Yesterday, out of the blue, Shep announced that he wanted to make dinner. He said he would be making peanut butter and jelly, bananas, and apples.
I managed to convince him to substitute blueberries for the apples (too hard to cut). But then he did it, all three plates by himself.
Not to be outdone, Neko demanded to make dessert.
Some days they drive me to the edge, but what would I do without these beautiful children?
Like all great performances, this one spontaneously emerged five minutes before bed. I came back from tucking in Shep to discover a sign directing me to the audience.
I would like to say there are more photos, but apparently this theater has a no-camera policy, which is strictly enforced.
Flowers are popping up all around the farm and Neko is loving it. Today she spent loads of time gathering flowers and then carefully arranging them by color.
I give you the Giant Leopard Moth. A beautiful creature, and not one bit shy. Neko’s favorite, for sure.
And as you can see, those teeth FINALLY fell out. Since they took so long to fall out, the new teeth look like they’re already halfway in. There’s clearly not enough space for the new ones, so at our dentist appointment in a few weeks we will be discussing an orthodontic plan. Welcome to my world, little one.
Neko and Shep decided to get married today. The groom wore black, complete with felt bow tie made by Tom. The bride and the flower girl dressed in princess attire. And, like any wedding, there was lots of dancing and the white man’s overbite.
This is what happens at our house in the wee hours, way before most of you have even had your first sip of coffee.
This is Shep's birthday cake. Now, you're probably thinking, "Hmmm. This isn't quite up to the standards we've seen in the past. What going on? Are you exhausted from birthday season? Do you not love Shep as much?"
There's a good reason for this.
Each year we ask the kids what they would like their birthday cake to be. Neko happened to be standing nearby when Tom asked this of Shep, so Neko chimed in, ultimately convincing him that a "baby animals" theme would be ideal. (Which, to be fair, is a pretty perfect theme for him, since he does love baby animals.) And, having convinced him of an acceptable topic, she proceeded to sketch up what the cake should look like.
The sketch:
I took a few creative liberties (I eliminated that whole column on the left since Playmobil doesn't make plesiosaurs), but Neko seemed to be okay with it. "That's perfect!" she exclaimed when she saw it.
And Shep? After all, it is his birthday, right? He is still in that stage of life where he loves his sister more than anything, and if she loves it, he loves it, too. He took one look, and gasped, "It's BEAUTIFUL!"
The bonus? I actually went to bed on time.
