Birthday

My birthday is two days after Christmas.  Our sweet Gracie is the family leader on all birthday parties and celebrations, and she has started a tradition of having family birthday parties in the dining room.  The venue was slightly challenging because we still had Christmas remnants strewn all over the dining room (and the whole house, for that matter).  Our tree had been strategically placed in the dining room so we could block the door whenever William George got too rambunctious in his exploration of Christmas ornaments.

Skip and the duo went out that morning for menu prep, etc.  I had purchased the above dresses for the girls to wear for Christmas, but we had never gotten around to wearing those particular dresses.  They had also watched the American Girl movie "Felicity" and were mesmerized by Felicity getting a new gown for the Christmas ball... so we decided to dress up for the party.  They were very excited and kept urging me to get dressed up, too.

Poor William George was coming down with the bug Lauren had on Christmas Eve so he was not feeling himself.

What a festive table!  The duo and Skip should consider starting a catering business.  Alternatively, I had the strongest epiphany about Gracie the other day when she was imagining some celebration or party.  I could see her at 25, working at Southern Living and telling her friends her baby story about how "marinara" was one of her first words.  "No, you guys!  It really was!" she would say to her friends at lunch.

After singing, I had a lot of help blowing out the candles.  The duo have turned the corner on keeping gifts a secret.  They are so good at discretion that they do not crack under probing questions.  As cousin Lexy said over the holidays, "I'm not sure I like this new phase."  They are strong-willed, saying several times throughout they day, "I'm not going to tell you your present."

My best present was the party itself, and dining with the monkeys.  The trio thought the best present was CAKE.  With their excitement and hard work, this was definitely a wonderful party.

Many, many thanks!