You Say It’s Your Birthday…It’s My Birthday Too!

May is the birthday month in our family. This week has been buzzing with activity.

Scott and the kids took me out to dinner for my 30-something-or-another birthday on Thursday.

High school friends of mine had their first child on Friday. Yeah! Happy Birthday Nigel - congratulations Devin and Margaret.

Although Aden’s actual birthday is today, we celebrated his party on Saturday with friends and family at a water park. New neighbors moved into the house next door earlier this month and they have a 5-year-old boy. Aden has been so excited to have someone his own age to play with and the fact his new friend, Joseph, could come to his party. Everyone had a great time.

Scott planted a little garden in the backyard Saturday morning. We have a few tomato plants, green peppers, and a strawberry plant. We may do more next year, but want to see how well these do first.

Sunday, we went to Scott’s parents’ house to celebrate his mom’s birthday. Scott’s grandmother moved to South Carolina earlier this year so we get to see her a lot more often. I think it’s great our kids are getting to know their great-grandmother. Families are important. We had fun playing in the yard and in the wading pool. The kids always have fun at Granna’s house.

Monday, we had a family day at the zoo. Sorry no picture of the zoo trip. I deliberately left the camera at home because I wanted to enjoy the day without lugging it around and trying to catch that perfect picture. The one time I leave the camera is the one day my kids berate me for “forgetting” it. They wanted me to take pictures of them on a tiger statue and of them playing around the park area. Aden told me he would have to remind me to bring the camera next time.

We had a nice celebration with just the four of us tonight for Aden. He really liked all the presents he received. I need to help him finish doing thank you cards this week.

Whew, I’m tired. I’m glad to get all the SC birthdays out the way. June doesn’t look like it’s going to let up on us. Aden is signed up for a four-week, eight session baseball camp. We also have vacation Bible school coming up at the end of June too.

Happy early birthday, Forrest - Love, Aunt Jen, Uncle Scott, Aden and Danielle.

Something Wicked this way comes

Saturday, we left the kids with my family and took a quick trip to Atlanta to see the traveling Broadway musical Wicked. At the end of January I had hoped to see on Broadway in NYC, but things didn't work out. When I found out the traveling troupe would be in Atlanta, I asked for tickets as my birthday present.

I grew up reading L. Frank Baum's Oz books and remember watching The Wizard of Oz on broadcast television every year (before nearly every household had a VCR and had a library of movies to watch at will). Wicked the musical is based on Gregory Maguire’s book, which I have not yet read but intend to soon. It tells the story of Glinda and Elphaba (a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West) when they were girls and overlaps with the well known Wizard of Oz. The musical was nothing less than spectacular – flying monkeys on stage and everything! The Fabulous Fox Theater in Atlanta is …well fabulous. Inside you are given the illusion you are in an Arabian courtyard under a canopy of twinkling stars. The picture below gives the interior of the theater little justice.

The Graduate

Aden graduated from 4-year-old Montessori kindergarten on Thursday. I'm so proud of him. His class did a little recital of the things they learned this year: Songs using sign language…Spanish colors and numbers…The Pledge of Allegiance…My Country 'Tis of Thee…reciting all the American Presidents…the school Alma Mata. Aden and some of the other children had parts to learn and tell us about their day. I can't believe he will be starting regular kindergarten in the fall.


On Friday, Aden lost his first tooth at daycare. He was full of excitement and questions about the tooth fairy when we picked him up – including the question was the tooth fairy real? Boy, kids are too smart for their own good sometimes. There's hardly any magic and innocence as part of childhood anymore. He was skeptical the tooth fairy would actually find the tooth, but that didn't seem to matter by Saturday morning when he found the dollar that was left under the pillow. I remember getting a quarter a tooth as a kid, but then again gas was about 61 cents a gallon at the time.

Garden Party

I held my annual Mother’s Day Garden Party on Saturday for close friends and family. I couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather.


3 generations


4 generations

Little Eliza Doolittle

Aden found a tiny marble on the floor of a craft store earlier this week and wanted to keep it. Danielle was terribly upset she didn't have one too, so I told her I would get her a marble of her own when we got home. I gave her a small glass pebble from the vase of a floral arrangement I had been making. She seemed perfectly content with that arrangement.

Yesterday morning she wanted to take her "marble" to daycare. The marble had to stay in the van instead. As soon as she got back into the van she immediately wanted her marble back. We got home and the kids started watching TV, Scott was fixing dinner, and I was in the office. And all was calm for a while… until Danielle started crying. I thought to myself, "What now?" Either Aden was picking on her or she instigated something and he's retaliating.

Danielle was wailing at the office doorway, announcing, "I swallowed it!" I knew immediately what she was referring to, and since she was whining and crying, I knew she was in no real danger. I had to hold back the chuckle because the very first image that passed through my mind at that point was a scene from my favorite movie My Fair Lady when Eliza Doolittle (Audrey Hepburn) announces to Professor Higgins (Rex Harrison), "I think I swallowed one."

I took her into the kitchen for some water trying not to laugh at her distress. After she had a drink she said, "Mommy can you get it?" "No honey, I can't get it… you're just going to have to poop it out," I said. She seemed rather mortified at the answer and started crying louder because I couldn't fix this for her. I gave her some more water and she calmed down a bit. Her next question was, "Mommy, can I have another marble?" "No sweetheart, you can't – you didn't take care of the last one I gave you. I'm not giving you another one," I told her.

Just to assure all of you I'm not a horrible mother: The diameter of the "marble" is slightly more than 1/4 inch at the widest point, and she's completely fine. This too shall pass. (Sorry, kinda hard to resist that pun.)