Avynlea turned 11 on February 2nd. This girl is getting too old and needs to quit it! Avynlea requested pancakes for breakfast and wouldn't you know we were all out of pancake mix. I would have just made them from scratch but we did not have a lot of time this morning to do that and so I looked on Pinterest and found a "pancake" recipe using cake mix. I think it was just the mix and milk. It was kind of hard to cook on the griddle but they tasted fine and Avynlea liked them. She got to use the Beauty and the Beast special plate and that made her pretty happy. I took her to Target the night before to let her pick out a new top and to get her a pair of pants. She asked if she could open her clothes in the morning so that she could wear them to school and I thought that was an OK idea.
Avynlea wanted a special birthday hair do and so I did a curly bun and added a crown since she is the birthday girl.
Saturday night Kefford and I were at the grocery store and we got some frozen orange chicken to take home for dinner. Everyone loved it and Avynlea especially loved it so much she requested it for her birthday dinner. I went back and got another bag along with some kung pao chicken. The kung pao was pretty spicy and none of the kids really wanted that which was fine because it meant Kefford and I could have it all. I also made some fried rice to go with our dinner. Avynlea's primary teacher stopped by with a birthday treat but had to come back later because when she came by Avy was at piano lessons. She saw that we were having a chinese dinner and so when she came back she brought some chinese party favors. Her daughter served a mission in Taiwan and they had some things they wanted to contribute to Avynlea's birthday. Avynlea tried eating with the chopsticks but found they were too difficult so she stuck them in her hair for some added flair.
After we ate dinner Avynlea got to open her gifts.
A new dress
Hand sanitizers. I found this pack of hand sanitizers on double clearance at Fred Meyer and i got them for Avy because she is always wanting me to buy her some along with the sanitizer holder, I thought this would be perfect for her. It would have been perfect if the sanitizers smelled better, they smelled so bad that there is no way she could have used them. Now we know why they were on clearance for so little. Avy was ok with it because she got the holder and was able to put her other sanitizer in it.
A new Belle Doll
Avynlea wanted an Eos she spotted when we were at Target so I bought it and let it be from Rylee.
Avynlea has been wanting some Calico Critters and so I bought her the Hamster Family and the Hamster twins. She seemed pretty excited about that.
On Sunday I was asking Avynlea what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday and she told me she wanted a colored cake with fondant. I immediately felt some stress because I did not see how I was going to be able to ge the ingredients for fondant, make it and have time to decorate a cake. I felt really guilty about not having the time because of my dance classes I teach and did not know what to do, I hate disappointing my kids. I was talking to Kefford about it and he said that he could take care of it. He is the best! On Monday I bought a purple cake mix at the store which Kefford made while us three girls were at dance. While at the store I was collecting ingredients for fondant when I found pre-made fondant for about the same price that I would have spent for all the ingredients, that plus the time savor from not having to make it made it very easy for me to put in my basket and put back all the other things. When we got home from dance Kefford helped me mix color in the fondant and we decorated the cake. It is not fancy or pretty by any means but Avynlea liked it and we did an ok job for the time we had and the skill level of the two of us.
Avynlea also requested Birthday Cake Ice-Cream which Kefford picked up on his way home from work on Tuesday.
Avynlea's Favorite Things
- Food: Pancakes
- Dessert: Birthday Cake ice cream
- Candy: Gummy Bears and Nerds
- Color: Blue
- Book: Put Me in the Zoo by Dr Seuss
- Movie: Beauty and the Beast
- TV Show: Teen Titons Go
- Radio Song: "Cecilia and the Satellite" by Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
- Primary Song: I'm Trying to be Like Jesus
- Scripture Story: Moses Parting the Red Sea
- Friend: Rose Hostetler and Hallie Jones
- Thing to do: Play with friends
- Place to be: Disneyland
- Toy: Calico Critters
- Princess: Belle
5 things I love about Avy
1. Avynlea has a lot of happiness and brings a lot of joy to our home. She is happy and fun
and typically has a great attitude about life. I love when she tells me stories she is happy about because she gets so excited and acts like she is about to burst out of her skin with joy. She makes me laugh all the time with her quick wit and the funny things she has to say.
2. Avynlea is a great helper for me. She likes to help me in the kitchen and usually is the best one at her chores. I know if I need something done that I can count on Avynlea to do it. She is a hard worker and likes to do the best that she can at home and at school. She is self motivated and even though usually has lots of homework she rarely complains and just gets it done. Avy is also really great at practicing her piano music, I love listening to her play and I hear her getting better and better all the time.
3. Avynlea is a beautiful girl and likes to look her best every day. She is starting to learn how to do her own hair and although she is just starting to learn she is already doing a good job. She is very modest and I never have to worry about her clothing choices. And those dimples of hers kill me every time she smiles, I love them!
4. Avynlea loves primary and she loves her Savior. She does a good job of reading her scriptures and praying to her Heavenly Father. She has a good sense of right and wrong and has already started developing her testimony. She is a good example to her friends and has already started being a good missionary.
5. Avynlea is my little buddy and I love being around her. Every time I go to the store she is right there in the car with me whether I want company or not. The seat on the couch next to me has been designated by her as her seat and she gets really indignant if someone else has gotten there first. We were watching some old home movies and one of them shows 2 year old Avy and I am asking her what she wants to say to the camera. She says "I love Mommy because she lets me sit next to her". We thought that was so cute and how funny that she is still the same way.
This girl brings so much love and joy to everyone around her and we are blessed to have her as part of our family!