Happy 9th, Part 3.

So, perhaps you'd thought that just because her day had passed so too did the celebrations... but you'd have to think again. Since it was a weekend, why not extend the day to another one and head out to a waterpark with a friend (though that part turned out quite spontaneously) who just happened to move in about half hour before we went.... so to help out her family (with the moving truck) and her (to not have to be sitting around all day) and to celebrated Irini for one more day, we put it all together and headed out to Wild Wadi!  

We'd been there before, but it didn't matter. We'd seen it all, but it didn't matter. There was nothing new, but it didn't matter. What mattered was the water, and sun, and the water, and the fun, and the water and the tubes, and the water. A little of this over here, a little slipping over and back, a little dropping down and looping around, a little wave-happy upping and downing and you've got yourself the makings of a pretty good day!  So yes, chapter three of the celebrations topped off a wonderfully wonderful weekend to celebrate the most wonderful (in our subjective eyes, anyway) nine-year-old on the planet! And, while we're celebrating that, so too we celebrate her wonderful, witty, funny, energetic, loving little sister too! Because, after all, no matter whose birthday it is, each and every day is a celebration in this family and we totally, absolutely, love both of you!

Happy 9th - Part 2

A short while later we were visiting our friends Bernie and Allison, whose youngest, Liam, had turned 4 three days before. It was a nice party, with a number of friends and a great back yard for playing in... but we were off shortly thereafter. After all, we had a play-date, outing, party (sorta) with Irini's friends. It consisted of a movie, followed by a pizza lunch, followed by a chocaholics dream of a variety of chocolate-flavored goodies to finish the event. By the end of the event her friends left with a smile and a full stomach, and we left with a whole bunch of bags and an even fuller stomach!

The day wasn't typical of birthdays for us, given that we went out. Gone are the days of our Malaysian's pool parties, unfortunately. With our new place not-quite-ready, and with a neighborhood largely filled with empty houses, and with a break that didn't extend to her birthday (we were working on the 2nd) it was a tricky set up this year. But we were able to spend the time with her new friends who happily made the time to be with her.  For her first year away from what we've known as home, and in transition from one place to another, and with new friends and community, we'd say it was a pretty good day!  

By the way, our little girl sure has grown. She has become a wonderful, supportive, organized, dependable, loving beautiful growing girl and we can't be prouder to be her parents!  We love you, over and over and each and every minute!

Happy 9th - Part 1

It's become a tradition now. We can't even remember when it started, but by now it's expected. The night before a birthday (of a child, that is) mommy and daddy sit down to get started with the "numbers" which must be creative - or at least as creative as we can be - and form a pathway between the bed of the birthday girl and the place of her present(s). The idea is that in the morning she will wake up and follow the numbers to her present.  The second part of the same event is that we have a pancake breakfast, with the birthday girl enjoying a pancake in the shape of the number of years she is celebrating. Well, this time it was the last of the single digits for Irini, who is growing faster than we are comfortable with. Day by day she becomes more sophisticated and mature, and we're finding ourselves hanging on, trying to maximize the child time we have with her. 

This day she woke up but bypassed the numbers to head straight to mommy and daddy. She jumped into their bed to cuddle for a while, chatting a bit, and followed shortly by her sister doing the same. Then, with a sudden jump she got right up (just like she had joined us) and announced "time for my presents!". And so it was that she marched out to the sofa, and opened the bag. The joy for the day began as simply as that.... breakfast followed with Amalia insisting that she needed to help out with the preparation of the pancakes. Yummy ones too!

Home Work

But houses, like people, are never quite "complete". They need a little change here, or a fix up there, or a little adjustment further over. In our case the place came with its own back yard soon-to-be-turned-into-a-back-yard desert. :-)  Apart from the technicians, the electricians, the plumbers and the supervisors, there was a crew charged with fixing up the outside areas of the place. And it was here that our girls found the most value in the move. Apart from the people being very friendly they also brought cool tools - like a spade and rake - to do whatever it was they were going to do. The girls found themselves taking wanders outside, then sitting down to watch, and then, bit by bit, taking part in the work. Before they knew it they were mixing cement to keep the bricks together. On the job training is a great life skill. So, not quite the homework most kids participate in, but so much more engaging!  For three days they helped out, until school called us back. Then, one day, we left our mini desert in the morning only to return at the end of the day to a grass lawn. Things move fast around here. :-)