Nicole's Birthday

Believe it or not, Nicole Rae is NINE years old!  Oh how we love that girl!  Her birthday fell on a Saturday this year, which is great because the celebration spans out over a few days that way.

On Friday, she celebrated with her class.  She brought a poster to school about herself and was "spotlighted" by her teacher.  She also brought cans of A&W Cream Soda for her class treat.   Her grade happened to be having an outdoor party that day, she won a prize for being the second highest reader in her class this past term, PLUS Fridays are early-out days, so things were looking pretty good for the almost-birthday girl!

Saturday, her actual birthday, was also General Conference.  She wasn't too excited about the idea of sharing her birthday with six hours of churchy TV, but in the end I think she had a great day.  She opened her presents in the morning.  She got candy, a kite, a big ball, lotion, Rainbow Loom refills, and a new pair of roller blades.  Around 9:00 am, Grandma and Grandpa Gee came over!  They had been in Salt Lake City for a mission reunion and they came over on their way home.  They ate Nicki's birthday breakfast with us.  We had pancakes with coconut syrup and sugared strawberries, juice, sausage, and potatoes.  It was delicious!  Then the grandparents left so they could be home in time for their shift at the visitor's center, Dad and I watched conference, and the kids went off and played with Nicki's new toys.

 Between session of Conference, We made homemade pizza for Nicki's birthday lunch.  Everyone made their own.  We totally loaded them up with cheese and toppings (for those of us that like toppings).  Man!  They were delicious!  I also surprised Nicki by giving her her favorite treat - Sushi!  She LOVES California rolls!  What grown up tastes, huh?

After lunch, I took Nicki to Wal-Mart to pick up a few items we needed for the rest of the day.  She brought along her birthday money from the Gee's and Grandma Church.  After much deliberation, she only spent a few dollars on some candy and decided to save the rest for later.  Wow!  She really is growing up!  I'm still not very good at waiting to spend my birthday money!

 She played some more while Dave and I watched the second session of conference.  Then, Grandma and Grandpa Smith came over for dinner.  We ate fabulous grilled hamburgers, fresh fruit, Cheetos AND Doritos, and pickles.  This was not a very low-calorie day, as you can tell, but it sure was delicious!    Grandma and Grandpa gave her some cute clothes and an awesome light ball thingy that makes light designs on her ceiling at night.  She loves it!

Again, Nicki has grown up tastes. For her birthday cake, she chose a cheesecake.  I got the sampler kind that has several different flavors to choose from.  It was tasty.

 Then, the men folk went to the priesthood session of general conference and the rest of us stayed home to watch "That Darn Cat" (an old Haley Mills movie).  Grandma stayed for most of it.  I haven't seen that old show since I was a little kid myself.  It was pretty funny.

Cookie even watched it with us.  I think she liked the cat.  I hope she didn't pick up any ideas from that mischievous feline!

The next day was "Candy Conference," which I'll write more about some other time.  In the evening, we went to Aunt Katie's house to celebrate Nicki and Grandma Smith's birthdays.  We had cake and ice cream with cousins.  It doesn't get much better than that!

I sure love Nicki!  She has such a kind, generous, nurturing spirit.  She helps me in so many ways around the house and with her siblings.  And she's just plain fun to be around!  She loves to entertain people.  It's part of her inner drive to make others happy.

The other day, David was having a meeting with the missionaries (he's the ward mission leader).  Of her own accord, Nicole decided that she wanted to give each missionary a dollar.  She happily gave them $2.00, which was a big chunk of her birthday money.  We haven't figured out a good allowance system in our family, so her birthday money is practically the only cash she gets all year.  Yet, she didn't hesitate to share it with the elders - she was thrilled to do it.  Such a sweet, giving kid.  I'm lucky to have her example in my life.