Elizabeth's 5th Birthday

Elizabeth's birthday weekend was a whirlwind of activity. Unfortunately most of it was unrelated to her special day. We had just moved to our new condo, Delia had given notice so I was interviewing helpers and Emily woke up on Elizabeth's birthday with a fever. It wasn't exactly the recipe for a delightful day of family celebration.

We did our best to not let those other factors affect our sweet girl's birthday and she had a great day because she was in charge. After birthday breakfast at home, Elizabeth opened her presents from us and extended family. Her main gift from us was a Leapster Tag system that is designed to help her learn to read books on her own. Her sisters gave Elizabeth a puppy/veterinarian set that was a big hit with our animal lover.

Opening Birthday Presents

Brian and I were thrilled Elizabeth chose to eat lunch at Brotzeit, so we medicated Emily and enjoyed German fare as a family. Later in the afternoon a few of Elizabeth's girlfriends and big sister Megan joined her at the Build-A-Bear workshop for a party. Daddy was in charge and Elizabeth created a beautiful "Ballerina Bear." Emily and I appeared at the very end of the party to sing and eat birthday cake and I delivered birthday brownies to Elizabeth's class the following day to round out the celebration.

Birthday Lunch at Brotzeit

Building Bears

When I recalled Elizabeth's birth, suddenly I remembered so clearly that she arrived at another turbulent time for our family. We sold our Dallas house and moved less than a week prior to her birth (I recall thinking that if packing up a house didn't send me into labor, nothing would!) and in the midst of it all, our serene, sweet child arrived. Elizabeth Ann was such a precious gift for our family and I was thrilled Megan would experience that bond between sisters.

When Elizabeth was born, she was quiet. She may have whimpered a bit but mostly she just looked at her surroundings with beautiful blue eyes that Brian described as "chrome." Her grandmothers both held her while she appeared to quietly assess her new environment. As soon as PaPa held her, Elizabeth wailed and made us all laugh. She's actually not much different these days as she's either calm, observant and care-free or incredibly, visibly irritable!

While I see many similarities between Emily and Megan, Elizabeth is unique. She is more mysterious and less forthcoming than her sisters, which can be challenging as a parent. She also possesses a quiet confidence and can be easy-going and independent in situations that would unnerve many children. It's amazing how people are attracted to Elizabeth. She doesn't have to say a word to have complete strangers go out of their way to tend to her. I see it happen often and the artist approaching her on the school playground is just one example.

This fall, Elizabeth focused on our trip to Japan and spoke about it so much that her teacher asked me if we were moving there at Christmas. A few weeks after the trip, Elizabeth told me that when she grows up, she would like to live in Japan. Aside from feeling good that our travels do have a positive impact on our young children, it wouldn't surprise me if our independent, adventurous daughter chose a similar path in her future.

In the meantime, I'd like to be a little less adventurous around her birthday and avoid moving boxes for awhile! Either way, Elizabeth's birthday celebration made her feel special and that's what matters most. Happy 5th Birthday to our sweet child!

Kyoto