Posts Tagged ‘birthday’

Time Flies!…

May 30, 2009

maddy

I’m feeling old.

I can’t believe I have a daughter starting high school in the fall.  Where does all the time go?  I distinctly remember the day, fourteen years ago, when we brought her home from the hospital in all her pink entirety.  I was thinking:

“Is she really ours?”

“Now what?”

“What do we do with her?”

“How can we take of her?  She’s so helpless.”

Though far from helpless now, we still ask each other:

“What do we do now?”

“What do we say to that?”

“Where do we draw the line?”

A lot has changed since that day many years ago:

She’s taller than me now (yikes!)

She’s acquired three little brothers

Her interests are vast including dance, piano, choir, softball, lacrosse, soccer, gymnastics, basketball, volleyball, track, horseback riding, art, cooking, swimming, and tennis

She likes boys (double yikes!)

But some things have remained the same:

She’s wholly independent

She loves to entertain and be the center of attention

She loves kids

She’s fearless

She is persuasive

She is beautiful

She is good…

It’s heartening to watch her grow through the years and see her making more and more of the right choices as she gets older and a bit more experienced and wiser.  I think that’s the most rewarding thing for a parent. To see your kids choosing good all on their own.

So, because she has been good , we agreed to a birthday party…

With an outdoor theater

At night

With 30 of her closest friends

BOTH BOYS AND GIRLS!

(triple yikes!)

That was last night and it went off with just one hitch.  The wind started to blow halfway through the movie.  REALLY hard.  We had to batten down the hatches (temporarily nail the movie screen to the siding on the house).  Luckily the movie included enough action (for the boys) and young hot actors (for the girls) that the wind did not deter.  They watched Forever Strong, ate candy, popcorn, cupcakes, and S’mores, played basketball and did a lot of texting.  I think it was a success!

cupcakestrampfriendsbasketballsmorescandlesgirlsmoviedark-movie

Happy Birthday Maddy!  We love you.


Life has been a little crazy here lately. More on that another day. For now, I am another year older. Ralf and the kids whipped up some cinnamon rolls for breakfast and baked this yummy Texas sheet cake to celebrate.

I was surprised with a shiny new cherry red cruiser bike just right for trawling around the neighborhood.

My birthday cards were an assortment of bathroom humor, celebrity news, and Star Wars themes. I’m guessing the kids had the run of the local Hallmark yesterday.

As I was rummaging through boxes searching for an old photo, I came upon my baby book. Nostalgia overcame me so I’m posting a few images of me through the years.

My birth day.

A little like the Heat Miser, don’t ya think?

Age 8

Come on, don’t tell me you didn’t own a plaid blouse with a lacy collar and bow back in the day. And the double imagery makes the most of my feathered bangs and extra large teeth.

Age 10

Still the big teeth and feathered hair, although this is about the time I became a perpetual permer. I’m still anxiously anticipating perms coming back. Anyone know when that’ll happen?

Age 14.

In the thick of the 80′s. The popped collar, sweater vest, again the feathered bangs, and caked-on eyeliner.

Senior prom at 17.

The ultimate in big hair… and lace.

Age 22

Our engagement picture. See, my hair has tamed WAY down although if you look close enough the spirit of feathering can still be found and will never entirely leave me.

Age 31

Three kids down and one to go. Wash and wear is the name of the game.

This is actually almost 2 years ago but it’s my most recent portrait. I look pretty much the same. And I am now, officially, an age that sounds too old to be true, and not at all the age I feel,

…. drumroll….

I am now…

38 years old!

Have an awesome week.

It makes me so sad. I’m in mourning. My baby is no longer three. He’s our last one and he’s growing up far too fast. Anyone know a cure for this? I’ve asked him to stop, and he’s assured me he’s tried but he just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I’ve told him that I understand and that it’s OK as long as he still crawls in bed with me in the morning and snuggles. He thought that sounded like a good plan. So we celebrated.

His birthday wouldn’t be complete without:

A pirate ship cake

Lots of pirate booty

Like an eye patch, telescope, and hook… anyone sensing a theme here?

Arggh! Swords…

A hook for a hand…

and candle blowing.

Happy happy birthday Little Will!

Happy Bakers Dozen

May 31, 2008

On the Occasion of her13th birthday, I have listed thirteen things that I love about my daughter:

  1. She is my #1 helper, always capable and usually willing, whether it be watching the boys, figuring out my electronic gadgets, or putting together an outfit for me.
  2. She is enthusiastic about life.
  3. Like me, she loves any and all babies; puppies, kittens, foals, humans.
  4. She is a good girl and makes good choices in what she watches, listens to and reads. She loves I Love Lucy, Jon and Kate Plus Eight, and the Wicked soundtrack.
  5. Like her dad, she is a people person and can carry on a conversation with just about everyone. They often team up to convince me to have dinner parties at the spur of the moment.
  6. She is an honest and loyal friend.
  7. We never miss our favorite shows because she is diligent in programing the DVR.
  8. Her favorite part of the paper is the comics which she reads religiously.
  9. She gives the best back massages, sometimes without being requested.
  10. She is smart and picks things up quickly, like the piano. I love watching her as she learns and grows and improves.
  11. She’s genuinely interested in our neighbors. Every Sunday she and her dad choose a couple of people to make and take cookies to so they can chat and learn more about them.
  12. She has an incredible memory and can recall details of past events that nobody else can remember. She has all her family and friends’ birthdays memorized.
  13. She is beautiful inside and out.

Happy Happy Birthday!!!