Cupcakes and Kisses

Went to the Tippecanoe County fairgrounds today for the annual kids cupcake decorating contest. This was one of the summer activities of the daycare group for several years and Miss Haylee was doing it again this year.

The hour of cupcake judging was a nice little family reunion for some of the daycare kids. Ella, Colin and Haylee spent the time getting reacquainted and we all cheered Haylee on when it was her time with the judge.

Haylee loves life. She lives it LARGE and is always a delight to observe. Kevin loves her hellos and goodbyes. They are big and full of joy at the time together. Her pictures and letters are just as exhuberant. I can always tell when we have mail from Haylee because Kevin's face lights up as he carries it from the post office.

This is the first we've seen Ella and Colin since December and we were amazed at how much they've grown. Ella is a preschooler now, not the toddler we left 7 months ago. When Kevin was recovering at home last fall, Ella became his buddy. She liked the quietness of sitting with him while the rest of the kids were running around like maniacs and Kevin enjoyed her gentle company.

We're back at our hotel and planning to have a nap before Mass at St. Tom's. Between driving over here at 5 this morning and the high energy level of Haylee & Company, we're beat. We left the kids with hugs, promises to visit soon and a lot of sticky cupcake kisses.