn a "Fastest Car" award.  Honestly Darin doesn't really know how he's managed it.  He barely owns any tools, and the random collection of saws that we now have, have been purchased specifically to trim the trunk of the Christmas tree, and to be used in his effort to help his sons not be embarrassed at Pine Wood Derby.  It is an incredibly successful collection of random saws.   Darin could never build another Pine Wood Derby car for the rest of his life, and his sons will forever be indebted to him for helping them get their big wins!  Way to go Darin.

Cutest George on the block.  

I just found them.

Rachel downloaded all of her wedding photos to my computer when she was here last month.  It's so silly, but I only found them tonight.  And I'm pretty sure I've looked for them before tonight.

These ladies are breaking my heart in this photo.  So darling.  But one thing is funny, they are in this phase where they hate to smile with their teeth showing.  They think it looks bad.  I just wonder sometimes where they get their ideas from!

And I never saw this one until tonight either!  They look smashing.  And like they might grow up to be heart breakers.

It is possible for me to love these four any more than I do right now?!

Ruby said...

Tonight during dinner Ruby said to me:

"Mom, when I grow up, I want to be famous.  Is that something that you sign up for?"

Note to self about what should be on the agenda for this coming week:

• Make sure I am teaching my daughters that it's not important if they are famous or not. 

Monday was sweet and delicious in D.C.

Monday in D.C. was delicious because we put the "diet" aside and found ourselves in line at the Bethesda branch of Georgetown Cupcakes!  Darin didn't think a stop at Georgetown Cupcake on a busy holiday was really necessary.  He says he's sort of over the cupcake craze.  But I'm not.  I'm still busy sampling any and all cupcakes I hear generate a buzz, from West Coast to East Coast.  I've been hearing about Georgetown Cupcakes for a while now, it was time for a sample.

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER:

How Darin didn't see Georgetown Cupcake as a necessary stop on our Monday agenda is still hard for me to understand!  Though we all feel the need for a fresh sample from Sprinkles (it's been a while since our last sampling), most of us were prepared to crown Georgetown Cupcakes as the new favorite!  Go try some the next time you're in Bethesda.  The line is much shorter than the line in Georgetown.  Hot tip from me to you. 

But that's not really what made Monday sweet (it's what made Monday delicious).  What made Monday sweet was the brief drive-through tour of some of my favorite childhood memories in Kensington, MD.  We drove past our Kensington house:

I get a little teary eyed just looking at the picture now.  So many amazing memories, mostly all full of happiness, all taking place within the walls of this house.  On many days, I still feel like the little girl who lives there.

After driving by it several times, we went down the street to the grounds of the Washington D.C. temple and visitor center.

A few moments of wonder that I actually grew up on the same street as this most beautiful structure...   Then, after walking through the Visitor Center, I think I actually had my kids impressed that I have had a pretty cool life! 

Darin's choice of how to spend the remainder of our MLK day was to visit Arlington National Cemetery.

It was over cast and freezing.  But none of us had ever been before, making it a necessary stop.  It felt very significant to be there on this particular Monday.

Our kids learning about the Eternal Flame at the Kennedy grave site. 

The boys were fascinated by the Tomb of the Unknowns.  They endured a long twenty or so minutes in the freezing, just to see the changing of the guard:

And finally, our photog, who makes it all possible:  

Martin Luther King Day might have just become my new favorite holiday.  A more perfect weekend away couldn't have been conceived of.  Sorry to my sibs that there aren't more photos of our fun times together.  In those moments it feels artificial to pull out the camera, but to be sure, those are some of my most favorite moments.  Thanks for a fabulous weekend.

That was a fabulous weekend!

A spur of the moment trip up to D.C. was just what January needed!  It was not as cold as it could have been.  And we had vivid memories of how terribly hot it was in August, such that we could temper our reactions to the need for jackets and gloves!  We all voted we'd take the jackets and gloves over the oppressive heat.  Another perk to January sight seeing, you mostly have the place to yourself!  Even on a holiday weekend. 

When we went in August, we didn't have the energy to endure the wait and the heat of the Washington Monument.  With Rachel F. being willing to get downtown first thing Saturday morning, she secured us tickets for a 4pm tour.  Perfect timing to see the city lights at night.  GORGEOUS!

We recruited the whole gang (sans Ken who was working) to join us in the early afternoon at the down town Air and Space.  It's never very hard to convince the SAZband to join us on an Air and Space outing.  Their dad has a soft spot for all things that fly.  We enjoyed a 3D IMAX movie this time too. 

The trip up the Washington Monument was monumental as we had a whole bunch of us who had never actually done that yet! 

My kids now have an obsession with going to the top of all the most famous monuments.  They think the Statue of Liberty should happen this year too.  And Henry is convinced that he needs a re-do on the Eifel Towel since he can't remember it.  I hope all of his dreams can come true! 

By the time we all made it back down, the day was getting long, and the night was setting in.  Rachel and Steve's families decided it was best to call it a night, but encouraged me to trek my kids all the way over to the Lincoln Memorial, promising that the night viewing was even more spectacular than a day-time visit.  Darin went to get the car and circle it around to be the paddy wagon should we need a rescue vehicle.  As it turns out, my Earnest children are hardy winter-time walkers.  We made it all the way to Lincoln with energy to spare:

It was spectacular, as promised!

It's hard for me to put into words just how meaningful it is that we are close enough to spend a weekend in D.C.  Staying at my brother's house.  Having Sunday dinner at my sister's house, and all the while in between having worthwhile and meaningful activities for the kids to do.  It's truly amazing.  At the end of the day on Saturday, I heard the boys saying to each other, "This was the best day ever". 

Times like that make it all so worthwhile.  Best of all, we are now in the zone of making memories that aren't going to be forgotten.  These are the times and the days that count in their childhood memory receptacles.  These days will be remembered.  That means a lot to me.   

More to come...

Three days and counting.

On Monday morning around 6:10am, school was canceled.  No two-hours-delayed, just canceled.  One weird thing about that, there was no snow.  There was only the prediction of snow.  To be sure, there was snow in Atlanta, and that had us all spooked.  It was okay, I turned my alarm off and slept in until 9.

Live weather cam, Monday morning:
 Safety first.

Later that day I took the girls and went to Sam's Club, Target and JoAnn's, just like the olden days when I used to take them everywhere with me.  It was nostalgic.  But this time, they brought their Nintendo DS's along.  At JoAnn's they opted to wait for me in the car, not wanting to turn off their games.  At Sam's Club they opted to go buy their own pretzels with the $3 dollars I had in my wallet, not wanting to wait in line with me.  Subtle differences, but all the same made me realize wistfully how grown up they are.  I bought the pack that contains 6000 pieces of construction paper while at Sam's Club.  That afternoon was mostly spent crafting away with a couple hundred pieces of construction paper.  One old lady at Sam's Club saw my ginormous package of paper and said to me, "You must be a teacher".  I laughed, "No, I just have four kids and we needed something to do this afternoon."

That afternoon, the boys had their first piano lesson in about six months.  That made me feel like a good mother to finally figure that out again.  Why it took so long to figure out is one of life's great mysteries.

Even later that day (it was a L O N G day), it finally started to snow.  Around 7pm I got another call, canceling school for Tuesday.  "Whatever", is all I had to say about that.  But when I walked up to our neighborhood gym this morning, and nearly slipped on the ice 54 times, I decided today's school closure was necessary.  The world is blanketed in a strange and somewhat thick layer of ice.  No snow to really speak of, but dangerous ice.

When I got the call today around 6:35pm, again with the heads up that the kids will be home with me, for the third day in a row, I started dreaming about having Darin transfer to the University of Florida or something.

To keep myself entertained, I reupholstered my mom's chairs, again.  The last time I did it was five years ago.  The girls were babies!  Babies.  I can barely remember it, but I did it.  All of it.  Had lots of babies, reupholstered stuff, ran marathons, cooked, was happy.  I should have been impressed with myself more often.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

These new chairs make me happy.  School being closed makes me less happy, but the kids are happy.  I believe in happiness, do you?!

I thought this bird was beautiful:

What will entertain us on day three?  Tell me, are you experiencing a series of unexpected snow days?  I'm not complaining about the alarm being turned off.