Birthday Birthday!

Today is Olivia's 3rd birthday!!! She has asked for strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing- so we made the cupcakes and now they're cooling. She got to pick the movies today- so we watched Sleeping Beauty and she's opened two of her presents. We gave her a Radio Flyer tricycle, it has a seat with a back on it and a little dump basket on the back- it's in primary colors, so not too girly. Ella thinks it's hers though and Olivia doesn't seem to mind sharing today. She also got a little Barbie- one of the little girls from the Twelve Dancing Princesses. Her name is Princess Janessa. Unfortunately, we're not considering that as one of the possible baby names- I'm sure you're disappointed. haha

Every time one of our kids has a birthday, I reminisce about the delivery and everything I can remember. Olivia's delivery was, of course, memorable. I remember seeing her for the first time and thinking, "Well, yeah- that's what she looks like." She seemed so familiar. I also remember thinking how much different she looked than Travis and Katherine did at birth. She has been such a wonderful addition to our family. I've heard many things about her spirited-nature- more than I'd like to remember. We've enjoyed her energy and passion for her likes and dislikes. I think we've already learned so much from her just in these three years. She is the little sister Katherine was asking about when Katherine was about three. We're so grateful to our loving Father in Heaven for blessing us with so many sweet and precious children.

Last month, Travis turned 5!!! He has grown so much and also has a lot of energy. We can't imagine life without any of our children. We tried to make his day just a special. He got to have a few friends over and loved his presents. We gave him a remote control dinosaur that I bought online from Pottery Barn Kids- clearance! He also got a Superman toy and some other things, I can't remember. But it was boy stuff- perfect!

Although he seems to be surrounded by girls, he is very much a boy. He is a cowboy, to be exact. For his birthday, he asked his Aunt Melissa for spurs- and of course, she delivered- literally. LOL He wears them over his Justin's and with his wranglers, complete with a western belt and belt buckle. Many times he has gone with me and his sisters to the store decked out in wranglers, boots, cowboy hat and even a bandana around his neck. Once he wore his holster and brought his pistol. I should have put his badge on him! We love how confident he is with his attire- it's not a costume by any means. Though, in this hot summer weather I have a hard time convincing him to wear anything else. I worry about having the right clothes when school starts. Luckily Ritter Lumber sells Wranglers for little boys for a good price- way less than Baskins. The problem is that I've already bought some shorts/shirts from The Children's Place online for him for school- cross your fingers that he'll like them and wear them. He's been practicing telling jokes to us- mostly trying to figure out what a joke is and then why it's funny. Johnny wants me to check-out a joke book for him from the library. Maybe that will help.

Okay, now for me. Our 8th anniversary is on Monday, June 18th. I was just sitting here blogging when I heard a knock on my front door. I wasn't expecting anyone, so I was shocked to open the door and a woman was standing there with a large basket of fresh flowers with my name on it! Johnny is upstairs studying- he worked this morning and apparently made a pit stop on his way home. So sweet! Here's what the card said, "Happy Anniversary! Though these flowers only last a little while, may their beauty remind you of my eternal love for you. Love, Johnny" Wow! I went upstairs and thanked him with a hug and a kiss and told him that the card was like an LDS Hallmark card! Anyway, it's beautiful. And I don't usually enjoy getting flowers- or I should say, I don't request flowers because they don't last. I'm too practical I guess. So Johnny knows if he wants to get me flowers, he has to really surprise me! We're planning to go to a Bed and Breakfast in Nacogdoches the first weekend in July- here's the website for it: www.hardemanhouse.com It's only $100 a night, no matter what night, weekdays and weekends are the same and they don't require a minimum nights stay. They serve a full breakfast in the dining room and each evening there is a dessert- cookies, cake, something sweet. We toured it earlier this week while we were there for Johnny's work and the lady, Michelle, told us that they want their guests to feel like they are visiting a favorite aunt or a grandma and get away with things they couldn't at their own house, so everyone is welcome to raid the refrigerator and they also have a collection of DVDs you can borrow and watch in your room. Cool, huh?