The Seventh Birthday

Advice was given to me from a very wise wife of a firefighter.  She told me that holidays aren't about the date.  Holidays are about celebrating when you can, all together as a family.  At the time, I was marrying my daughters' father, a doctor.  This wife had no idea just how handy this advice would be, years later, as one family became two.  My youngest daughter turned seven and I didn't see her on her birthday.  Its one of the harsh realities of divorce.  I'm missing bits and pieces of kids' lives.  I told her we would celebrate her birthday on Saturday the 4th even though her birthday was Monday, the 30th.  A month before her birthday she requested a surprise party.  She then proceeded to try to plan every aspect of the surprise party!   It was so adorable.  We planned to surprise her with a party on Friday and she would wake up on Saturday and it would be her "Birthday."

It was a huge success!  Since Saturday was her "Birthday" she was indeed surprised.  Apparently she had planned that her party would be on her "birthday." 

   

On Saturday we did our Birthday rituals.  First, when my new 7 year old woke up, I asked her how it felt to be seven years old.  Something my Mom would ask on my birthday.  Then, I made her a special birthday breakfast.  Viola dictated the menu in advance:  pancakes, bacon, and sausage.  I also made her some hot cocoa (one of her faves) and she was so excited. 

After playing with her new toys, we took her to spend her birthday money at the mall.  She went to Build a Bear and the Disney Store and found out it doesn't take long to spend $75! 

For dinner she chose where we ate.  That's also a part of the birthday ritual.  This year she chose Burger King which was a welcome deviation from previous years when she requested the "sample store" (her name for Sam's Club)  After eating at Burger King she had some time to play on their big indoor playground.  Then I took her to see Peter and the Starcatcher at the Tulsa PAC.  She was happy to have a date just with her Mom. 

All in all, Viola's seventh birthday was a huge success!