April... and March...

I could go further back than March, but that would take too long.  I'm still floored that it's nearly Mother's Day...

The first three months of the year always overwhelm me.  You think I'd anticipate it by now, but I don't.  New Year's Day arrives with a sigh of relief.

"Done!" I think to myself.

And then my birthday comes... and I am reminded that I only have just over a month till Allie's birthday.  Then Valentine's Day hits and I am reminded that I've done nothing for her, nor for Sami, whose birthday is two weeks after Allie's.  Panic sets in.  And it doesn't help when both girls gab about their "big" birthday plans nonstop.

Suddenly it's April and I'm racing to the store to buy a bunch of junk to fill Easter baskets.  Not to mention my Mom's birthday, which all too often gets overlooked, unfortunately.

This year has been no different, really.

So like I said, you'd think I'd learn...

The fact that this birthday was Allie's 8th merely added a whole new level of stress... and joy.  Suddenly I not only had a birthday to think about, but a baptism as well.  And being thrown into the planning of something very new isn't easy for me.  I enjoy the challenge, but I worry about the mistakes I'll make along the way.  I know I shouldn't.  It's silly, really.  I mean, as long as there's a font, two witnesses, and Kevin and Allie, we should be good to go, right?  And, thankfully, we had those essential elements.

We were also blessed with the presence of Allie's Grandma and Grandpa Smith, who had graciously made the trip from Utah for the special occasion.  Each gave beautiful talks teaching Allie about the importance of being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Kevin and I, per Allie's request, sang "Baptism", while Rich Gibson accompanied on the piano, with Doug Markos on guitar.

Nikki Noel made a beautifully delicious strawberry cream cheese cake, which was especially special since the baptism occurred on Allie's birthday.  Apparently her grandma was baptized on her birthday as well!

The Knear family came, with Sabrina sitting right next to Allie in the front row for the whole program.

We were touched by the tremendous support shown by our amazing ward family.  Truly.  It is a family.  I didn't expect so many people to return to the church that evening.  Friends brought treats to share without being asked.  And we ran out of the plates I had brought.

It was a very special day for Allie.  Indeed.

Then the following Friday night we had a birthday party at the house for her.  The plan was to show Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer in the backyard "under the stars"... but then it rained... a lot.  So, we set up the borrowed video projector in the living room, moved couches, and cleared a wall.  I set up a "concession" stand, complete with popcorn, soda, and candy, and Kevin draped some white lights for ambiance.  We ended up with around twenty kids in our living room.  Some from school, some from church.  Allie wore her glittery cream Christmas dress from two Christmases ago.  Gotta wear a party dress!

And then Sami, who had been a bit overshadowed by all this hullabaloo over Allie, dealt with it with a lot of dignity.  Occasionally she would worry that no one would ever make such a fuss over her when she turns eight, but mostly she just enjoyed the festivities.  And she was sincerely excited for Allie.

Sami is good that way.

Allie... well.. isn't.  The following Saturday when it was Sami's birthday, Allie sulked as Sami opened presents.  Are you kidding me?!  She had, basically, two full weekends of celebrating her, and she has to nerve to think about herself on Sami's day?!  To the moon, Allie... 

Sami's activity of choice that day was to go to the zoo, which we did in spite of the insane crowds due to it being not only a Saturday, but St. Patrick's Day.  We really tried to give Sami some special treatment that day.  I hope she felt it.  She is such a special kid, and we adore her.  She may oftentimes annoy the heck out of us (she has a knack for that), but she has a tender heart and a lot of spunk that we cherish.  Unfortunately, part of the territory of being the younger sibling is feeling overshadowed and forgotten.

Although, Drew doesn't seem to feel either of those.  He's "the man" and he knows it.   Go figure.

And, of course, Eve is the baby, and doesn't know anything different than being cooed over by everyone.  But she's also pretty comfortable with my attention being divided.

Oh, and I can't forget about the annual rodeo at the Church ranch.  And a day trip to Sea World.

By the time Easter arrived, I was exhausted.  But I was still able to get some spirituality out of the day.  We don't do the Easter Bunny, and our egg hunt is always preceded by the story of Christ.  We watched some of Ben-Hur, too.

Allie had her 2nd grade Spring Concert a week or so after that.  She was ecstatic about being assigned to play the xylophone for one song.

And on the 28th Kevin and I celebrated out 12th anniversary.  We decided to spend the latter part of the day (the first part Kev and the girls went to the Day of Service project at Palm Bay City Hall) at Sea World for the Viva La Music festival.  We watched the concert of RKM and Ken-Y (some Puerto Rican pop stars), and then went on some rides (together!) and watched two shows before we decided to leave and get some Indian food for dinner.  Our friend Lisa Rogers watched the kids for us for the seven hours we were gone.

And suddenly it's May, and little Baby Eve is inching closer to her first birthday.  What?!  She has been eating solids for the past two and a half weeks.  My memories of Allie as a baby are probably the clearest.  Sadly, with each additional child, that time becomes more and more of a blurr.  So many distractions.  But I hope my sweet Eve feels we love her.  I'm doing my best to soak her in.

School ends in two and half weeks.  Summer is a-knockin'...