Birthday x 5.

I think my zest for blogging is waning.

Not that I no longer find it enjoyable (I do!), it's just that I'm pretty dang busy for a woman of my age.

Old. And getting older.

I thought that at this stage in life, things would be smooth and easy. I'm realizing the error of my beliefs as things continue to stay... busy. And anything BUT smooth and easy.

Time is still passing "as it were unto us a dream."

The days are flying. Everyone is getting older. Literally, haha.

Here's a super quick catch-up of the 5 (FIVE!) Birthdays we celebrated this month.

Although Mauri's birthday is technically first, we celebrated Evie's a couple days early so her Grandma and Grandpa Fisher could come party with us.

Sunday, January 7th
Tay and Nae snapped these adorable photos before we headed out for church:

That evening we had a yummy dinner, Evie opened presents, and we sang and had cake.

Evie was not shy about digging into her cake. It was fun to see her enjoy it so much! I think most of my children were timid first-time cakers, so it took some coaxing to get them to dig in. It must have something to do with the fear of God I apparently instilled in them at a very VERY young age over making a mess haha.

It was a smashing {and a wee bit messy} celebration.

(With Grandma and Grandpa Fisher after her bath)


Monday, January 8th.
Weeks earlier, we tossed around ideas for Mar's birthday and finally decided to have a low-key celebration by going out to dinner. Let it be known I was WILLING to have a party, but I guess it just didn't work with Mar's schedule and friend group(s).

Because we only have 1 key to her car, and the door code was unknown to us at the time (which has since been remedied thanks to Billy-my-hero), I couldn't decorate the inside of her car like I wanted. I had also thought about decorating her locker at school, but I don't know if she even has one.

 I was recently mentioning that I wished CV did locker decorations like our past two high schools rather than other types of recognition that seem foreign and less fun to me (like little goodie bags for each choir concert full of knick knacks, trinkets, and candy, most of which usually goes into the trash after it sits around Mar's room for a few days; and a request to decorate the choir rooms as a surprise for the choirs performing at CMEA... which seems like a whole lot o' effort for something that they enjoy only temporarily -- a day? I don't even know -- and doesn't last...). Mauri informed me that it would be hard at CV because a lot of kids don't even have and/or use lockers, and that the school doesn't really keep track of who has them and who doesn't. It sounds like they are somewhat optional. Such a bummer, since locker tags are a much better way to give kids recognition for their activities than goodie bags... in my ohh-so-humble locker-tag-loving opinion {wink}.

Back to Mar's car.
I decided to decorate it up a bit while she was at swim practice.

Sadly, she said NO ONE honked at her on her way home... but it WAS dark. She liked the glow bracelets on the handles, though. I'll say it was a semi-successful old-mom attempt at doing something kind of... fun.

We ate at Outback Steakhouse, which was Mar's choice for dinner. We had never been (I know... weird), and when Mar and I were at Sam's Club looking at the gift card options they had available, she wanted give it a try.

Afterwards we came back home to have cake (Mar's request was cheesecake) and open presents.

I can't believe my baby is 17. 
The more she doesn't really seem to need {or want} my attention/opinion/overbearing-mama-bearness, the more I'm feeling the symptoms of mothering withdrawals. Yes, I, who has never cried over the first day of kindergarten (ever), or the last day of elementary school... or middle school (good riddance, I say), or at high school graduation, or college drop-off, (I have to admit I've shead a tear or two over departing and returning missionaries... and perhaps at a few weddings) am struggling with my feelings about not being the mother of a minor child. I only have a year left, but I am sensing the natural move towards independence that Mar has begun to make, AND I DON'T LIKE IT.
Seriously, struggling here.

Happy Birthday, baby!

Tuesday, January 9th
Evie's actual birthday.

I snapped a couple of pics to commemorate the day.

One year ago...

...to today, this girl has done a lot o' growing. I love her and have enjoyed having her nice and close the past few months!

That evening, Bill and Mar went downtown to see The King and I (part of her birthday gift).

They had a great time, so hopefully Mar will remember it as a good birthday.

Tuesday, January 16th was Jason's birthday.

Instagram story/photo creds Lex.

We didn't do much to help him celebrate... a call, a rousing verse of happy birthday, and a venmo gift... but we are super grateful for him, too!

Saturday, January 20th

We were, again, planning to celebrate on Sunday, but it was such a lovely January day (with a storm rolling in that evening), we decided to take a walk, and, again, I snapped a few pics just to commerate the ACTUAL birthdays of Lynnea and Billy-my-hero.

Happy Birthday to my little old man!

Sunday, January 21st

As a lucky birthday surprise, we had a SNOW DAY from church.

It was nice to spend the day together, nice and cozy at home. (Although Bill had been at the church at 6:30am to shovel snow, and Mar attended a missionary prep class at 7am, both BEFORE the Stake Presidency decided to call it a snow day.) 

We had a yummy dinner, then sang and had cake and ice cream.

Note Bill's single blue candle in the {sort of} middle of his cake. I couldn't believe I was short ONE MEASLY WHITE CANDLE. I would have taken one of ANY size... I just wanted white. Nope, not happening. Oh well.

That was a whole lot o' candles.

81 to be exact. In one blow. Okay, it was really two blows haha.

(FYI, a total of 127 candles this month!)

German chocolate cake for Bill (which was single layer due to a really REALLY deflated second layer - dumb high altitude baking - that was sampled, then tossed...), and carrot cake for Nae. Yum.

Whew. That was a busy January.
I love these people.
Happy Birthday all y'all.