A Birthday Celebrated

We celebrated my A's ninth birthday yesterday! Boy it does not take long for the years to pass and little ones to grow up. In our large family, we do not throw birthday parties, per say. Instead, as a family, we celebrate that person--they are the honorary member for one whole day. We try to make it as special and fun as possible for them.

My husband started A's birthday, by going out early before he left for work to grab some donuts and hot chocolate from Dunkin' Donuts. This is a special treat in our family.



With the exception of my oldest daughter, V(12), we are a homeschooling family. As another way to make the day important, we declare the day a holiday and are not required to do schoolwork. A(9) chose to use her free day to bake a birthday cake from scratch. She loves to bake.

I had to bite my tongue, trying to remember today was her day, and these are the moments we are supposed to cherish. Inside though, as a mother, this mess in my kitchen was killing me.

This was her, as well as my, first time making a cake completely from scratch. A and C made the cake, I was just there for supervisory purposes. A chose a chocolate cake with buttercream icing.

BEAUTIFUL!

Throughout the course of the day, A had many well-wishers letting her know she was not forgotten. She had cards, phone calls, and numerous postings via my Facebook page wishing her a Happy Birthday. Thank you to all who left messages making her feel special and remembered! It meant a lot.

And that apron I made for myself last week--that apron of my own--is no longer my own. I remain apronless! Anna fell in love with it so I gifted it her.

As a gift from my her Nana, she received her very own MaryJane Sisterhood Membership! She is now an official Young Cultivator, as they're called. She can begin earning her own badges. I cannot tell you how excited she was to receive this. Nana put together a little membership kit for her to begin her badge earning endeavours. She spent all evening reading through it and picking out which projects she wanted to do first. I'll be keeping you posted on her badges :)

For dinner, her father made her favorite--steak and baked potatoes. And then we ended the evening with her cake and candles.

She was tickled pink that I was dedicating a blog post just for her--another way to celebrate my A!

We couldn't do it on the day of her birthday, but A wanted to visit the mall and spend her birthday money she received from her great-grandmother. We don't go to the mall often so this too is a treat. We will be fighting the Christmas mall crowds and having part 2 of her birthday this weekend. She'll receive a few gifts from her father and I as we enjoy (hopefully) an afternoon of shopping.

Our simply way of celebrating A, made her day. She felt special and loved--that is what birthdays are about.