I'd Like a Pink Parasol

It must be spring since it has been about a month since I posted. Busy month. Lotsa happening. Let's just take it one thing at a time.

There are few things that I can actually rate as the best or worst of all time, without doubt, hesitation, or the feeling that I am being overly dramatic. Claire's fifth birthday is one of those times. In her five short years, with five loud birthday celebrations, this birthday was the worst birthday she has had. No competition. No question.

For starters, it was only our small family in attendance. That in and of itself isn't bad, but she has always had friends come to her birthday parties, so all through our simple celebration she kept saying, "I don't like this party. Where are all the kids?"

We decided not to have a kid party this year because we were out of town up until the day before her birthday, which was actually on Easter Sunday, but we, being goodly parents, lied and told her her birthday wasn't until Monday because we weren't ready for it on Sunday. I feel no shame. So Monday, at four o'clock, I finally went to buy Claire some birthday presents. At 5:30 I put her cake in the oven and ate dinner. At 6:00, whilst the cake was a coolin', we get a call from our realtor asking if we could show our house in an hour (panic). So we hurriedly and harriedly cleaned our house and got the heck outta there, leaving the cake unfrosted, and the presents unwrapped. We went to get some ice cream, got creeped out by the ice-cream guy, came home at 8:00 and smeared a slab of frosting on a corner of the cake, put candles on, and Cody wrapped the gifts like he was a blind man with an aversion to tree-huggers.


And it turned out just fine (lame-o, but fine). After eating cake and opening presents, she finally admitted that she was five, and I could tell she had a good time. But still, worst birthday in her short little life.

(she asked for an umbrella for her b-day)

(an easter pic of our happy little girl)

We love her so much and never get tired of her silly imagination, we do get somewhat tired of her excessive drama (I don't know where she gets it), and her feet are starting to look like grown up feet (that makes me kinda sad). I am mostly struck by how fast she is growing into a little girl. Lovely.