Leonard's #44

On Leonard's birthday, I took him out to eat at Mexicali Rosa's.

The next day, I made him a fresh strawberry cake for our whole family to enjoy!  This was the fourth fresh strawberry cake I had made in 12 days.  The others were for the church bakery auction, the school fun fair, and for our neighbors (who both lost their fathers recently).  The kids were so happy that we got to eat this one!

A little bit serious...

...and a little bit silly!

(I love that Macy is grabbing his ear!)

Leonard also got cards from us, and both sets of my parents.

Happy Birthday Leonard!  We love you so much!

Escape the Diefenbunker!

Len and I went on an awesome date with this fun group!  First, we had dinner at an Indian restaurant.  I have never done an escape room before, but I must say that I think the Diefenbunker is the PERFECT setting for one!  I mean, an underground nuclear bunker (commissioned by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, hence the name) built during the cold war of the 1950's, seriously it was perfect!  Our group was divided into 3 groups and we each had individual tasks to complete and then came together at the end to share all of our learned knowledge for the final challenge.  We unlocked the chain around the double doors and were running for our lives at the end.  We got out with only 30 seconds left before the bomb activated.  Oh, it was such a blast!  The group before us did not make it out in time, so I felt like we were pretty special.  I highly recommend this!

Family Fun Fair

I baked two dozen cupcakes...

...and another fresh strawberry cake for our last Family Fun Fair at our old Elementary School.

We scarfed down pizza, then spent most of the evening on the inflatables.

That face says it all!  They need to make fun things like this for grown-ups!

The girls.

And the boys, minus Kaleb.  He had a band concert at the high school at the exact same time.  I love to hear him play and was so sad to miss it, but since this was our very last time at our old Elementary school we had to go!

Of course, we also had to try our luck at the famous Cake Walk.  Luck (or our large family size) was on our size and we took home this lovely pink polka dot treat.

Summer Porch

 I love our spring wreath so much, I decided to keep it up for the summer too.

We added a new welcome mat...

...and some bright and colorful cushions for our bench.

Warmth is always inviting!

Ali's #5

Ali's 5th birthday was on a Sunday this year, so we sent her to school with treats for her classmates on the Friday before.  She came home with this birthday crown that she decorated herself!

On Friday evening, Leonard and I took her out for her dinner date.  We were so disappointed that she chose McDonald's (that's fast food, not a restaurant!).  However, she loved it and I loved watching her climb, and slide, and have a blast in the Play Place.

On Saturday evening, our ward had a dessert auction to raise money for the youth camps.  I made a fresh strawberry cake for it and was happy that it sold pretty well.  We got into a bidding war and won this cake for Ali's birthday.  Some of my family members don't like fondant, so I added some buttercream to the top. 

Ali was thrilled with it!

We had the Wilde family join us for dessert on her actual birthday.  We also had ice cream, a triple-berry & rhubarb pie, and an almond tart.

They don't need sugar...

...they're already silly!

The cake was a hit and most of it got devoured!

Jacelyn was giving Macy some sweet snuggles.

I'm gonna call them Jac and Mac now!

What inside this big bag?

Ali was so excited to open her gifts.

She had wanted a "real" kitty so badly.  Luckily, she was very happy with her toy Mommy cat and 3 baby kittens.  She loved everything!

She was also spoiled from both sets of grandparents and the Wilde's!

Happy Birthday Ali!  We love you so much!

Musical Chairs

As I've mentioned before, Kaleb has been blessed with musical talent.  His favorite instrument is the piano.  In 7th grade we bought a keyboard from a friend that was moving and he started teaching himself how to play.  He stuck with it, so in 8th grade we put him in piano lessons and bought a keyboard with all 88 keys.  Unfortunately, that one got ruined coming back from India, but I'm grateful that we were able to replace it.

I love to hear him play, particularly his own compositions.

After starting with the alto sax, then learning the trumpet, he finally settled on the tener sax and got his own in 10th grade.

He doesn't play it as often (mainly because he keeps it at school for his extracurricular band class), but his sound is smooth!

He got a guitar for Christmas in 11th grade.

This has been a bit more challenging to teach himself, mainly because it's hard to find good books for it.

He's constantly bringing home new instruments from school, (either his band teachers' or his friends') and teaching himself how to play them.  I wish I had a photo of every instrument he's brought home...

...but pics of this recorder (can you believe it?) will have to suffice.

Kaleb, I hope you always play music!

Tulip Festival

After six months of snow on the ground, it's always so nice when the tulips push their blossoms up to the light.  Noé and I headed over to Dows Lake with the Martin girls to enjoy the beauty.  I always take way too many pictures at the Tulip Festival, but I'm only sharing my most favorite.