Ivy turned 6 on Tuesday, January 19th, 2021. She spent her birthday in quarantine, just like she had spent Christmas, New Year's, and the weeks leading up to her birthday. It's a good thing she was only turning 6 because she was excited for a birthday no matter what it was going to look like. She had been counting down the days since New Years and told anyone who would listen how many days were left. It came with much anticipation. She had planned everything she could think of-her meals, a cake, and especially that she wanted a birthday crown. Good think Walmart came through for me the night before. It even lit up!
She wanted german pancakes for breakfast. We also had berries and apple juice. She wore her crown the entire day.
I decided that, to make her day fun but also leave time for me to get a few things done, we would do an activity every hour. She is able to tell numbers enough to know when a 9 turns to a 10 and so on. I made a new jar with old and new activities and we drew from that. We were happy that Brynn was home to join us. Our first activity was to do makeovers and paint nails. Brynn let us use her makeup and nail polish.
We built a city out of her magnetic blocks.
I had bought a pack of balloons and Justin and I had blown them all up as a surprise for Ivy when she woke up. In between blocks and the next activity, the girls figured out how to make the balloons stick to the wall by creating static electricity. That entertained them for a while...
...until we played hide-and-go seek for our 11 o'clock activity.
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| they found me on Brynn's bed! |
Ivy wanted McDonald's for lunch-so that's what she got. We went through the drive-thru and each girl got a Happy Meal.
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| finally ready for the day-in new clothes from Grandma |
Lunch was our 12:00 activity. Our 1:00 activity was board games. We played Life and Ivy insisted on being the banker. She got a little bored of the whole thing after a while-I think we had to cut our game short when it was time for me to go get the kids from school. She was okay with that.
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| banker Ivy |
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| bored Ivy |
Our activities slowed down after that since everyone was home. I wasn't doing my full piano schedule since the girls were still quarantined so I had a free afternoon to make dinner and Ivy's simple cake. My friend, Jenny Webb, had given me a paint set for the girls when I dropped Jake off after school so they did that in the afternoon.
She waited all day for her presents. The other kids had worked on a scavenger hunt that afternoon for her. We finally got to presents when Justin was done working. She got her favorite requested treats (cotton candy, bubble gum, and "unicorn gummy bears" that I was able to find on Amazon). She got a Melissa and Doug smoothie maker. She had seen this at the grocery store back in November and couldn't stop talking about it. Christmas was already done by then so it was no-brainer for her birthday. She was so cute making all of us smoothies that night. Her last gift was a ballet bar and mirror for her room. Justin had meant to finish it prior to her birthday but was given a new assignment at work (more PPP loans) and had been swamped. He hung it up later that weekend and it is adorable. Her room needs a new post since it's been updated quite a bit lately.
We did dinner next. Ivy's favorite foods are corn on the cob and spaghetti. Since corn on the cob isn't in season in January, we had baked spaghetti, Caesar salad, french bread, and strawberries. This is a meal she would normally gobble right up but she was too distracted with her new smoothie maker and barely touched her dinner. As soon as everyone was finished, she got busy making everyone a smoothies.
Her cake was easy. She said she wanted a Barbie cake so we made the cake the day before (funfetti) and put it in the freezer then pulled it out that night, put pink frosting on it, and Ivy and Brynn sprinkled it. We stuck two Barbies on top, along with a candle and called it good. She specifically requested a number 6 candle rather than 6 individual candles. I found unicorn sparkle ice cream at Walmart to go with it and it was just perfect.
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Stockton received the Aaronic Priesthood and was ordained a deacon on Sunday, January 31st, 2021. Justin ordained him. In the circle with him were Bishop Brad Allen, Ryan Starks (bishopric member and deacons quorum leader), Grandpa Moyes, Grandpa Gene, and Uncle Brett Goodrich. Both his grandmas were present as well as his mom (me) and his sisters. He was also set apart as the first counselor in the deacons quorum. It was a long-awaited and special day.
Stockton actually had had his interview with the bishop way back on the Sunday before Christmas and we had planned to do this much earlier, like the first week of January. Then we got quarantined. And then our quarantined stretched on forever. So, we were pretty happy for this day to finally come. It was important that we had both sets of grandparents there and Brett was a bonus. Stockton has some good men and worthy priesthood leaders to look up to and I wanted them represented there in person.
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| with Grandma and Grandpa Moyes |
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| Grandma and Grandpa Goodrich |
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| Uncle Brett |
Stockton had been really excited leading up to this day and anxious for it to come when we had to keep pushing it back. Justin and I have both commented that he has matured a lot lately, in preparation for receiving the priesthood. It was been a neat thing to watch and I pray that he will grow into his priesthood and learn precept on precept what it means, how to use it to bless lives, and how he can honor it. Like I said-he has so many good examples surrounding him. They will help guide him in this, I'm completely sure.
They all stayed to go to in-person sacrament meeting with us. We took up a whole middle bench! Stockton was able to pass the sacrament to the congregation that day as well-he and three other brand new deacons. It was the first time for all four of them to pass and they did so great. They were so reverent and they knew exactly what to do (they had practiced that week for their deacons quorum activity) and it was a neat/cute/special thing to watch. I am so grateful that my kids are able to grow up in the gospel and so grateful for their quorums and classes. Stockton's deacons quorum has 12 very active boys and they have nick-named themselves "The Quorum of the Twelve."
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Since the grandparent's weren't able to see Ivy on her birthday, we used this day to finish celebrating her as well. She looks adorable in these pictures, she was just brimming with excitement for this day to come. Both my little girls were cute-Brynn insisted on wearing her baptism dress for Stockton's special day and, even though I had set out a different dress for her, Ivy insisted on wearing this handed-down white dress for the day as well. She looked as cute as can be. Both grandparents brought presents and that's what she wanted to do first. Grandma and Grandpa Goodrich gave her a puzzle, some Legos, and her 6-year-old doll.
My parents had taken her shopping a couple of days earlier (on her last day of quarantine after she got a negative rapid test for the second time) so they gave her the clothes she picked out, a unicorn lunchbox, and a giant stuffed unicorn.
Everyone stayed for lunch (mexican haystacks that cooked all night in the crockpot) and we played Code Names Pictures. I made sheet pan sugar cookie bars with pink frosting for Ivy and blue frosting for Stockton. These days (blessings, baptisms, ordinations) have become my very favorite, most cherished days as a mom. I am just so grateful for everything. The day couldn't have gone better.
This is how Ivy fell asleep that night. That unicorn proved to be a bit of bed hog!
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