Happy Birthday Lilipop

I have an eleven year old daughter. It seems rather silly to me that she is eleven since it was precisely 5 minutes ago that an official in China handed me a 14 month old baby. She insists that it is true.

Sadly I was called into work this morning but I lined everything up last night so that her day would start with a little fanfare.

Good Morning birthday Girl

We knew things would be a little rushed this morning so we all agreed that she would wait until she got home from school to open her gifts with exception of her big present, a new bike. She got that on Sunday as she had to be with me so that I knew what size to get. hah, it's the same size as mine. She really really wanted a bike with gears and so she chose a monster bike with 18 gears. No photos due to the weather...I'll get to that part.

She went off to school with her cake, the one that Publix messed up and wrote Happy Birthday Summer, on and a new bounce in her step, being 11 does that apparently!

It was finally time to pick her up and really let her day begin. She was so happy. School ended today for the year so she is done for the whole summer. Both girls are delirious. Me too. Rosie couldn't wait to get Lily home and give her her gifts.I am not sure who was more excited.

I'm sure it isn't normal to tenderly and gingerly remove each piece of tape but that is how she does it. She also very carefully opens all her cards. I was on the sidelines shouting rip 'em but she wouldn't.

Thank you Nanny and Grandpa. The sock monkeys are from Ro.

She received this book from a client of mine and is thrilled with it. It is a pop up book that has a stage and and characters.


Birthday or no birthday, swimming was waiting. I checked the weather report because for most of the day we had been under a tornado watch and 3 tornadoes had touched down about 90 miles away. The pool was closed but the website said all swimmers must report. WTF? We reported only to be told to go home. Again, WTF? Some of the kids had been dropped off. I helped the coach call some parents as he had dropped his phone in the pool, LOL and when we were done I took the remaining kids to my car and we had an impromptu gathering complete with birthday cookies right there in the rainy old car park. The kids thought it was the best thing ever. In the end I drove them all back to my house and had birthday play date. win win.

Why talk when you can text?

The littles wondering if it will ever stop raining

fun...well they think so

Cookies on the dash with the rain in the background

After everyone left and Rosie went to bed Lily stayed up with me to watch the Heat game. She is celebrating her birthday with friends from swimming on Saturday but it looks like it will be a movie day and not a pool party...stupid Tropical Storm Andrea. Seriously it is only the 6 th day of Hurricane season and we are already getting hammered. Lily has had her Gotcha day celebrations marred by hurricanes 3 times and one of those was in China! I think she needs to have a talk to the weather Gods because she may need to make amends.