Christmas Joy

What a joy it is to watch your kids' faces on Christmas morning! This was the first time we've stayed in Florence for Christmas. We usually travel to Utah to visit with family. So we got to have our first real Christmas tree! That was exciting for me. I also cooked my first turkey dinner. Yum!

Christmas morning lasted well into the afternoon for us. The boys want to play with every toy as soon as they open it. So we spent the day opening presents, hanging out in our PJs, and playing with our new toys. It was wonderful! Collin got a scooter and Star Wars action figures from Santa; Luke got a spring rocking horse that clip-clops and neighs when you ride him. Very fun.

Merritt gifted Collin a deluxe marble tower building set from Discovery Toys. I think this toy was the most played with. Dad always has the best ideas. Maybe it's because he used to be a boy once. I gave Luke a red train (James from Thomas and friends) and a train track extension pack. Luke's favorite thing to do right now is build train tracks, so he was pretty excited about it.

Merritt sanded and stained a cute little table and chairs for the boys. And they each got a puzzle, book and a game to work with at the table. The table was something that I was actually excited about too. It will come in handy when we're doing our home preschool.

Grandparents also sent fun packages. Grandma and Grandpa gave the boys this really cool Hot Wheels stunt set. You set up the track so that each stunt triggers the next, kind of like a row of dominoes. The boys loved it. The other hit was a blue light saber Collin got from Nana; it lights up and makes saber sounds. We couldn't have asked for a happier Christmas!

The only thing missing was a visit from the grandparents to see all our fun things. I remember that was always fun for me as a kid. On Christmas afternoon, my mom would display everything that we got under the Christmas tree and our grandparents would come for a visit. We would show off all our new toys to them and they would ooh and aah. Wish you were here!

Christmas Morning

Can you just feel the magic in the air? Here come the kids!!!

I am officially a digiscrapper!

We had a wonderful day as a family opening presents and playing with our new toys! I cooked my first turkey dinner tonight and it was a smashing success. And my husband cleaned up the kitchen so that I could scrapbook. Life doesn't get any better than that!

I just wanted to announce that I've gone digital. I used the money that my parents gave me for Christmas to buy Photoshop Elements and I am LOVING it! I finished my first ever digital scrapbook page today and I can't get over how fun and easy it was. I'll post it here for all to enjoy. Thanks to all who sent something special to our family and I hope you all had a merry Christmas! I'll try to post more pictures tomorrow...

'Twas the Sabbath Before Christmas

Today we walked into church during the opening hymn. Spotting an available space second from the front, we marched up to take our seat. Instead, we were greeted with a pile of books and someone's briefcase saving the spot for someone else. So. . .we marched back and found a seat in the very back of the overflow seating in the cultural hall.

The Christmas music program extended beyond the normal duration of sacrament meeting by 35 minutes. Luke, of course, makes many attempts to escape the chapel. Hoping it is the final song, I arrest him on my lap and offer him a sippy cup of water. After taking a huge swig from his cup, Luke joins in the chorus of Hallelujahs with an impressive gurgle.

I must have been trying to focus on the words of the choir because I had somehow been oblivious to this first offense. But his second offense was louder and much more obnoxious. People began to turn and look and it was then that I realized my son was gurgling at the top of his lungs. His gurgling abruptly ended with an equally loud burp, and people around us (including ourselves) began to quietly shake their shoulders in an attempt to contain their laughter.

Because Luke was actually "sick" recovering from a cold, April couldn't take him to nursery and began to roam the halls while I headed to class. The boys I teach (10-11 year olds) were the worst yet. We closed class by singing Away in a Manger...off key and in a higher pitch voice than their voices naturally ascend. On my way to sharing time, a member of the bishopric pulls me aside.

I begin to realize that I am being issued a calling (in addition to the one I already have)--that of Scoutmaster. I was asked to work with the 12-14 year old Scouts. I am informed that this is the hardest group of boys they have had. They all seem to have a personality conflict with their former leaders. For this reason, many of the boys have stopped attending weekday Scout activities. I was being called to rescue this generation of video game addicts and turn them into Boy Scouts. Of course, I graciously accept.

After church is over April heads down to pick up Collin while I look for the car keys (which are lost). His class wasn't quite over yet and Collin's teacher invited her to join them during the closing prayer issued by Collin. So. . .they all folded their arms and Collin began. . ."Dear Heavenly Father, please help our teachers to be better teachers". . .and I'm sure that the rest of the prayer wasn't heard by April who was probably trying to figure out a way to sneak out of the room with no one noticing.

Anyhow. . .just another typical Sunday here in Florence. Now we're off to prepare dinner for the missionaries who are coming over tonight. And it's raining cats and dogs. But we'll be dreaming of a white Christmas, and tall, tall snowmen. We were remembering the Sunday snow we had last time we were in Utah. This picture of the boys was taken then. We send our love to all, and wish you a merry Christmas!

Lessons in Gratitude

We recently kicked off what has become our Thanksgiving family tradition. Each night in November, we write down one thing that we're thankful for and put it in a blessings jar. Come turkey day, we read our "blessings" aloud and try to guess who wrote what.

When I pulled the jar out this year, it still had the papers inside from last year. I read them all. It was wonderful. My husband had actually said he was thankful for his "beautiful wife" and all she does for our boys and me. Silly as it sounds, I was very surprised that he had called me beautiful. He doesn't usually say that. It made my night.

I also loved reading Collin's responses. I've learned my biggest lessons in gratitude from him. He always remembers to thank Heavenly Father for the simple things, the things I usually take for granted. For example, before dinner tonight he thanked Heavenly Father for his hands that could feel things and his mouth that can taste. And this was a prayer over a bowl of macaroni and cheese with hot dogs...and assorted frozen vegetables.

Don't worry. This is not a typical family meal. I had a Relief Society meeting at the church tonight and they were feeding me dinner. So I figured I had the night off. But anyway, I sat there reading Collin's responses and I couldn't resist the urge to record them all before I throw them out. They're just too sweet, and I want to remember them.

So here is Collin's list. It can be a reminder to me (and to all who read this) to cherish the simple things in life. Collin said he was thankful for...peanut butter sandwiches, the moon and stars, that we got Luke from Heavenly Father, that Daddy plays football with me every night, that Mom does experiments with me, pillows and my ya-ya (his blanket), markers, rainbows, lights in our house, my toys, preschool and my teacher Ms. Kristi, plants that grow, not sending any more rain (we had played at the park that day), my friends (and all the people in the world that God made), turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and my strong body!

I tell Collin, "All good things come from God, because He loves us." And Collin knows that...because I know it. What a blessing it is being a mother. I get to feel God's love every day. Something that I wrote down and want to remember is this...I am thankful for Collin, who is my joy, and Luke, who is my light.

These pictures were taken during family night last week. We read the New Testament story about the ten lepers healed by Jesus. Only one returned to give thanks to the Savior. We then played a game that I call "The Grateful Leper Wrap". Each player wraps themselves in toilet tissue "bandages" until he discovers a hidden candy. He then must say something he is grateful for and passes the tissue to the next player. You end up with a family of grateful lepers, and you get rid of those last few pieces of Halloween candy.

Next, we introduced the gratitude glasses and challenged our family to not complain or whine for one week. Whoever does, has to put on the glasses and say something they're thankful for. I'll let you know if it works!

The Return of the Jedi

When Collin turned four I decided he was at last old enough to watch Star Wars. They were my favorite movies as a child by far. I played Star Wars with my neighborhood friends almost every day. I couldn't wait until Collin was old enough to watch them with me.

I couldn't have been more happy with his reaction. He loved Episode IV instantly. He wanted to sleep with his light "saver" that night. And when he woke up the next morning, he announced that he was going to marry Princess Leia (because she was "really neat"). It's been great to hear the sound of light sabers and space ships around here again. My son has now been opened up to a whole new world of pretend play. When daddy gets home, it's time for sword fights with Vader. I love it!

So when I asked Collin what he wanted to be for Halloween I wasn't surprised when he shouted decisively, "Luke Skywalker!" I thought it was a great idea. I would be Princess Leia, of course, and Daddy could be Darth Vader. But who should Luke be? Collin again must be credited for this brilliant idea. He suggested Yoda. How perfect. And thanks to my generous mother who provided the costumes, our family enjoyed a fabulous Halloween as an entire Star Wars family.

Trick-or-Treat

With candy available everywhere (our church activity, the shops on Bay Street and neighborhood trick-or-treating), we came away with quite a hall. It's a good thing there is no shortage on sweet tooths in this family. I'm sure the candy will be gone in no time.

As a child, my favorite part about trick-or-treating was coming home and searching through my stash. I wanted to know how many of each type of candy I had come home with. I would sort it out and savor my favorites for months. This year Collin wanted to separate out all of his bubble gum (to make sure Luke didn't get it). And because bubble gum was his favorite.

We had fun dumping all of the candy out on our kitchen table at the end of the night to search for gum, while Luke tried to open every sucker and take a lick. Personally, I searched for the Baby Ruth candy bars. They're my current favorite. I think Merritt and I ate as much candy as the kids, which was a lot. Hopefully we'll survive these next few weeks of sugar overdose. May the force be with me!

Pumpkin Carving

I had hoped our pumpkins would come from our own garden this year. Sadly, they did not grow much larger than an inch or two. So these beauties came from Safeway. Better luck next year.

Collin wanted to draw a scary face on his pumpkin. I helped him carve it out when he was finished. As he posed for a picture, I asked him to make a face that looks like his pumpkin. Luke followed suit to make for a cute photo.

This was just a precursor to our annual pumpkin party with extended family. We usually get together for a family night to carve pumpkins and enjoy pumpkin pie. This year I planned a special family home evening lesson that made use of some fun family history photos I had recently scanned from Granny's old scrapbooks.

I made an ancestor graveyard using cereal-box tombstones that included the names of fourteen ancestors that had passed on, as well as their birth and death dates. I then handed out a blank pedigree to each family. Families worked together to see who could complete the pedigree the fastest. Of course, to win the race, the pedigree also had to be accurate.

Afterword, we enjoyed looking at old family photos. I had printed out photos of each of the ancestors and we matched them to the tombstone. It helped us put a face to the name. We sang "Family History-I Am Doing It". The song explains to little ones that someday we will have the chance to meet all of these people (our great-grandparents). Our family will be together forever.

We ended with prayer, the anticipated pumpkin-lighting ceremony, and the upside-down pumpkin pie. I look forward to that treat all year. Yum!

Doughnuts & Elephant Poop

We spent several fun days with Merritt's four siblings in Provo. It was great to see the little cousins having such fun together. The most memorable day began with Riley in the kitchen making the most delicious homemade doughnuts. And he didn't just make doughnuts; he made five different glazes to choose from! We had maple, almond, blueberry, raspberry and chocolate. I have been craving them every day since.

Interestingly, while the adults were enjoying doughnuts indoors the mischievous cousins were outdoors discovering (of all things) the compost pile. They ingeniously determined that the mysterious stench must surely be elephant poop. Then someone apparently had the idea of throwing the elephant poop. Brilliant. A poop-tossing fight ensued. By the time they were caught, every child was covered in slime and reeked of the most revolting smell you can imagine.

We instantly began spraying them down with the garden hose. That removed the "poop" but not the smell. The entire clan of cousins then had to be thrown in the tub and scrubbed from head to toe with soap. It was definitely one of those moments when if it hadn't of been so darn hilarious you would have wanted to slap them all silly for the trouble they had caused.

Of course, being the kind parents that we are, we decided to reward their behavior by taking them all to the Kangaroo Zoo. The Kangaroo Zoo is like kid heaven. It's a huge warehouse full of jumpolines and inflatable slides. I don't think Collin and Luke have ever had so much fun! What a memorable day!

The Mitchell Multiplication Plan is already producing more fun than we could have imagined. With eight cousins under age four and three more on the way, there are sure to be many more fun memories to come! Thanks for showing us a wonderful time. We love you all!

Kangaroo Zoo

Amy's Wedding

Congratulations Amy and Mitch! We we were so excited and happy we could spend this day at the temple with you. You both looked very happy and the ceremony was beautiful.

Amy, you looked gorgeous! And I loved all of your unique choices for the wedding day decor. They really gave the wedding a special feel that made it all your own. Have a wonderful honeymoon! A Mexican Riviera Cruise sounds like a great way to start your new life together. We love you! All the best!

Arches National Park

When we found out Amy was engaged and we'd be returning to Utah in the fall, we decided this year's family vacation should be a camping trip at Arches National Park. It would be the perfect time of year to enjoy the beauty of the desert. I love this park, and knew my boys would love it too. What boy wouldn't love rocks to climb, endless sand and roasted marshmallows (or in Luke's case...sandy marshmallows)?

We camped in Devil's Garden and spent two and a half days exploring the park by car and foot. At the beginning of the trip, we told the kids we were going on a scavenger hunt to look for arches. Whether we were driving or hiking Collin was totally engaged in the hunt. Pretty soon Luke got the hang of it, too, and shouted "Archie, archie!" every time he saw an arch.

You know it's a memorable trip when your son comes home and draws you a picture of his family around a campfire and a tent. (So cute.) And what's more, I have a new stamp in my National Parks Passport. (Yipee!) So we figured out a way, yet again, for our family to have a vacation this year (or at least a weekend get-away), despite our limited budget. And thanks to my boys, a weekend get-away did feel like an amazing family vacation. Everything about the park was new and exciting and fun with my boys and my husband by my side.

Monticello Visit

Merritt's siblings and parents surprised us by joining us last minute at Arches for a day and a night. It was great to spend some time with them. How lucky they are to live so close to such a beautiful place! After packing up camp Saturday morning, we headed further south to Monticello to see their new home and new hometown.

Merritt's parents took us out to lunch. Then after a much needed shower, we watched general conference together and enjoyed some ice-cream. Somehow my husband managed to stay awake in the dark for the five-hour drive back to SLC that night. Ode to candy, caffeine and sunflower seeds!

Happy Birthday Luke!

Luke is obsessed with the movie Cars. He asks me every day to watch "Speed". So it was pretty easy to find a way to make Luke's 2nd birthday special.

We made a race track cake donning Chick Hicks, Mr. The King, and Lightning McQueen. Then we used some old rain gutters my parents had just taken down off their house to make racing ramps. All we needed were some match-box sized toy cars.

My sister Amy kindly donated her entire Cars collection since we had left ours back home. Every kid at the party seemed to enjoy it. And it was so good to see all the Mitchell cousins! There are nine cousins now (all ages 4 and under), with two more on the way. Wow! That's impressive.

Thank you Uncle Ryan

Uncle Ryan gave the greatest gift to us. He fixed up this old teeter-totter that we had played with as kids. It had sat in our backyard rusting for the last twenty years. I was surprised to find a fresh coat of blue paint and new wooden seats neatly fashioned at each end. The boys have loved playing on it, and it has been quite nostalgic for me.

My boys favorite gifts always come from Ryan. (Collin still enjoys the light saber he gave him when he was two.) And I really appreciated the time he spent with my boys when he came to visit. He played baseball with Collin and Luke for an hour. They were in heaven. By the way, Collin can hit a fast ball almost every pitch and knock it over the fence or up onto my parents roof. It's pretty amazing. Who needs tee-ball? Sign this kid up for little league baseball!

I took my grandma to the zoo

I asked Collin what he wanted to do while we were at Grandma's house, and he very decisively said he wanted to go to the zoo. So the zoo was our first excursion. Both grandma and grandpa, as well as Aunt Jill and baby Henry (who is now 8 weeks old) accompanied us on our trip.

Collin loved the elephants, bears, penguins, alligators and gorillas. Luke's favorite seemed to be the giraffes, although he called every animal a cow. My poor country bumpkin had never been to the zoo before.

The highlight for me (and grandpa) was watching Collin get so excited about his camera. He carried his kid-sized digital camera the whole time. He took multiple shots of each animal; he had to get the picture just right. He would say things like the lighting was wrong and try to get a better shot. I wonder who he gets that from?

Hello Henry!

We've arrived safely in Utah! We had two excuses to come visit: Jill had her first baby and Amy is getting married. Our first order of business upon coming home was meeting baby Henry. Collin loves to hold him, and Luke loves to play with the buckles in his car seat. (He's obsessed with buckles of any kind.) We're so excited that we now have a cousin! And isn't he adorable!

Airport Appreciation Day

Only in a small town like Florence would there be such a thing as Airport Appreciation Day. I love it! All morning we toured small airplanes and medical helicopters belonging to the hospital and Coast Guard. The kids ate free hot dogs. And after waiting in a very long line, we even got a free ride in an airplane!

Collin was so brave. He loved it. And I got to steer us over the ocean then turn us back around toward Florence. Wow! What a trip! When we arrived home Collin said, "Mom, I want to be a pilot when I grow up." And that's why I love taking my kids to these things. They get inspired, and I get to watch their little minds awaken to all the possibilities in life.

The Circus Came to Town!

A traveling circus came to town and we were all invited to watch the set up. We went with our new next-door neighbors, Brayden and Camden Linton.

We saw them bathe the elephants and trim their nails to get them ready for the show. We fed the goats and saw a zebra, hippo, ponies, camels and llamas. But the highlight was when they brought out an elephant to help set up the big red circus tent. This was almost as entertaining as the show!

Speaking of the show, Collin loved it; Luke wanted to be in it. He kept trying to run down the bleachers and hop into the ring. So Luke and I ended up outside after intermission. Such is life. But what an exciting event! The circus was gone as fast as they had come--all in one day! Pretty amazing.

Visitors: Miriam, Allan & Josie

Merritt's sister came to visit with her family this last weekend. It was such a delight to have them! We took them to the Pawn trail, Hobbit's beach, Heceta Head lighthouse, Devil's churn, Newport Bay bridge, Yaqiuna lighthouse and the tide pools. We also had fun visiting with family and playing our new favorite game, Bonanza.

We packed a lot of adventure into our four short days together, but I think the best part for me was watching the cousins become friends. Josie (14 mos.) and Luke (22 mos.) played especially well together. It was adorable to watch. I just couldn't get enough of little Josie and her pigtails. Thanks for making the trip out to Oregon. We hope you had as much fun as we did!

Living with Seizures

In February, Luke had 4 seizures while recovering from an illness with fever (see photo above). Last Wednesday Luke again had seizures following an illness with fever, but this time he had 20 of them.

His first seizure occurred around 10 AM Wednesday morning. By 12:30 AM that same night he had had twenty of them. A couple of times he had 3-4 seizures in a row, which is considered somewhat dangerous. The doctors finally found a drug that worked (Dilantin) and he began to improve. His seizures stopped.

Unfortunately, he soon began having a severe side effect from one of the drugs he had been given earlier (Keppra). Beginning at 5:00 AM he began to experience extreme irritability and it lasted for the next 72 hours. He had difficulty sleeping and acted like a caged and frightened animal thrashing around in his padded crib.

To make matters worse, the valiam (Diazepam) causes temporary loss of motor skills. Because Luke had been given so much of it (a shot after almost every seizure), it was three days before he could walk, talk and eat again. I missed my little Lukers. I'm glad to have him back.

He's now been put on a maintenance drug called Depakote. We're watching to see if he develops any side effects from this, and hoping this drug will prevent seizures in the future. So far so good!

My interpretation of what is happening is that Luke is experiencing "complex" febrile seizures. Febrile seizures (seizures caused by fever) are common in young children up to age 5. But having more than one seizure in response to fever is not so common, hence the term "complex".

The extensive nature of his seizure activity puts him in a high risk group for developing chronic epilepsy. But there is no way to predict the outcome. All we can do is wait and see. We thank everyone who has helped us and prayed for us. Let's hope for the best!

Swimming with a Shiner

I've been trying to get pictures of Collin at swimming lessons all week. Luke has not really cooperated, however. The last day of swimming lessons was approaching. I decided this was my last chance. I even gave the boys haircuts the night before so they'd be nice and handsome. But alas, just minutes before it's time to leave for the last swimming lesson tragedy strikes. Luke pushes the front door open and the door knob slams right into Collin's eye. It instantly turns purple and begins to swell. My hopes for at least one great photo are out the window. Oh well. The important thing is that Collin had a great time at his lessons. He was always the last one out of the pool. And now he's got "skills". His skills include floating on his back and moving both his arms in large circles (similar to a back stroke). Very exhilarating for him. I was a very proud mother. And miraculously I did get one picture where the shiner didn't show much. (Mom's got some "skills" of her own.)

Visitors: Grandad & Elena

Because we live in a small town away from all of our family, we really look forward to having company and visitors. Grandad & Elena are visiting with us this week. We took a drive up the coast yesterday. The weather was perfect and we had a fabulous day.

We visited Cape Perpetua to explore the tidepools, walk around the overlook area, and enjoy a picnic lunch. Then we stopped at Hobbit's beach on the way home. Collin, Grandad and Elena were bravely swimming in the cold ocean, while Luke and I played in the warm sand. Grandad taught the kids how to catch sand crabs. They hunted for them all afternoon, collecting 11 of them by days end.

Grandad told stories to Collin about knights and dragons as we drove down the highway. "Keep telling the story Grandad," he would say every time Grandad got distracted, had to pause, or came to The End. He couldn't get enough. His favorite part was when the knight slept inside a dragon he had slain and awoke the next morning with superhuman strength. Collin is always looking for ways to get stronger and taller. My favorite part was when the knights ate noodles to give them strength before facing the daunting dragon. It got Collin to eat his dinner of noodle soup. We love your stories Grandad!

Stawberry Fields Forever

We picked strawberries at the farm last Saturday. We've been going to this farm every year since we moved to Florence. And we look forward to this day all year long. These strawberries put all grocery store berries to shame. Texture, size and taste make these the best strawberries you'll ever eat. And boy did we eat a lot of them!

We picked two buckets full ourselves, and purchased two flats more. Needless to say, I've been in the kitchen all weekend. I made SEVEN batches of strawberry jam. We danced in our living room, singing to the Beatles' "Stawberry Fields Forever". I love days like this...when you know you're making a memory.

Our strawberry fest this week will include strawberry smoothies, strawberry and spinach salad, strawberry & mango salsa, strawberry cheesecake, crescent rolls smothered in jam and, of course, peanut butter and jam sandwiches. We've also given many strawberries away. We love to share them with everyone, especially if people have never tasted a fresh-picked strawberry before. I've shared them with those I visit teach, with neighbors, and even the grumpy old man who lives across the street.

Yesterday, Collin was out riding his bike in the circle and the old man apparently told Collin to go home. Collin was in tears. I had to go and talk to him and explain that Collin is allowed to ride his bike in the circle. He was extremely rude to me. His opinion was basically that kids should stay in their own backyards where he can't see them. But after some smooth talking on my part, he finally started to be somewhat agreeable. The problem appeared to be resolved, at least temporarily.

We went back into the house and decided to take him some fresh strawberries. He was still out in his yard when we brought them over. He finally began to speak kindly to us, and we could tell the gesture softened his heart. We definitely put beans in our peacemaker jar after that one! I shed a few tears later that day because it had been so stressful to me. But alls well that ends well. At least it was a good opportunity to teach Collin that "kindness begins with me".

What is C.A.L.M?

After much pleading on the part of the grandparents, I'm starting a blog for our family. My clever title includes the initials of our first names (Collin, April, Luke and Merritt). And thus we begin to leave our mark on cyberspace.

Preschool Graduation

Today was Collin's last day of preschool. I attended his graduation tonight. (Merritt stayed home with Luke who was sick...and the NBA finals game just happened to be on.) I know many may think preschoolers don't need graduations, but I decided tonight that they do. It helped me realize how fast time flies. I began to imagine Collin receiving a more legitimate diploma someday, and I admit the thought caused me to get a little teary-eyed. I just want to cherish every minute between now and then.

I love my boys so much.

Collin's glowing report card indicated that his strengths were his social skills. He is courteous, a good friend, a good listener, and works well independently. Miss Kristi said she appreciates most his sense of humor. Collin is always quick to smile and laugh, or do something silly that makes others smile and laugh. Over the summer, she encouraged us to practice naming letters, cutting with scissors, and fastening snaps, buttons and zippers.

It's true. Collin is too lazy to snap, button or zip. And to make matters worse, he is afraid to flush the toilet. Our toilet flooded one day when Collin used it and he hasn't flushed a toilet since! He's also afraid of bumble bees. (This is a fear we share.)

Collin and I are now looking forward to summer. We are excited to spend our days gardening, riding bikes, catching bugs, playing baseball, swimming at the lake, and camping under the stars.

The Birthday Bug

Collin's birthday party featured bugs, bugs and more bugs. Because Collin's favorite thing to do right now is catch bugs, it wasn't hard for him to choose what he wanted to do for his birthday.

While waiting for the guests to arrive, we painted with balloons to make big green caterpillars. The games began with "I have a little ant and he won't bite you...", a spider crawl relay, and a hunt for "bugs" hidden all over the living room. After an indoor ladybug picnic (it was raining), we made snail slime to play with. Oooooh! And finally, we dug into a dirt cake that was rich and DEE-licious. (Think Oreo meets cream cheese and chocolate pudding.) Hey, how did these worms get in here?

Birthday Wishes

As for Collin's birthday wishes...he had three. He wanted a two-wheel bike. He wanted to go camping. And he wanted to plant a garden. Collin has been saving seeds from every fruit he eats, impatiently waiting to plant them.

Dad had the great idea of giving Collin his first sleeping bag. We added some marshmallows and promised to take him camping as soon as possible. Mom gifted some gardening tools, gloves, a watering can, and a plethora of seeds. And thanks to Dad, three raised garden beds appeared in our backyard that very morning much to Collin's surprise. We planted seeds that afternoon.

Collin's gift to himself was a two-wheel bike. It took him four years to save $23.35, but he made his first purchase and hasn't regretted it. He rides that bike every day.

But probably the best birthday present of all, was a visit from Collin's grandparents. He loves them very much and misses them already. Thanks to all for making this a fun and memorable day for Collin!