Guess who turned 9 today? Jasmine!

It was a great day... Our lovely Jasmine turned 9, so what do we do? We have breakfast at Denny's, shop Target for new sheets and other gifts then end the day with her favorite dinner, an awesome cake, good friends and some awesome Cranium games, of course! We had a ton of laughs and ended up thoroughly exhausted from the all-day soiree that is Jasmine's birthday. She couldn't wait to get at the gifts and eat her "horse stable" cake. It was delicious! It was a combo of white and confetti cake with vanilla filling. Her gifts, well they are new quilted comforter and sham set complete with a sheet set from solid colors she chose, a big Palomino toy horse, a paint by numbers kit, and a check for $10. But the best gift she got was from the presence of the people she invited and the laughter they shared with us during dinner and our game time. We even managed to listen to Bill Cosby's stand-up comic routine titled, "Chocolate Cake".




Every child, every year, I celebrate their birthdays the way they want to help them remember just how precious they are to us. Though it amazes others by how much effort it seemed to have taken, I personally think they deserve even more. Something inside me wells up knowing that my child arrived at their next birthday relatively healthy and happy going. Just as strongly, I can't help but feel very sad by news of children dying at such ages either from the hands of cruel people, freak accidents or childhood diseases. I love knowing that we celebrated as a family, while having some friends over becomes the lovely bonus of the day.

My life is simple, but it's full of complex memories, I wouldn't trade it for the world. My kids' birthdays, another sweet "secret candy".