The Calming

When I was little I was TERRIFIED of thunder and lightning.  I was sure it was nature trying to kill me.  Whenever there was thunder or lightening I would ball up in a small space and plug my ears until it was over.  Sometimes I would lay there for hours completely immobilized.  If I was in the car it was even worse.  I felt like we were driving but getting nowhere.  That the storm was just watching us laughing and waiting to strike.  Yes, I personify things that can't really think, and convince myself they are coming to get me.  It explains a lot huh?
This behavior really annoyed my mom.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe I refused to go somewhere because it was raining or something.  Either way she decided I needed to be cured of this fear.  To do this she would make me sleep on the living room couch while listening to a record of a thunder storm.  It didn't help.  I should say it didn't help at the time.  I do remember laying there thinking "I know this isn't a real storm" but I was still paralyzed in fear.
One time my dad and I were in the car on a several hour long trip when we hit a BIG storm.  The kind where the sky turns black.  In order to keep me calm and my eyes open my dad coaxed me into playing the alphabet game with him.  If I reached the letter Z without hiding my face or plugging my ears then I would earn a fish sandwich from Hardees (a huge treat for us as kids).  Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge Daddy's girl.  My guilt and drive to make him happy worked in his favor that day.  I pushed through and made it all the way to the end.  Although sometimes my knuckles were white as a held onto the door.
I don't remember this being a break through though.  But then again I'm not really sure what the break through was.  All I know is, now when it rains, I have a huge urge to be out in it.  To feel the cool rain on me head, shoulders and face.  I love the calm that comes over me as the thunder rumbles.  It's like I can feel all my muscles relaxing and I can breath all the way in.  It's calms me almost immediately and I love it.

It's Kind Of A Big Deal

This kid

Turned into

This kid

And I feel like I missed most of it.

Anyone who has known Isa around her birthday knows she is very particular about her cake.  She usually plans/designs her cake for week before hand.  At first it was just flip flopping back and for between chocolate  and vanilla (chocolate usually won).  Over the years however her tastes have grown.  I think the peak was her  6th birthday.  She requested a three tier cake.  each tier was 2 different fruit flavors along with some type of fruit flavored filling.  I should mention that when Isa turned 6 Emmeline was 9 months old.  My stress level was pretty high but then again so was Isa's so I indulged.  It was her birthday after all.

Here is the big cake.

When Josh told me that she had been telling him about another multi-tier cake I knew i needed to intervene.  Not because I didn't want to bake it.  I actually love baking.  It was because I didn't want all that cake for just he 4 of us!  After I told her I didn't think she should have another big cake she responded with "OK, can I look at Pinterest to find another cake?"  I can't help but fee l I totally played into her hand.  I quickly learned that there are some small cakes out there that i just can't make.  She was looking at all kinds of fondant creations that I knew would look like a doughy mess if I tried them.  

With a little convincing she settled on this one.

She also requested to help me this year.  She really likes to bake.  It was a lot of fun and WAY too much sugar for a non horse sized person.

When Isa got up she and Emmeline got to break through the birthday streamers.

Then she found fairy Hermione

I got Emmeline a similar tutu and wings so she would pester Isa for hers.

Mixing the cake

Licking the beaters.  No, not the Weasley twins. ;)

Emmeline helped with sorting the colors.  She is a great sorter.

Our finished cake