4 Birthdays, an Ordination, and a Budding Chef

October is birthday month for Rachel, who turned 7, and Brigham, who turned 14, and their "Papa," who is older than that. Their birthdays are 3 days in a row. Because Papa was in town, we started celebrating several days before their birthdays with this cake that Rachel helped make. You can see her little hands here putting the finishing touches on.

Since she learned to read, Rachel has been skimming cook books looking for yummy recipes and insisting we try them. At 7 years old, she is following recipes to make cookies and other sweet treats (with a little help). She is a happy girl with a big heart, always thinking of others and making sure everyone gets a share. She loves to read and daily has a pile of books to read through at bed time. Lately, our visits to the library result in several new children's cook books for her to sift through. I wonder what recipe she will come up with next.

On Sunday, October 23rd, Brigham had an extra special birthday as he was ordained to the office of a Teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood. We are so grateful that he has made good choices in his life to be worthy to hold the Priesthood of God. We are very grateful that our dear friends made the trip to be here to support him in that ordination.
Following the ordination, our friends joined us for another birthday cake to celebrate 3 birthdays again. The girls frosted it beautifully. We sang to Brigham, Rachel, and Lorenzo, who turned 4 the same week.
We missed Grandma and Grandpa because they rarely miss such events, but we felt of their love and support from the mission field. Brigham has recently surpassed his father in height, pushing past 6 feet! It's apparent that he has not stopped growing. It is our hope that he continues to grow in truth and righteousness as well as stature so that he will be prepared to serve the Lord as a Missionary in a few years.

When Rachel's birthday arrived, we celebrated yet again. Rachel claimed she likes surprises, so we decorated the house and wrapped some little gifts for her. Her friend came home on the bus with her and they enjoyed playing together while we made another cake. I have to say that the third cake within a week is not quite as enjoyable as the first. (In fact, I couldn't even get myself to eat any.) But, Rachel was happy with it. It is fun to celebrate birthdays. We are lucky to have these beautiful children to celebrate with. They make life so fun and meaningful.