A Simple Birthday

This past week we celebrated the Treasure's seventh birthday...

a special day with our special girl.

 

We started the day before by baking the cake...

AND decorating it.

The Birthday Table greeted her first thing in the morning...

it is always a sacred few moments of awe and wonder upon first arising...

And then she tore into her present.

Yes. One present.

Made by Momma with Love.

(With a few things wrapped and tucked inside.)

(It's an old-fashioned sewing basket,

for a very creative young lady

with a few coveted items included.)

Then I had to read her "lifebook" to her.

It is the story of her birth,

and her adoption...

how and why she came to be our Treasure.

Then her favorite breakfast:

"prairie fish"

(day-old slabs of hot cereal, fried crispy)

topped with real maple syrup

soy milk

apple slices

 (from Neighbor M's orchard)

and

Birthday Cake.

(I know, I know...

But we only eat cake for breakfast one day a year!)

Next she ran next door to Nonni's to share her birthday cake and show her present...

Back home, we had to light the candles again...

 so she could blow them out...again...:)

And everything on the magical birthday table

was caressed and played with...again...

Next, we packed a picnic lunch

of chili, veggi sticks, tortilla chips,

Neighbor M's apple cider

and

Birthday Cake.

(I know, I know.

It's her birthday, okay?!)

We drove to a local park and ate our picnic lunch there...

then went for a hike on the wooded trails surrounding the park...

...in search of some Awetumn...

...which we found, in leaf...

...and feather...

(the Treasure especially loved the heart shape!)

...and spice berry bush.

After our hike,

the Treasure just wanted to play in the park a while

on the playground equipment...

and watch some archers practice at the range...

and play freeze tag with mom and dad...

and just hang out...and be.

When we all decided it was time to go,

the Treasure announced that she wanted to

go shopping for a fish

with the funds that her PaPa had gifted her for her day...

and so we went thrifting for a while

and found her fish bowl for 67 cents...

as well as an entirely new wardrobe for her,

all long swirly skirts of course!

Then on we went to a local discount store

to pick out her fishy

and the decorations for his new abode,

and his food and such...

The Man dragged us (yeah, right!)

to a local frozen custard stand

and we celebrated again...

(I know, I know!)

When we finally made it home,

we had to get fishy all snug in his bowl.

And light the candles again...

so she could blow them out...again...

And then as we snuggled her into bed,

I had to tell her her birth story

completely over again...

*****

It was not the party she started planning

and telling me about two months ago.

It was not the event I wanted to create for her.

I love designing an outdoor adventure for a gaggle of kids,

a nature craft to take home,

a cook-out type fellowship affair for the parents to enjoy...

in fact, I had one planned in my head...

but this year, due to moving and general chaos in our lives

the Man and I simply did not have

the time or resources to provide this for her.

It was hard for me to tell her,

and she was a little disappointed,

but accepted it readily and moved right on,

especially when we informed her

that we would give her the gift of time for the day--

our time.

(Which has been far too scarce for many weeks.)

I enjoyed the challenge

of creating a special bouquet for her table

from a scarce few remaining flowers

gleaned from the roadsides,

along with some grasses and buckbrush berries...

in a pint canning jar vase.

Making her a gift that she will use a lot in days to come

(and it is not cheap plastic or made in China!)

Making life special with simple things found on hand.

We all enjoyed the day

and the family time.

It was delicious to watch her savour every moment of

"her special day"...

definately a lesson in contentment for me.