Two Birthdays

We only have to celebrate birthdays three days a year in our family because Brita & Meg share and Jared & Leah share. To simplify things even further, the girls only get friend parties on their even birthdays starting at age six. Last week Brita turned 11 and Meg turned 4, which meant it was a family day -  my favorite kind of birthday.

Brita and I have a tradition of going to breakfast on her birthday. Because her birthday was on a Saturday this year, we decided to include the whole family in breakfast and forego going out to dinner. And Meg was just happy to go along with anything because she's four. We went to a Belgian waffle place, which was as close to the original that I have found since "trotting the globe". The only catch is that outdoor seating is the only option and it's January. So we brought the yummies home and pulled out the hot cocoa and whipping cream (or whooping cream as Brita used to call it in her younger years).

In the afternoon we let Brita invite one friend to go with us girls to the ceramics place where we each painted to our hearts content.

Meg painted the exact same wand she chose to paint the last time we were there, except this time she stuck with two shades of pink instead of slapping on a coat or four of every color.

Brita and her friend each chose to paint a cup, except the only picture I took of the two of them looks like I'm really trying to spy on that lady behind them. Sorry 'bout that.

We came home and ate hamburgers (at Brita's request) followed by opening gifts. We waited until Sunday to have cake and ice cream with Chandler (his birthday is just two days before Brita's and Meg's).

Meg tried to blow the candles out all by herself the whole time we were singing happy birthday to them. She got mad because no one else tried to help her blow them out until the end.

I have two favorite parts of the girls' birthday, and they both occurred the day after the big day. 

The morning after their birthdays I woke up bright and early to Meg standing to the side of my bed. We had the greatest conversation.

Meg (whispering): Mom, is it still my birthday?

Me: No honey, that was yesterday.

Meg (eyes looking up at the ceiling - that's how she often does her best thinking): Well, am I still four?

Me: Yes you are! Isn't that great?!

Meg (folding her arms): That means I know everything.

Me: Oh, wow!

Meg: When I used to be three, Leah would always say to me, "You don't know anything! You don't know anything! Well, now I'm four and I know everything!" (jumps into the air).

Jared (talking to me): I thought that wasn't supposed to happen until she was a teenager.

Then in the evening I was saying good night to Brita. She was lying on her bed looking at the bookcase we gave her for her birthday. She had just finished thoughtfully arranging her precious books along with some displays of her art, reading trophies, and other sentimental items for display. She told me that instead of reading that night, she might just look at all of her books in her new bookcase because she loved it so much. We talked about how that bookcase says so much about her. Then the words a mother loves to hear, "Mom, I LOVE my bookcase! and oh, I love you too."

A great start and a great end to a celebration for two of the girls I love most!