Awesome Elliot Scores Sixteen

 

When tiny, preemie Elliot was born and Papa O saw his pictures from the NICU, he described Elliot as awesome.  When he was a toddler I called  him my "Little Buddy."  Now he's sixteen and taller than me.

Since he spends most of his time on the field or on the ice, the theme for his cookies was an obvious choice.  

 

Elliot  has a large fan base and it is always fun to watch his games with family!  From a young age he would make sure to give everyone a big hug after the game.  Now it might be a hug, a fist bump or a high five, but he is always appreciative of the support from the stands.

When he's not in season he enjoys traveling, especially if the itinerary includes a game at a MLB stadium.

  

 

I was disappointed with the baseball player cookie because it just didn't turn out the way I had envisioned. Only after heat sealing all the individual cookies did it occur to me that I forgot to add the hair and the details to the baseball cap.

 

I reminded myself that it's just a cookie and said "let it go."  However, I realized that Elliot would not have been chosen as an all star nor would he have been awarded the golden glove if he didn't do his best, so I chose to follow his example.  I unpacked the cookies and added the missing details.

With hair or without hair?  I decided to include pictures of both because it reminded me of the various hairstyles Elliot has worn over the years.

 

Love, hugs, cookies and happy birthday wishes to my awesome, little buddy.  You are loved to infinity and beyond!

 

Marty's A Survivor

 

The invitation said, "Marty's Survived a lot. . ." and that's an understatement!  As the saying goes on the TV show, "fire is life," so I hope he embraces each and every candle because he's earned them.

                      Cheers to 80 years for my brother-in-law! 

 

SIX is for Avery

It's been another wonderful year watching dear, sweet, great-niece Avery grow.  She continues to be a foodie. . . 

 

 

still loves fashion .  .  .

 

and wears it all with style and perhaps a bit of attitude.

 

 

Avery has become quite the little helper this year.  No projects are too big or too small for her.

Kindergarten took her to a new school.  .  .

 

 

. . . and on the first day, she once again said she wants to be a doctor just like she did in preschool.  However, with all of the activities she enjoys, I suspect she might change her mind over and over in the years ahead.

One of Avery's goals this year was to use the monkey bars without assistance.  Although she broke her wrist on a failed attempt, her cast did not slow her down.  The little daredevil even added gymnastics and rock climbing to her routine.

Halloween has always been a favorite holiday for the family and she was quite enthusiastic about decorating this year.

Avery is definitely following in Mom and Dad's footsteps when it comes to interest in design.

Avery's earlier birthday celebrations included cookie designs of my choosing, pastel and cute.

 

However, this year was the first time that SHE chose the theme for her birthday party, Wednesday/Barbie, and asked all of her guests to wear pink.

The theme was a new one for me and I had to do a little research on Wednesday Addams, so it seems that she is following the family tradition of challenging me to make some unusual designs.  Her older cousins had some pretty unusual requests at young ages, too.  Elliot asked for numbers for his sixth birthday so his friends could do math problems at his party.  At nine, Mary Grace requested brains and took her friends to the museum to dissect eye balls.  At ten, Leann wanted to serve her guests chicken nuggets.

From Doc McStuffins to Wednesday Addams, I'll never know what to expect from Avery, but I think she is well on her way to changing the world!

S is for sensational and stunning.

 I is for interesting and imaginative.

  X is for eXtraordinary and eXcellent.

Avery is definitely SIX in every way!

 

 

Love, hugs, cookies and happy birthday wishes!

 

 

 

It's Fun to BEE five!

 

Great-niece, Avery is five!

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In 2019 when Avery was celebrating all of her "firsts" she was not happy with everyone who wanted to have a photo op with her.  Fortunately, she now LOVES parties and time spent with her large extended family.

Her many adventures this year included her annual trip to Mexico and a much anticipated trip to Disney where she met her favorite doctor.

A curious girl who loves learning, Avery showed an avid interest in larvae this year, so I hope she likes her bee cookies as much as she liked observing the creepy critters.

 Avery loves spending time with the cousins .  .  .

but Mom, Dad and Lincoln, continue to be her best pals.

 

 

 

 

Avery has so many interests, but she still manages to spend plenty of time in the kitchen.  Perhaps one day she will inherit my large cookie cutter collection.  

From rock climbing to hanging with a rock star and all the activities in between, Avery is a busy bee!

Love, hugs, cookies and happy birthday wishes!

 

Sixteen Years Awesome!

 

Congratulations, today is your day . . .

Leann is my cookie puzzle loving great-niece and I have made several of them for her over the years.

 

 

Of course, her sixteenth birthday collection had to include a special puzzle just for her.  Much harder than it looks, my brain just doesn't work well with puzzles.  I bought the cutters, numbered them, cut pieces out on paper to know how to put it together and then cut out lots of cookies to make sure I didn't break any while trying to piece it together.  The final design was "plan B" because my original concept didn't work, so I was pleasantly surprised when her Mom picked up the cookies and told me that tie dye was trendy right now.

 

Since Leann is passionate about soccer, big sister, Mary Grace, insisted that soccer cookies had to be part of this collection.

There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball.

Flashback to Leann's eighth birthday .  .  .

 

I used the same cookie cutter for the mermaid and the balloon bouquet.

In addition to soccer and dance, Leann is involved in numerous service programs including:  Sister Sister, Best Buddies, Give a Little, fundraising for Dental Awareness and her church youth group.  

A very busy schedule for someone who also has to allow for the time it takes to make the 22 mile round trip to attend the high school of her choice.  No doubt, acquiring her driver's license will be the first thing on her birthday "to do" list.  I wish her lots of luck as she maneuvers the expressway that will be under construction until she graduates.

You'll look up and down streets.  Look 'em over with care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."  With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,  you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

Leann recently completed the 9,036 piece Legos Colosseum so I thought she would appreciate my effort at building a gift box out of cookies.

From family trips, to a service project in Alabama last summer, to spring break 2024 in South Africa, Leann is a girl on the go, with a loving supportive family waiting for her at home.

Sixteen years awesome, sixteen years loved. 

Can't wait to see all the places you'll go!

References:

Quotes from "Oh the places you'll go!"

Haniela's gift box