Anna’s birthday falls on spring break almost every single year. This occasionally poses a problem when trying to schedule a birthday party, or when your friends want to decorate your locker, or give you an embarrassing tiara to wear at school all day long. So a month ago in family council we asked Anna what she would prefer: Skip a half day of school to drive to Portland on her birthday? Or go to school and leave the next day to drive all the way to the coast? (We’d booked a campsite for the following night). She opted for Portland. She apparently got the “introvert” genes in the family. Or the “avoid embarrassment at all costs” genes.
Either way, we had to space our birthday traditions over several days to accommodate our plans. Early Friday morning, we ate her birthday breakfast, sang “happy birthday”, ate a Costco cake (clearly not the “real, homemade” cake that was still to come), opened presents and went around the table telling what we love about her. We then headed out the door to Oregon.
The following Friday night, we took her out to eat for her birthday dinner. Then, finally, on Sunday, we indulged in her chosen birthday cake – a brownie chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake. Thank heaven Pinterest did not fail me on this one. Delish.
As a bonus, her young women leaders invaded her room the day before her birthday to decorate it with streamers, balloons and chocolate. Lots of it. Boy, this girl is LOVED.
As a parent, I knew I would love the baby/toddler/preschool years. And I have. Little ones are so easy to love. What I didn’t anticipate is how fun having teenagers can be. Anna is a gem. She’s steady, diligent, and has a solid knowledge of who she is gained through faithful study of the word of God. In a world where many teens couldn’t care less about what really matters, Anna has got her head on straight. She is a joy to raise and I look forward to seeing where her desire to seek out the good will take her. Happy Birthday to my beautiful firstborn!