Nobody, and I mean nobody, loves birthdays as much as Connor! He starts planning for his months beforehand. He has been asking to go to the Monster Truck Show for ages and had researched that there was one Saturday night. We went to Chevy's for dinner - after all, you get a hat you can keep there if it's your birthday - and then he and Mark were heading over for the show. The rest of us barely made it home before they called to say there were signs saying it was sold out and they were homeward bound. Oops! Didn't realize that a stadium that holds 70K would fill up for a truck show! Next time we'll buy tickets ahead of time. Lest you think the celebration ended there, never fear ... it didn't! After church today we stopped at Marie Callendars for the "birthday pies" - chocolate satin (a family standard) and razzleberry. After dinner we did the usual singing and candle blowing despite not having a "1" and "4" for the pie, hence the fingers being held up to symbolize the "14"!
Then came gift time. I gave him the cards from family and friends I'd been saving and he opened them. He'd had his eye on a large box that was delivered at Christmas time which he opened then told us it wasn't him...he was just measuring it to see if it could possibly be the Nerf gun he wanted... So, when you do that Santa isn't very happy so he didn't get the gift and the box has remained re-sealed all this time. Of course he "knows" what's in it and has asked for a week if he could get it early so he'd have time to play with it, etc. Interesting given "he didn't open it"! So, to ensure I keep my "Meanest Mom Ever" title, I had Mark take the Nerf gun out of the box and put everything back the way it's been for over a month. After pie was served we told him he could open the box. The look on his face when he kept taking paper packing after paper packing out with no gift inside was priceless and a valuable lesson. Without saying a word, he sat down, finished his pie and was struggling to keep the tears back. I asked him if he'd learned anything and he shook his head Yes. With that I sent Kelleigh upstairs to get his "card from us" and she came down with the actual Nerf gun. I thought the child would jump out of his skin with excitement! Of course we didn't have enough of the D batteries that it took but tomorrow we'll solve that problem. What are the chances he'll never peek at another gift again?! I figure some day he'll thank me!
Then a little while later Mark sends me a text "Found new dog and new girlfriend...pls pick kids up at Universal...tell Newton I'll miss her" and this picture ...
My dogs are cuter and we'll have more room in the bed now too! What have I been doing while they are gone? Slept in, went to craft store, ran an errand, got lunch, laid out by the pool since it's 80+ degrees, updating this blog, visiting a friend later this afternoon, and enjoying the quiet ... all guilt-free!
Yesterday Keleigh and Mark decided to make cookies. The baker at work ...
and with her finished products ...
Mark came across this CD cover while cleaning up his office over the holiday. It's of Kelleigh and Connor's T-Ball team in 2004! I think it is so cute and brings back sweet memories ...
