Tag Archives: birthday party

Not in Minnesota anymore…

Tredessa took a vacation. 

We were all surprised and happy because, to put it mildly-she is a bit of an over-worker-super-achiever at times.  But she is choosing to let God do a new thing in her life and it is good.

n811738814_1884955_2801020

IKEA virgin no more.

So- a week in Minnesota with good, lifelong friends (The Bierers – people we adore!!)  included lounging by the pool and shopping (she has heretofore been a somewhat militant non-shopper) at The Mall of America.  She is no longer an IKEA virgin!  Quite the vacation for Tre-Tre!

4406_91544473814_811738814_1884956_6629441_n n811738814_1884962_7902706

Tredessa comes back in spite of a tornado.

7 days later it was time to come home.  Her plane was due to land at DIA at the exact same time a tornado was barreling through.  They put them in a holding pattern for so long their fuel got low.  They ended up landing at Colorado Springs to re-fuel and wait in line to be able to get back to DIA.

june-stormies-088 june-stormies-097

She finally got back – just in the nick-of-time for a family dinner to celebrate her life (as she will be out of town again on her actual birthday this weekend).

june-stormies-113 june-stormies-121

We got together.  There were hugs and kisses and flowers and presents.  There was laughter and a few tears of love.  There were 5 energetic grandkids (who played dress-up all night) and grilled chicken.  We ate corn on the cob and strawberry cheesecake.  Edward was invited to be adored.  A hot competitve Twilight game was played way into the night.  It was the fam and a few friends.

june-stormies-138 june-stormies-142

june-stormies-127 s811738814_1885135_5165642  june-stormies-104 june-stormies-091

june-stormies-094 june-stormies-103 june-stormies-095 june-stormies-128

Stef and Wrex, who had been out of town, rushed back to “crash the party” for Tredessa.  They wore orange so well.  That is one of the reasons we love them so.  We did a mini-birthday-celebration for Wrex, too.

Tredessa in Transition

Besides her birthday, Tredessa is in transition in her life right now.  There are lots of things changing and things she just doesn’t know some details of her future right now.  But I hope she knows, at the very least, how much we all cherish her (especially becuase of that awesome poem I wrote for her)!

Welcome home, TreTre.  Love ya!…mom

Pink Owl Cake and a Petting Zoo

The cake.

Three tiers.  The 12″ bottom tier was a dark-chocolate butter cake with cherry pie filling.  The 9″ tier was strawberry with fresh strawberry filling.  Those were the two flavors Jovan and Rocky requested for Averi’s first birthday cake.  They left the top 6″ tier to my discretion.  So I baked my pumpkin spice specialty and filled it with a cream cheese icing.  It was all butter-creamed (or chocolate-fudge butter-creamed, as appropriate) and covered in 10 pounds or so of pink marshmallow fondant.

The decorating inspiration was from Averi’s gray and pink owl invitations (created by her Aunt Stormie).  I really hated the the big gray branch I made and placed on the middle tier, but once on, it was too late.  However, I enjoyed the owls.  I had only planned for one (chocolate chips for eyes), ended up doing two and could have done whole rows of them.  If I had it all to do again…

         

Averi had a “personal” cake, a 6″ funfetti with whipped cream spooned over.   She had never had cake or icing before, so we wanted to make sure she didn’t go in to sugar shock.  She could not understand why so  many people were asking her to dig in to her cake!  Averi was seated for the cake photos in the high chair her mommy celebrated her first birthday in!

It was pink.  And it was owls.

Jovan cut out gazillions of paper owls which hung everywhere and adorned all the little party hats she handmade for all the kiddies from patterned scrapbook paper.  Pink and silver balloons.  Pink satin.  Pink ribbon.  Pink flowers.  Oh and, cookies-on-sticks as favors, delish!

   

The petting zoo.

Farmer Wrex (do not mistake him for Old McDonald – for Wrex is hip and cool) and his amazingly gorgeous wife, Stefane (stunning in her red hoodie), so kindly made Averi’s party the block extravaganza of the subdivision’s winter by bringing over a few animals for the use of her (60+) guests and all the neighbors.  We had 2 bunnies, 2 rather opinionated and slightly irritated ducks, 1 classic chicken, a black calf that nearly inhaled everyone’s fingers (and Pastor Scott was giving it Pepsi…tsk), a mama goat and her 2 four-day-old baby goats, and one Welsh pony for rides.

    

        

One day Averi will look back and think she had an amazing party when she turned one.  But she really was not in the mood to ride a pony!  Not at all.  She cried and held all animals after that in suspect.  But everyone else enjoyed the petting zoo and pony rides up and down the street very much!  Stefane and Wrex are the BEST!

Averi’s 1st birthday celebration  (planned meticulously by mommy-Jovan) was a hoo, hoo-t!,  Get it?…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF:  Don’t let cake sit in the sun before the party-near disaster!!

pictured: click on thumbnails for a closer look