How to Keep Cool in 90+ Degrees

Spa Trips and Very Fat Lips

 Daryle sent me to a spa on Saturday for my birthday.  It was lovely..... (aaahhhh...)  I got home to find that little miss Ni'ke's lip had swollen up quite nicely while I was gone.  Ouch!  It was getting in the way of - well, everything.  She kept accidentally biting it whenever she ate or talked.  So, a little ice, a little ibuprofen, a little quiet time, and she was much better by evening!

Fabulously Happy at 40!!!

 Well it's 3:30 am on Saturday, and it is officially my 40th birthday!  (I might have slept a little too long after working last night, and I'm a wee bit out of whack.  What's new?!)   I love birthdays, and I'm not bothered by the number, and it's also Mother's Day weekend, so I'm really enjoying this special day.  And boy have I been spoiled already!  I woke this afternoon (yesterday afternoon, actually) to a surprise birthday party, planned by my sweet little family.  TWO delicious cakes from our favorite bakery, and lots of presents and cards!  We ate cake first, and then had dinner AFTER, because, hey why not?!

 The boys found this "family rules" plaque for me.  They said, "It has a lot of things on it that you say to us all the time."  So glad they're listening....  :)

 A marzipan (almond paste) princess cake with raspberry filling and an almond poppy seed cake with cream cheese frosting and ganache!

 It was a gorgeous day outside, and this fun outdoor game arrived in the mail for "The Smith Children" today from the amazing Aunt Mandy, so they had to go try it out!  They immediately divided into teams for a contest.  Grateful they aren't competitive.  Oh wait....

And just to make sure that the day was forever remembered and solidified in our minds even MORE, I made a late-night trip to the ER with Ni'ke.  This was the result of Ni'ke telling Rea "Spin me around really fast like in pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and I'll try to find the couch."  (sigh).  That DOES sound more fun than the evening chores they were supposed to be doing, but really, I would have rather gotten our mother-daughter time in a different way than going to my workplace on my day off for stitches.  (This is the same child who broke her front teeth off by running into a flag pole, and the very same one who swallowed a barrette that had to be surgically removed from her esophagus at Oakland Children's Hospital.)  Thankfully a very cool doctor that I work with was on and he had her stitched up in no time.  (Bypassing the full waiting room - we'll call that "our little secret", and a perk of the job!)  Ni'ke, enough with the medical drama!  But mama is so glad that you are ok... My iron-clad little petunia didn't even make a peep when the needles came out.  Daryle said, "It comes with her name."  She is victorious.

Punk Rock Barbie Gets Married - in MY dress!

 As you know, my mother LOVES to sew, and she is quite fabulous at it.  AND she recently retired, which leaves her much free time to do what she enjoys the most.  And I can say that we are ALL benefitting from this little arrangement!  Mom started this new little project of making doll clothes for her grand-daughters.  Tedious, time-consuming teeny tiny stitches.... My dad says she is going through her second childhood or something because she's always playing with dolls lately.  :)  This snazzy little number showed up in the mail for the birthday girl last week.  Ni'ke's one and only Barbie went through quite a make-over recently, what with the dye job and pixie cut and all, but she does make a gorgeous bride.  And amazingly enough,  her custom-designed gown is made from the very same taffeta material and chantilly lace used to make MY dress nearly 12 years ago!  Yes, I cried as soon as I saw it....  Leave it to my mom to make something so gorgeous and so thoughtful and so very meaningful. 

Happy 9th Birthday, Ni'ke!!

 I saw these cute little flower cupcakes online and thought they perfectly suited my happy little girl for her birthday party! 

 I thought I had a chocolate cake mix in the cupboard, which was the birthday girl's request, but alas, had to improvise with red velvet!~

 We were getting ready to sing to Ni'ke and Daryle brought out this picture from his office and held it up next to her!  WOW...  My how this beautiful baby girl has grown!

Ni'ke made this little doll yesterday in one of her art classes - it was Fine Arts day at school, and she wanted to include her in the birthday activities. :)

 Notice the dress change?  She and Rea had similar dresses last summer, and the one she had on earlier was getting a bit short.  So when they got home, Rea gave her HER dress from last summer, which now fits Ni'ke perfectly.  Aren't older sisters awesome?!

 Happy birthday, to our sweet, happy little Ni'ke.  So giggly and full of fun and great ideas.  You love to read and sing and make up songs and tell us funny stories.  You are a delight!!!!  Hey, I have TWO 9-year olds.....  Only for a few more weeks!  And birthday season begins!!!!

Matanzas and Village Spring Concert!

 It was Miss Ni'ke's birthday, but first we went to Ma-lak and Rea's concert at the Santa Rosa Bible Church before heading back home for her birthday festivities!  My favorite part of the concert was when the played "When the Saints Go Marching In", followed immediately by "We Will Rock You"....  Hooray for variety.

 A sleepy selfie... Mommy looks like she just woke up (she did!) :)

 Ma-lak and Rea were the only trombonists!  They had a little solo halfway through the concert, and did GREAT!!!  They made the tryouts for Advanced Band next fall, but Ma-lak announced on the way home that he'd sorta like to try the trumpet next year.  Um, that would be his third instrument in 3 years.  We'll see, my little hopper.

Daryle was taking pictures, too, so they weren't sure where to look!

A Beautiful Easter Sunday!

 We've never done an Easter egg hunt with the kids before, but it was such a perfectly gorgeous day I thought it'd be fun to shake things up a bit!  I hid eggs and candy all over the backyard while the kids were upstairs taking showers, and when we got home from church I sent them outside for the "hunt".

 Love this picture of Ya'shar trying to "hide" in the tree...

 My pictures are a little out of order!  We took these on the front porch before we left for church.  I love my girls in yellow!  It's such a happy spring color!  (And I busted out my Sunday best in a cute little $5 dress I found at a second hand shop in Sonoma last fall - gotta love hand-me-downs!)

 

 We decided on pizza for lunch, and of course had to eat outside! 

 During lunch we Skyped with Daryle, who was in Chicago to visit his family.  What a blessing that he was able to get tickets at the last minute, and that I happened to be off, and his cousins were home as well.  God works ALL things....  This is Uncle Clinton!!

 And this is Aunt Ethel, whom we are expecting miracles for!!

Daryle sent me a text with this picture and said, "Do you recognize this guy?" I thought he looked vaguely familiar, but had no idea...  He was on the Biggest Loser several seasons back, and his wife (who is Daryle's cousin) sings back up for Seal.  Chicago connections!?!?!

Monique and Aunt Ethel

This is Daryle's sister, Michelle, singing - I could listen to her all day long....  You can hear Daryle and his cousins singing along with her in the background.  So much talent in that family!  Please Lord, let it pass to our children!  LOL