And then Happy Birthday to Emma

At least this year Emma's birthday was not on the actual last day of school. It was two days before, on a Monday. So naturally we celebrated twice. First, we had a little gathering of friends on Saturday. We went with a small group because Emma really wanted to eat out at a restaurant and that can get out of hand in a hurry. Luckily she picked Panda Express which was a bit more manageable than last year's choice of The Cheesecake Factory. Her little friends were so sweet and polite. I even got pulled aside by another Panda customer who told me how polite they all were. That made me feel happy - taking groups of kids into public places kind of stresses me out.

After dinner we headed back to our house for a movie and presents and of course cake. Emma's movie choice was The Muppets. I'm so grateful - birthday parties are getting so much easier. I don't feel like I'm trying to corral a gang of berserk chimpanzees anymore. (Does that help you know how I have felt about birthday parties in the past, in case I wasn't clear in any previous birthday-themed posts?)

On Emma's for-real birthday her class just so happened to be having a fun activity in which the kids had paired up to create shops selling actual items of their creation, using classroom-dollars to purchase each others' items. We had just recently purchased a really cool little snow cone machine and Emma and her partner really wanted to sell snow cones as well as quite an elaborate array of baked goods all made by Emma's partner. Their shop made a killing. Of course I had to be there partly because it was her birthday and partly because I had to run the snow cone machine.

After school I took Emma out for her birthday present - shopping for new clothes! She is a great little sister and always seems to enjoy the hand-me-downs she gets from her sister but I knew she'd enjoy picking things out for herself, which she totally did. We had a lot of fun and it was a pleasure to watch her getting to choose things. Cute overalls, Roman-style sandals, summer shorts and tops. It was a great date.

In the evening we had grandparents over I think for burgers and time on the back porch together.

Naturally there was more cake.

A word about our Emma. This is one amazing girl. I don't think I've ever known such an optimistic person. Emma greets all of life with open arms. She is game for anything (except scary movies) and rarely has a complaint. I mean, she is never unwilling to practice her violin. If that doesn't say it all, I just don't know what does. She is extremely tender-hearted and sensitive. Tears spring to her eyes on a regular basis. She's an excellent student, our first child to join the ELP program at school. She takes her time getting things done, but as her teacher reminded me, that's not a bad thing. I'm so proud of her. I love watching her be a good friend. I love always hearing about all the things she's just so excited for. No joke, pretty much every day she tells me something she's just so excited for. I hope she keeps up this attitude for the rest of her life. If she does, I know her life will be simply joyful. Love you Emma!