December 15, 2014

Cheyenne's Birthday

Today is Baby-byenne's 11th birthday! (Cody dubbed her Baby-byenne when she was a baby and it has sort of stuck around. The sort of nickname she will be giving dagger eyes about in... oh 3 years.) It is a little startling to think I am getting close to having a teenager for a niece. I am still trying to process my little sisters being teenagers.

But whether is seems like a few years must have been skipped somehow along the way, she still is 11. Since Clover and Evan also celebrated 15 years of married bliss on Thursday, they all came up for the weekend, and Clover and Evan headed up to a day in Ottawa without kids. So we had a fun, kid filled weekend! As the cousins get older, there are fewer and fewer fights, meltdowns, and hair pulling moments. They are much better friends. So the weekend was pretty calm and happy. Well as calm as a house of eight kids ever is. Tori came up and hung out with me, just in case. It was all lovely.


Our new computer is Windows 8. This means that we can easily download all sorts of cool games. Evan says we could have done this before. (But then, what does he know?) So now the kids have games! A favorite is this driving one. There is a mall!! to drive through and a monster!! We also have Lemmings (which is a flashback to my childhood), a Sim type Archie/Riverdale thing, and Bejeweled Blitz. Oh and a app that plays vintage Donald Duck cartoons. So the computer was in heavy demand. 


Lily and Lincoln upstairs doing arty things.


Tori reading with her entourage.


The boys. Say what you will about gender neutrality, the boys all drifted to guns and cops and robbers by the end of the day, while the girls played Barbies. 


Lincoln's gun was a drumstick, Gilbert had a feather duster, and Elliott had a real toy gun. He was head honcho.
But he also had a hat that was too big.


After a lovely potluck at Connies (I was too busy eating too much to take pictures) we went to Mom and Dad's and met Cody's new horse, named Beauty. Justin took her out for a bareback ride.


Snowy barn roof. We had a heavy storm last week (it snowed steadily from Tuesday until Thursday morning, when it decided to switch to ice until Friday morning.) and since it hasn't warmed up, been sunny, or windy, all the snow is still decoratively hanging around. 


Justin being pleased. 


The kids were told that Beauty didn't know them and might be a bit shy, so they had to whisper. They whispered with heartbreaking earnestness. I love these kids.


Cody's turn. Owen gave him a knee up.


Mr. America

I didn't get any pictures of Owen on horseback for some reason...


Tori, with her pig following. This pig is always out. But now it has a new friend, the horse. I feel like there is a fictional pig who was great friends with a horse, but my family says, no, I am just imagining it. Maybe I will write a kids book about this one then. 


Feeding Beauty apples after she did a good job.


The dogs love chasing Mr. Piggy.


Lily looking longingly at the rock candy pops on Cheyenne's cake.


Singing


Owen being the annoying uncle. He also was telling Cheyenne that technically she is closer in age to a toddler than a twenty year old. The very kind of thing an 11 does not want to hear. 


Singing


This is the cake. Cheyenne wanted fairies, lollipops, and chocolate, so I had this idea of making it like a fairy party on a stump. A woodland-ish theme. But it didn't turn out that way. Still, it was colorful, thoroughly covered with decorations and candy. So it was okay.


Orianna and Hoyt enjoying chocolate cake. 

Apparently I didn't get any pictures of the gift opening. But she did get presents and they were lovely. Just like her. 

1 comment:

Evan and Clover and Co. said...

Thanks for being the kind of awesome aunt that makes awesome cakes and watches eight kids for over 24 hours.