Ehlana and Ethan:
Happy 11th Birthday, Hailey Draper!
Mother Nature has given Hailey a nicer weather day for her birthday – though sunny and warm was still comparative with the high only getting close to sixty after an overnight low that wasn’t much above freezing. That is going to work for her party – and that’s why we have another early update; since we need to get over there soon to help out with the work and to help with keeping Hailey and her friends entertained. I’ll be doing more of that than Ethan will be doing because he and Naomi will only be making an appearance at the party and won’t be staying – mostly because Hailey is not going with a co-ed party; so Aiden and his Dad will be two of the few guys at the house tonight. Naomi is happy to keep Ethan entertained while I’m busy; and you shouldn’t expect any details about her plans to keep him for a co-ed sofa sleepover that won’t include any other couples. The birthday party details can wait for our next report too; so let’s move on to the rest of our news of the day and from our babysitting night too.
It might be more-fun to offer stories about last night that would be entertaining in a bad way, since that has often happened around Zack and Eli, but we’ll be honest and admit that the boys were all generally pretty good last night with only a few moments of badly-planned pranks and jokes that failed to even earn any laughs. That probably had everything to do with the lack of trouble after that; since Zack and Eli definitely do not enjoy themselves when they don’t get any laughs or get teased for pranks-gone-wrong. That worked for us, so the babysitting went pretty well; we helped everyone at the house to have fun; and then we even managed to have co-ed sofa sleepovers in the game room after all of the kids were eventually in their beds and sleeping. We managed to get that done before Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne got home, and while they teased us and took pictures before going to bed too; they didn’t try to split us up for the rest of the night either – mostly because it was late by then and two of us were half-asleep by then anyway.
Tai Chi and the big-gang breakfast this morning made for an awesome start to our day; we had bonus fun at school for Hailey’s birthday. We had small gifts for her and a special lunch and treats; and her friends took care of her too – including keeping the boys from annoying her too-much while at school; since the boys won’t get the chance to bug her tonight at her party. I also want to mention that we had some fun today thanks to the rare moments when any of us actually think about the age differences between Hailey and Aiden – or compared to her friends; since she’s one of the ‘oldest’ members of her class. While Hailey is two grades behind us, she’s only about a year and a half younger than Aiden; and she loves the months she gets to have where she’s technically only a year younger – or a year older than many of her friends including Zack and Eli. That might actually have something to do with her lack of interest in co-ed parties, and that trend might continue; since she’ll be ahead of the boys on the growth chart for at least the next few years. No, that hasn’t been an issue for Naomi or for me either with our favorite boys, but we’re exceptions anyway; and shouldn’t be used for any comparisons.
Moving along, that’s pretty much all we have for our own news. Cassie and Michael are having fun in Georgia and Russia while working hard too and doing a fair bit of travel between meetings and site visits. The weather is pretty good there too and slightly-warmer than here, but still comparable; and the forecasts are for a warmer weekend here and a cooler one there while they will be visiting May and Lee from Friday afternoon to Sunday. As always, we’ll keep you posted on their travels, but leave the details for them to offer through their own personal and work journals. We need to get going soon, though, so that’s all for this report; so we’re out of here!
Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!
