A 90th Birthday

Jill's Journal: It’s a long, long trek from Paso Robles to Northridge in the L.A.-area, about three hours and 40 minutes each way, to be exact, but it’s not every day the girls’ only surviving Great Grandma turns 90.

We spent the special day yesterday with this sweet and feisty lady, even talking her into donning a birthday tiara for a few brief moments. It was so fun to see her enjoy the girls, her only great grandchildren, who seem to innately know they must be on their very best behavior at her house.

Ninety years old. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Great Grandma Lili has certainly earned a few birthday Oreos (her favorite cookie). Every time we’ve visited, she has made absolutely certain the girls shared a few Oreos with her and this day was no exception. She jokingly said she wants them to remember her for her Oreos…I think they will!

A Beppy Birthday

Jill's Journal: One fun thing we’ve definitely enjoyed about our time in Southern California is being close to family, or at least within a reasonable driving distance. Beppy had a birthday today and it’s hard to be a mere 100 miles away and not celebrate the big days together, so we conspired with my Dad and my brother to surprise her. Uncle Adam walked in the restaurant where she and my Dad were having lunch with all three of our girls hand-in-hand. She was most definitely surprised! Happy Birthday, Beppy. :)

After birthday cake back at my parents’ house, the girls apparently thought Uncle Adam looked cold. They covered him up in blankets and piled on top of him to warm him up. Without fail, Adam is always, always a good sport and I appreciate that so much. (Over Thanksgiving, he played hide-and-seek with Madelyn for two hours straight before crying “uncle.” He is a trooper.)

Before we left, Grandpa made certain his little cowgirl (who wore her birthday outfit just to show him) had a proper cowboy belt buckle AND spurs to complete her ensemble. She grinned the whole way home.

A Cowgirl Birthday

Jill's Journal: Our sweet Erika turned eight today and she had one birthday wish: she wanted to be a cowgirl (and dress like one too). Erika is normally our dainty dress-wearer who would wear dresses 365 days a year if given the chance. She usually looks forward to the prospect of a new birthday dress for months in advance, so she surprised the heck out of us by asking for a cowgirl outfit instead. To prepare, a few weeks ago she very carefully picked out Wranglers (because that’s what the cowboys wear), boots, a belt, a hat, a western shirt, and a bandana (she insisted she needed a bandana!). She tried very hard to talk us into spurs and a lasso also, but we have our limits.

And so, decked out in her new duds, we embarked on what she later declared the “best birthday ever.” Rob and I needed our annual birthday pictures, so she patiently indulged us because she knew what afternoon fun was in store.

While waiting for our pictures to print, the girls enjoyed an escalator. Are our kids the only ones enamored with these things?

They get such an inexplicable kick out of riding them.

On the plus side, escalators are far cheaper entertainment than a carousel, which we also indulged in today because a birthday only comes around once a year.

After lunch, it was off to the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

Erika was introduced to Henry, her trusty steed for the afternoon.

See the smile on this freshly-minted 8-year-old’s face? She was in H.E.A.V.E.N. Absolute heaven.

Erika and I took an hour-long trail ride in L.A.’s famed Griffith Park. This is one of the entrances to the beautiful park.

This was Erika’s first time riding alone, without someone leading her, and she felt so grown-up and proud of herself, which is exactly how one should feel on an eighth birthday. I think it’s safe to say she loved every single moment. I know I loved watching it.

We practically had to tear the poor child away from Henry at the end of the day. She did not want to leave. She needs a pony. If only one would fit on the fifth wheel. Erika wouldn’t tell, of course, but I suspect a pony is exactly what she wished for when she blew out her birthday candles after dinner.

Happy Birthday to our most favorite 8-year-old, cowgirl or not, in the whole, wide world.

She’s Six!

Jill's Journal: After months of anticipation, our precious Madelyn turned six today. She woke up with the biggest grin on her face and it stayed there all day long.

Her birthday checklist of requests was so simple that it was impossible not to meet them all:

*Day off from school to play with presents. Check.
*Climb the “mountain” next to our campsite. Check.
*Go to two separate parks with playgrounds. Check.
*Pancakes covered in a funny face for dinner. Check.
*No cake, but candles in a bowl of birthday ice cream instead. Check.
*Go to bed wearing tomorrow’s clothes instead of wearing pajamas. Check.

Funny, funny girl. And actually, as I think about it, that’s a pretty fantastic list. If we were all so easy to please, the world would be a far more contented place, wouldn’t it?

Happy birthday to a very special little girl.

T Minus Three Days

Jill's Journal: All little kids look forward to their birthdays, but no one in our family looks forward to hers more than Madelyn. She’s been counting down for months. Every day she tells us exactly how many days are left until she turns six. We’re down to just three days (three excruciatingly-long days in her book) until the big day.

When it worked out to take her birthday pictures just a couple of days early, she was only too pleased to oblige. You can’t always choose your photographers carefully when you’re on the road or when it’s this close to the busy photography season of Christmas (and this particular photographer must have left her personality at home today). But Madelyn is a pro. In the five or 10 minutes it took to snap 20 pictures, Madelyn happily posed and smiled as if she does this every day of her life.

This one is my favorite because it’s her. I see this expression all the time.

Aren’t these shoes the greatest? She’s pretty proud of them. We may have found them on the discount rack, but they were made for her.

We love, love, love this almost 6-year-old little girl.

She may keep us on our toes every minute of every day, but the amount of joy she brings into our lives is irreplaceable.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Jill's Journal: Happy, happy birthday, Dad! I love you!

Your grandbabies think you hung the moon (a nice Kentucky/Southern expression that means they think you’re super, super wonderful and can pretty much walk on water). I agree.