Felicity's Fifth Birthday Party!

We keep things simple around here for birthdays.  But there are a few special traditions that we look forward to at each birthday celebration.  1) Wearing birthday crowns, 2) a special mama made cake, 3) Felicity usually gets a new mama made dress to wear at her party, and 4) I try to have at least one mama made gift in there somewhere.

Well, obviously I couldn't make Felicity her birthday dress this year.  I told my mom I was pretty bummed about it, and she took it upon herself to stay up till 2:30 a.m. one morning, sewing Felicity her requested yellow birthday dress.  I'm not sure who felt more loved.  Me, or Felicity.

 

 

 

And the cake?  Well, first I was stubborn and said I could sit up in bed and decorate it if Zac baked it.  But as bed rest has gone on, I've realized I have more limitations than I thought.  Even sitting up for long periods of time is against the rules.  Besides, it was never a question to Zac.  HE was going to make her cake.  Felicity requested a pink crown cake, and Zac delivered.

 



As far as the Mama made gift goes, I'd been working on a twin quilt for her for months.  She's seen me working on it, as such a large gift is hard to hide.  She'd ask if it was for her, and I'd always just respond, "It's for someone very special."  After I went on bed rest, a friend of mine helped me finish it in time for Felicity's party.  More on that later, and better pictures to come once I can get out of bed.  But I think you can see from the pictures below that Felicity felt very special when she opened her quilt and it was finally and officially hers.

So, all the traditions were met this year.  Not in the same usual way, but I think, in a better way.  A way where others made sure Felicity's birthday party was just like any other year, even though things at home are very different.  A way where people put in time, love, and effort, to make sure Felicity had her special day.  A way full of love.

The Play House

Zac built the kids a new play house this weekend.  The electrician that he is, he creatively put electrical spools from his job to use.  Being on bed rest, I haven't seen it, but I heard wonderful things about it from the kids so I sent my sister out to take pictures of it so I could have a look.  Here's the pictures she took.

Cool huh!?  Zac would not like me posting this because he doesn't want any attention or credit.  But I just can't resist.  I think its so cool!!!  He put it in the rabbit run which is the perfect use of space in our tiny back yard.  Now if it would just cool down so the kids had more hours in the day to be out in it without frying.  Hopefully soon!

The Rabbit Hutch

I feel very fortunate to have married the man I did.  Zac is an excellent Dad, an amazing husband, and truly, my best friend.  I love spending time with him and our house is filled with energy when he gets home from work.  He is a very handy guy too.  If you too, have married a handy guy, you know what I mean when I say that we ALWAYS have a project going on around here.  :)  I used to get annoyed with the unfinished projects, but I've learned to not mind them much any more.  I look around me and see all his hands have lovingly created for me and I know I'm blessed.  The bathroom WILL get finished one day.  ;) 

So here's one of his latest creations...the rabbit hutch.

He made the front solid to supply the bunnies with the much needed shade they will need in our hot summers.

Both sides are wire for good ventilation and cross breeze.

I often find the kids laying on the ramp, visiting with the bunny girls.  Honestly, I sometimes find them IN the hutch with the bunny girls. 

The main door above the ramp swings open for the girls to go in and out as they please, but the left door also opens up for easy cleaning access.  The kids like to open both doors so they can visit the bunnies who get pretty snugly when the kids invade their hutch.

Lissy has a natural way with animals that I can very much relate to.  She just seems to get them and really enjoys their company.  I find her like this a lot....just chit chatting with the bunnies.

I almost forgot to mention that Zac made the rabbit hutch out of our old fence boards!  I LOVE repurposing something that would have otherwise been hauled to my mom's burn pile, AND, this hutch hardly cost us anything since we only had to buy the lumber to make the frame, and the wire.

And while we're at it, here's the bunny run.  This used to be our kitchen garden.  It looks pretty bare because we nicely weeded it for the girls before their arrival.  Little did we know they'd probably have preferred us to have LEFT the weeds for them to mow down.  In the front right there, is a granny smith apple tree.  Just this week we planted two more trees (a nectarine and a pear) in the other corners of the run.  The baby trees are so small, I don't think you can even see them in this picture.  But they'll grow fast and supply the bunnies with lots of shade in their run.  The run does get good shade during the heat of the day from another large tree in our backyard.  You can see a small grape vine starting out there on the fence.  The bunnies have eaten every lower leaf they can reach, but the grape, which seems to grow an inch a day, doesn't seem to mind the pruning.  That fence was an idea I had which my handy husband made into a reality years ago.  He cut all the branches from my mom's property while trying to rid her land of Ailanthus trees.  Our front yard is fenced the same way and it's one of my favorite things about our house.  I love the homemade love that was put into it.  :)