Whitlee's 3 Birthday Cakes

Birthday Cake #1: Whitlee had the unique opportunity of turning 8 on a cruise ship this year!  She turned 8 on the morning that we got up bright and early to deboard the ship, so the night before, when we had our one last amazing dinner, we told the waiter that Whitlee was celebrating her birthday and they brought her a complimentary piece of cake (Ha!  All the food was complimentary anyway... well not complimentary so much as paid for in the price of the cruise).  The waitstaff sang a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday right after they got singing to a set of twins about her age on the table next to us.

Birthday Cake #2:  When we finally got off the boat and settled into our hotel room in Orlando for the night before heading out the next day, Zac and I snuck out and bought some birthday dinner and a birthday cake that Whit could actually have ON her birthday and share with her siblings.  She loves cookies and cream and we found her a delicious cookies and cream cake.  We bought a candle but forgot to buy a lighter or matches.  We were in a hotel that had a cooktop, and so Zac thought he might be able to light a paper towel on fire and then light the candle that way.  Instead, we made a huge smokey mess and I was scared to death the fire alarms or sprinklers would go off and they would evacuate the hotel!  Fortunately, we didn't set off any alarms and we were able to clear out the smoke.

Birthday Cake #3:  When we finally got home two days after Whitlee's birthday, we unloaded the suburban and then got busy on birthday cake #3, which she had been planning for weeks!!  Whitlee has been super interested lately in baking and decorating baked goods, so she had a huge part in decorating this adorable polar bear cake.

Zac and I try to take our kids on a special birthday date to get something to eat and do an activity that is appealing to them.  This year we were tipped off that you can go to the ISU Craft Shop in Pocatello and buy some clay and then they will let you use their pottery wheel and will fire your projects in the kiln.  When we got there they said Whitlee was too young to use the wheel, but they did show her some other projects she could make.  She was in Heaven.

Dad's rose

Even though she couldn't use the wheel, she paid good attention to our lesson and stayed next to me giving me pointers and helping me out every now and then.

Can't wait to see our finished pots!

10 Things About Whitlee

1. Her love language is touch.  She has to be constantly snuggled, hugged, or sitting on someone.  I love to finally have a kid who loves to snuggle.

2. She is a secret ninja.  She will have you thinking she is all sweet and cuddly, but the second you turn your back, she is getting in her cheap shots on her older siblings.  She loves to start a good wrestle, but only if her siblings don't fight back.

3. She loves to cook and she is good at it!  I made peanut butter cups with her once and ever since she can do the whole thing by herself and they turn out awesome.  Her siblings love that she can make dessert and take advantage of her willingness to cook.  She also loves to cook pancakes all by herself.

4. She has loved participating in gymnastics, piano lessons, softball, and basketball this year.  She learns so much so fast every time she picks up a new activity.  She is also excited to try volleyball camp this year.

5. She has very tender feelings.  If she ever EVER thinks her siblings might be teasing or making fun of her, it will bring her to tears.  She has a very sensitive heart and doesn't like feeling like she is in trouble or making mistakes.

6. She loves the book Scardey Squirrel about a squirrel who is afraid of everything because she can relate.  Some things that terrify her: Disneyland, getting her ears pierced, swimming or getting her face wet.

7. She is a daddy's girl big time and he loves it.  She has learned how to wrap daddy around her finger to get anything she wants.  Her favorite thing to do is sneak back up the stairs after mom tells her to go to bed and snuggle next to daddy and ask for some snuggle time.  He always caves in and she never gets to bed before 10.

8.  She has an incredibly soft spot for animals.  She wants to be a pet groomer when she grows up.  All books she checks out from the library are about animals fiction and non-fiction.  She gets the Ranger Rick magazine.  Right now her favorite animal is a fox, but dogs are a close second.  She has a special bond with her golden retriever, Sage.  She loves to get a blanket and go and sit out with Sage for hours snuggling and cuddling her.  And Sage is a pet designed just for Whitlee because her favorite thing to do in the world is to sit and snuggle Whitlee.

9. She is obsessed with stuffed animals!  She has probably 100 stuffed animals and she loves them all.  Every birthday and Christmas, she would be completely content just getting a new stuffy to add to her collection.

10. She adores her siblings and loves to play with them, but has a special bond with Ashlyn who she wants to be like in every way.  She wants to dress like her, do her hair like her, and is constantly asking to have sleepovers in Ashlyn's room.  Ashlyn is a good big sis to her and they are going to really miss each other when Ashlyn goes to college this Fall.