Oh My Heavens, My Erin's Eleven!

Who can honestly believe that time goes by so fast? This little girl changed my world forever when she finally made her debut (a week late, but worth the wait) I might add. She is like the wind at our house... light and breezy and the day is wonderful, but if a storm is brewing, you'd better watch out. All in all, she's fabulous. We couldn't ask for a better daughter and example to our other children. But, the amount I stress over things with this child has turned my hair gray; all in the pursuit of trying to get things right.

Here is a rundown of events for her birthday. I always swear that every year, I'm going to simplify things, and yet with Erin, nothing is ever simple.

Tuesday, May 3rd found us at Wendy's, eating our dinner with Grandma. This has become a prequel to the actual birthday celebration. In 2000, when our little peanut was getting ready for her belated entrance, we were waiting on the 3rd for the go-ahead to check-in at the hospital. I needed to be induced and there were some pills, chants and incantations evidently that needed to be performed to warm up my cervix. Well, I'll be danged if there wasn't some kind of baby boom! There were no beds available. Finally, about 10 p.m., my doctor called and told us to get something to eat and to try and get some sleep, they would call us when there was space. Well, at that time of night, our options were limited, but a Frosty sounded good so we headed to Wendy's. It's become a part of the celebration and this year was no exception. Matt wasn't able to come, because he was in Chicago at a meeting with Grandpa, so Grandma joined us and we ate our celebratory hamburgers.

Wednesday, May 4th... THE BIG DAY!!!! Started with a very weary Erin waking up early to open up her presents from mom and dad and her sibs! I'm not so sure that she was thrilled that they were all clothes, but the kid is growing like nobody's business and needed some new summer duds (cue the good weather, please!) She got a Hobby Lobby gift card from Allie and the boys and was in heaven! That store is like the Gold Standard for my kid! She's so excited figuring out how to spend the money. She got a phone call from her dad and then we were off to school for the day.

We stopped at Dick's and bought 3 dozen glazed doughnuts (I DID NOT partake however, due to my store-bought baked goods boycott,) and 3 dozen cans of root beer. I swear that stuff is coursing through Erin's veins. We dropped it off at school and headed to take Jack to preschool. While Jack was at school, Will and I went and bought balloons for Erin. We put them in Matt's car at the airport, so that when he got home later that night, he could look like the rockstar dad that he is!

After school, the girls had choir and Erin was so mad at me that I made her go! When it comes to this, I'm sure she's convinced that I'm trying to ruin her birthday by making her go, but again, don't care! While she's at choir, the boys and I stop and pick up an ice-cream cake (not baked) and head home to make the birthday dinner she requested; breaded chicken breasts, fettuccine alfredo, ranch and bacon pasta salad and corn. Not for the faint of heart, or diabetics of any nature. Grandma picked the girls up from choir and brought them home. We had dinner and waited for Daddy and Grandpa to get home and join us.

Soon after they arrived, looking like rockstars because of the aforementioned balloons, we had cake and watched the slideshow that I made for Erin. She didn't know that I had put it together and had given it to her teacher to show, so to say she was surprised would be an understatement. But she loved it!

Ugghhhh!! Birthday parties. Love them; hate them. Again, this is an area where I set the bar way too high, way too early. The scales tipped when I rented the cotton candy machine for Erin's circus party..... never going to be like that again. Anyway, the birthday outing with friends this year was supposed to be ice skating and dinner at Dairy Queen, but wouldn't you know that there was an ice show scheduled for Friday night. So we changed plans and decided to go bowling. Well, Friday morning (very early Friday morning) found me heaving over the toilet and flushed with fever. Not fun.... at all! What to do? Well, rockstar dad Matt took Erin and 5 of her friends (and her little sister) to dinner at KFC and bowling, while Grandma came and took the boys to her house for a playdate. All so I could be sick in peace. Erin was a little disappointed that I couldn't go, and Matt was amazed at the sheer amount of noise that can come from that many girls, but all in all, I think it was a great success, especially considering the circumstances.

The final event of the weekend was last night. I told you I need to simplify. Because of the aforementioned illness, Grandma, again, came to the rescue and offered to let us do cake and ice cream at her house instead of mine. Thank Heavens. The dirty laundry is making it's way down/up the stairs (kind of hard to tell) and it's been a little Lord of the Flies at our house this week. So, I dragged my butt from my bed, hopped myself up on DayQuil and went to celebrate the first-borns birthday with the family. We had nearly everyone there and it was fabulous. My awesome sister-in-law Shanna has recently gotten into making cakes. Erin asked for an American Girl doll cake and Shanna was up to the challenge. After cake, Erin got to open her presents and she was thrilled with what she got:

TWO Barbies -

I couldn't get this kid to play with dolls when she was little, but now she LOVES them.

A couple of gift cards and some money from Grandma & Grandpa P.

Books

uDraw for Wii

A real art set from some of the aunts and uncles - she is beyond thrilled by this

A set of bunk beds for her American Girl dolls (not painted due to my illness)

Bedding for said bunk beds, finished in my bed, due to said illness

.....and.......

2 tickets to Taylor Swift in September

She was so excited. It's nice to see her like the things she got. It's unfortunate to be fortunate sometimes. My kids have been so blessed and really, want for nothing. And while it's wonderful for them to have the things they need and want in life, it's sometimes a challenge to keep them grateful and grounded. We try hard... sometimes we fall short. Thankfully, last night, she was very genuine in her gratitude.

Wow!!! That's a lot of stuff that happened to celebrate the birth of Erin! She's an awesome kid. I can't imagine what our family would be like without her. I have faith that Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when he sent that kid down here. Sometimes I wonder, but I keep having faith :) There's something to be said for growing up with your children. She's the guinea pig; the one we try things out on. I know we're hard on her, but she handles our "refiners fire" with grace. She is beautiful and smart and creative and funny and kind and compassionate. I love her more deeply than I ever thought possible 11 years ago and I am so grateful she is mine.