Saturday, April 21, 2007
Two Birthdays
It has been over a month since Amira's birthday and I still haven't posted about it. While trying to organize this post, I realized we took absolutely zero photos of Elijah's birthday, so I'll have to describe it really well.
March 10, 2007: Amira's Third Birthday
We had a small family party for her this year.
I had gotten some fun girly clothes for her, jeans with embroidered stars, a pink ruffled shirt with a denim play dress, a blue tank top with a crocheted snowflake on it. Rich and I both had a princess tea set for her which is all contained in a large plastic tea pot. This was a huge selling feature for me. The boys played along and had a tea party with her that morning while Rich made breakfast.
Alexander made her an airplane with Happy Birthday Amira written on a banner trailing behind her and Dominic made her a birthday crown and a birthday card. We also picked up a mylar birthday cupcake balloon for her.
We brought a chocolate cake with ganache on it to church the next day to celebrate with our church family. Amira was so excited to be able to celebrate her birthday on two days. Of course, to her birthday means present, so she kept asking for her birthday and wanting to know where it was.
We are truly blessed to have had her for another year, especially with her near miss almost two years ago. Even though we have expressly forbidden choking since that incident, she keeps trying to do it anyway. She will put an entire boiled egg in her mouth.
Three Amazing Things About Amira
So, on to Elijah...
March 25, 2007: Elijah's Fifth Birthday and the Feast Day of the Annunciation
We always joke that we should have an Annunciation themed birthday party for Elijah. We figure the other little boys will ask why there is an angel on his cake and why there is a fairy theme. He usually has his birthday fall during Lent (he was born the Monday of Holy Week), so there isn't much in the way of feasting then, but his birthday is a feast day! Unless it falls on Good Friday, as it did recently, or during the Triduum, we can celebrate his birthday on his birthday. This year it fell on a Sunday, so we didn't have to worry about that as much. Next year will be the first year it happens after Easter in his entire short life.
He had been wanting the movie Cars for some time, so Rich and I decided to get that for him. When I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday he said chocolate cake - mostly because he had seen his sister get it for her Sunday celebration. I told him he would definitely get that, but what else. He said a treasure hunt and candy. All admirable things for a birthday celebration.
I worked on the cake and the wrapping of the present. Rich worked on the treasure hunt. Since Elijah is still interested in Blues Clues, he made paw prints and a handy dandy notebook. The kids first saw the preview for Cars at our priest's family's home, and it was introduced to Elijah by Marthie, our priest's wife, who also plays the piano at church. So, Rich made the clues to be: Marthie (who played along and wore her clue like a pinned corsage), sheet music and the piano. This was a little abstract, but his brothers were helping him, and pretty soon our priest's kids were helping him, too. They all had a great time chasing down the clues, and figuring them out, and Elijah was so excited to have his treasure hunt. He was thrilled to pieces to get Cars, and we watched it with a hot dog dinner (the kids pick their birthday dinners at our house, and he changed his mind about five times) that evening. It was so much fun for everyone, and great to watch him figuring out what to do for his treasure hunt. He kept his handy dandy notebook with his drawings of the clues, and he still has those pawprints.
On the way home from church we stopped at the store, and I took Elijah with me while Rich took the other kids to the dollar store to pick up presents for their brother. Alexander and Dominic used their own tooth fairy money to get presents and Amira and Jerome were given money to buy him something. Alexander bought him a rubber snake, Dominic got him a huge blow up ball with clown fish all over it, Amira picked out a soft football and Jerome thought his brother ought to have a mylar balloon like Amira did, and chose one of the birthday balloons there.
Elijah is another child we are fortunate to have. We could have lost him at any time during the pregnancy to heart failure, and during or after his surgery to take the tumor off when he was born. Even now, there is technically a risk of the tumor returning, though none of his blood tests or physical examinations have shown anything for which we should worry. He has one more blood draw and examination before they call him all clear.
Five Delightful Things About Elijah
Happy birthday to two of my precious children!
March 10, 2007: Amira's Third Birthday
We had a small family party for her this year.
I had gotten some fun girly clothes for her, jeans with embroidered stars, a pink ruffled shirt with a denim play dress, a blue tank top with a crocheted snowflake on it. Rich and I both had a princess tea set for her which is all contained in a large plastic tea pot. This was a huge selling feature for me. The boys played along and had a tea party with her that morning while Rich made breakfast.
Alexander made her an airplane with Happy Birthday Amira written on a banner trailing behind her and Dominic made her a birthday crown and a birthday card. We also picked up a mylar birthday cupcake balloon for her.
We brought a chocolate cake with ganache on it to church the next day to celebrate with our church family. Amira was so excited to be able to celebrate her birthday on two days. Of course, to her birthday means present, so she kept asking for her birthday and wanting to know where it was.
We are truly blessed to have had her for another year, especially with her near miss almost two years ago. Even though we have expressly forbidden choking since that incident, she keeps trying to do it anyway. She will put an entire boiled egg in her mouth.
Three Amazing Things About Amira
- 1. Her sweet smile.
- 2. How she cuddles up to us and tells us she loves us.
- 3. That I have a little girl who does girly things with me like manicures, pedicures and hairstyling!
So, on to Elijah...
March 25, 2007: Elijah's Fifth Birthday and the Feast Day of the Annunciation
We always joke that we should have an Annunciation themed birthday party for Elijah. We figure the other little boys will ask why there is an angel on his cake and why there is a fairy theme. He usually has his birthday fall during Lent (he was born the Monday of Holy Week), so there isn't much in the way of feasting then, but his birthday is a feast day! Unless it falls on Good Friday, as it did recently, or during the Triduum, we can celebrate his birthday on his birthday. This year it fell on a Sunday, so we didn't have to worry about that as much. Next year will be the first year it happens after Easter in his entire short life.
He had been wanting the movie Cars for some time, so Rich and I decided to get that for him. When I asked him what he wanted to do for his birthday he said chocolate cake - mostly because he had seen his sister get it for her Sunday celebration. I told him he would definitely get that, but what else. He said a treasure hunt and candy. All admirable things for a birthday celebration.
I worked on the cake and the wrapping of the present. Rich worked on the treasure hunt. Since Elijah is still interested in Blues Clues, he made paw prints and a handy dandy notebook. The kids first saw the preview for Cars at our priest's family's home, and it was introduced to Elijah by Marthie, our priest's wife, who also plays the piano at church. So, Rich made the clues to be: Marthie (who played along and wore her clue like a pinned corsage), sheet music and the piano. This was a little abstract, but his brothers were helping him, and pretty soon our priest's kids were helping him, too. They all had a great time chasing down the clues, and figuring them out, and Elijah was so excited to have his treasure hunt. He was thrilled to pieces to get Cars, and we watched it with a hot dog dinner (the kids pick their birthday dinners at our house, and he changed his mind about five times) that evening. It was so much fun for everyone, and great to watch him figuring out what to do for his treasure hunt. He kept his handy dandy notebook with his drawings of the clues, and he still has those pawprints.
On the way home from church we stopped at the store, and I took Elijah with me while Rich took the other kids to the dollar store to pick up presents for their brother. Alexander and Dominic used their own tooth fairy money to get presents and Amira and Jerome were given money to buy him something. Alexander bought him a rubber snake, Dominic got him a huge blow up ball with clown fish all over it, Amira picked out a soft football and Jerome thought his brother ought to have a mylar balloon like Amira did, and chose one of the birthday balloons there.
Elijah is another child we are fortunate to have. We could have lost him at any time during the pregnancy to heart failure, and during or after his surgery to take the tumor off when he was born. Even now, there is technically a risk of the tumor returning, though none of his blood tests or physical examinations have shown anything for which we should worry. He has one more blood draw and examination before they call him all clear.
Five Delightful Things About Elijah
- 1. His exuberance.
- 2. His joy of life.
- 3. How he makes up his own songs about everything.
- 4. His persistence, we've seen this since he was an infant, once he sets his mind to do or figure out something, he works until he gets it.
- 5. His loyalty, he is the best friend anyone can ever have.
Happy birthday to two of my precious children!
