paw print cupcakes

Yesterday was Rachel's birthday party with friends.  Thanks to Google, we were able to come up with this fun cupcake idea!  The girls loved them.  We used Pearson's mints and chocolate chips.  No one was the wiser that these coconut flour cupcakes were gluten free!

 

having a party

Saturday was Josiah's birthday party.  Airplanes was an easy theme to choose for this boy.  The camouflage decor was a Walmart find I was not expecting but thankful to discover.

 

 

Setting the table after an evening and morning of saying, "No, it's not time to do that yet."  It's finally time!

 

Rachel brought this cake pan home from a 4-H auction knowing how much Josiah would like it.  I debated a lot about what kind of cake to make, and finally decided to do Cha Cha's coconut flour recipe.  I knew how that one would turn out!  The frosting was another story, a bit on the drippy side.  We tried pureed spinach to turn it green.  The flavor was fine--you are adding it to sugar and margarine, after all!  It really matched the camo decorations but one boy eyed it suspiciously.  "Are you sure that cake is good?"  He did try it, and the other two devoured either an entire piece or frosting only.  So really, I think it was a hit.  The rock candy rocket thrusters are almost invisible but were so fun. 

 

Two of the little boys Josiah invited burst through our door shouting "This is going to be the best party EVER!" No pressure regarding those high expectations.  It looks like they might be enjoying themselves, though?

 

Sorry about your head, Eric.  Other than that, I love this picture.  Especially M's face!

 

Micah crushed up the rock candy so everyone could have some.  Root beer from Whole Foods was another special delight.

 

Then for the best party ever moments.  I had all kinds of ideas in mind, but flying paper airplanes was first on the list.  Eric was the master designer and let the kids pick out their model from a book.

 

Oh, how they loved it!  And the weather...a perfectly warmish November day.

 

The boys came back for more and more.  It kept Eric busy.

 

And sent Eric to the roof to fetch airplanes off several times.  We didn't even get to anything else on my list, the boys had so much fun.  They flew planes for an hour and a half!

 

It was the best party ever, and the simplest one we ever hosted.  Happy birthday, Josiah!!  Just a few more days until the real thing.

 

winter birthdays

Birthdays are such a wonderful excuse to celebrate people God has placed into our lives.  Two of my children have celebrated their winter birthdays, and as I think back on these parties they seem to be a snapshot in time, capturing a bit of who they are, where they've been, and then pointing us ahead to where they have yet to go.

Micah's party captured his personality with an all-out Nerf war, time playing games and Wii with his friends, and his first slumber party oops, I mean sleepover; I'm pretty sure boys don't have slumber parties.  Our goal was to let the boys have fun and wear them out so they would actually be tired.  Would ending the evening with a late night movie lull them to sleep?  It seemed to work (only two of the five actually stayed to spend the night, so that helped, too.)

 Eric played Labyrinth with some of Micah's friends while the others played Wii.

 We tend to see the same select group of boys each year, with new faces here and there.  I can honestly say we enjoy these teen and preteen boys very much; he has chosen his friends well.

 A former neighbor, former classmates, and a friend from church yet all seemed to enjoy each other.  What's not to enjoy when there are Nerf guns and Wii controls involved??

Rachel's party was just last night and quite a bit of fun, too.  Ever since we studied the Pacific Islands in school last fall, she's been scheming to have a Hawaiian themed party.  Walmart had an ocean craft kit and the girls spent quite a bit of time carefully designing a sea scene.  I have seen through the years that girls+crafts=great party activity.

As I looked around the table, I realized that not one of these girls goes to the same school (three are homeschooled), but many knew each other directly or indirectly.  It was fun to hear several exclaim that they knew each other from somewhere.

Another beach theme: sand art!

We served this banana pie and a tropical punch drink along with ice cream.  Yum!!!  Josiah was quite the tag-a-long for this party, with Micah gone on a Jr. High retreat.

We tried hula hoops and Rachel's friend M. was really good at it!!

Surfing on a board with balloons taped to the bottom; it worked!

We ended the evening with a great game of Snipe Hunt.  The girls tore apart two levels of our house looking for the little critter hidden by the other team.

I am really not that gifted at planning and throwing birthday parties (the thought generally tends to overwhelm my introverted side), but we always seem to have fun anyway.  It seems like God always brings the right things together at just the right time, and keeping things simple might actually make it more enjoyable.  But the best part of all is seeing the heart of a child gladdened by the joy of friendship.

hosting a terrific birthday party...

Rachel's Pajama Party

Atmosphere is important.  Dim the lights, light some candles, decorate the table with bedding, and mom, you need to put on your pajamas, too! 

Invite the nicest girls you can find.  They make the best kind of friends.

Serve chocolate cupcakes and don't tell anyone they are gluten-free.  They won't notice anyway.

Don't worry about the crumbs.  That's why there are 2 sheets on this bed!

Cupcakes work fine for the ten candles we had to light.

Have more games ready than you need.  (Use the internet!)  Go with the flow.  When the girls come up with flashlight hide-and-seek, ditch the idea for flashlight limbo.  Play Mancala and Apples to Apples Jr.  Know when to move on and when to backtrack.  Did I mention they liked flashlight hide-and-seek?

Make sure everyone leaves wishing they could stay longer.

The newest 10-year-old

 Today was Rachel's 10th birthday.  How is it even possible that our girl has hit double digits?

She dearly wanted a hamster, but we were very concerned about the allergy load already on us with two cats and a dog.  Fish were a worthy compromise.  She found the tank mesmerizing...and there aren't even any fish in it yet!

The day she was born, I dreamed of having her hair long enough to put up in pigtails and ponytails.  I have photos of every time I actually got to do this with her, which tells you how rare it was.  But lately, Rachel's been asking for braids, curls, and today...a pony tail.  And after 10 years I finally found a brush (this week!) that doesn't pull her hair.

We had two family parties to celebrate, and both were postponed due to illness.  But presents were delivered by Nana and Papa today anyway.  We'll get to that cake yet!

I really didn't understand why my mom cried when I turned 10...but I do now.

Happy birthday, Rachel.  You are so dear to us!!!

 

some pictures from the past few weeks...

Christmas was a great time to spend with family.  We'll never forget the Christmas Eve service at Christ Church with candles in the windows and snow falling outside.  We started in Genesis with the first promise of Messiah and followed the Christmas story through the prophets and into the gospels.  Then Christmas day we celebrated with the Nelson side!

Micah holding Elliana

Rachel and Lanie with curls

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This picture still makes me heart leap into my throat.  God has shown us great faithfulness and His provision as we've dealt with the aftermath.

A view of the accident

Micah celebrated his New Year's Eve birthday.

Micah turns 12!

Josiah began a new class called All Star Fitness, just for 4-year-old boys.  I think it will be great for helping him further develop focus and listening skills while having fun.  The first class was a bit rough in terms of his ability to attend to his teacher, so Josiah, Micah, and I have been practicing what he learned in our basement.  My favorite moment was when he caught the ball over and over and said, "Mommy, I'm getting good at this!"

Learning to throw a football!

[caption id="attachment_965" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Learning to catch!"][/caption]