Well first I feel like I need to give a shout out to all the Oregon readers. Who knew I translated all the way out to the Pacific Coast? But there are apparently a few of you because you were all excited about the Olympians shoes that match the Ducks.
So, go Ducks.
And truthfully I’m just stalling because I’m overwhelmed at how to fit the last few days into one post. It’s going to be a long one. And possibly boring. Consider that your warning.
We have been in the midst of birthday extravaganza since last week. Somewhere Caroline adopted Gulley’s theory that everyone is really entitled to a birthday week instead of just one day. Or maybe I did it to her because she’s an only child and it’s not like I have to duplicate all this excitement two or three more times during the year.
So we have had a birthday week.
Really Monday and Tuesday were just the countdown. And then we met my sister, Amy, and her kids for lunch on Wednesday because they weren’t going to be able to celebrate with us on Friday.
That’s Caroline with Sarah and Luke. Luke is still a muppet and is going to be three in December which is just more proof that time goes by way too fast.
After lunch we all went over to Mimi and Bops’s house. Amy brought cupcakes for the kids and then Caroline opened her present.
It was a lava lamp.
A lava lamp.
And so now between the beads on her bedroom door and her lava lamp, Caroline is basically living out a childhood rooted in 1968 but with better technology. She wanted to put the lava lamp in the living room temporarily so we can all enjoy it as a family.
It looks just as classy as you would expect.
P was going to be fishing in a tournament on Caroline’s actual birthday so we had a little family breakfast birthday celebration on Thursday morning. We got her a new bike because she’d decided she needed a more sophisticated mode of transportation. Please note that this bike doesn’t have anything frivolous like streamers on the handlebars. Streamers are for eight year olds.
On Thursday we went out the Hyatt Hill Country Resort to spend the night. It was a great place to celebrate a birthday. We all floated the lazy river, ate too many s’mores and stayed up way too late. There was a moment about ten o’clock that night when Caroline wanted me to float with her down the river to look at the moon. It was just this gorgeous full moon and as we floated in that tube together and stared at the sky, I knew it was one of those moments I’ll remember forever. Not much is ever perfect, but that was about as close as real life gets.
The next morning we ordered breakfast in bed which was a real bargain if you don’t consider the U.S. dollar to be an actual measure of currency. And then we spent more time swimming and floating until it was time to head home.
We got home just in time to let the refrigerator repairman in the house to figure out why our fridge decided to hate us on Thursday afternoon. Yes. That’s right. The refrigerator and freezer decided to quit working right as we were trying to get out the door. It was super convenient.
Fortunately we were able to load everything into our outdoor fridge and freezer, but there was a gallon of Dreyer’s Chocolate and Peanut Butter ice cream that didn’t make it.
Let’s all have a moment of silence for that perfectly good ice cream that went to waste.
Anyway, the guy was able to fix it. Apparently something called the “relay” broke. I don’t know why you need to know that but I had no idea a refrigerator had a relay and figured we’d just blown the flux capacitor. But now if your refrigerator ever goes out you can sound really knowledgable and ask the repairman if he thinks it might be the relay.
You’re welcome.
Caroline’s Gigi came by and gave her a monogrammed robe for her birthday which has become her favorite new thing to wear around the house. I mean, she pretends it’s a karate outfit and practices kicks but at least she looks pretty doing it.
And then Friday night Caroline requested that we go eat dinner at the hibachi grill at Formosa Garden. She’d gone there for a friend’s birthday party several months ago and insisted that’s where she wanted to go with Mimi and Bops for her birthday. I honestly had low expectations because I don’t really like Chinese/Japanese/Thai food, but it was so much fun.
The hibachi chef was so funny, the food was delicious, and we all had the best time. Caroline never quit smiling.
I may want to go back for my birthday and I’m not even kidding. If you live in San Antonio and want to do something fun you need to go to the hibachi grill at Formosa Garden. It was a hit.
We came back to the house to have birthday ice cream. There was no cake because Caroline has decided she doesn’t like cake so we had ice cream instead. Mimi and Bops bought her Guitar Hero complete with a microphone and so we all gathered around the T.V. like the Ingalls family and sang some songs.
Or maybe we were more like the Partridge family but with better pants.
Jackson, Caroline and Will sang a few songs and then Caroline wanted Bops to get up and sing something. Bops replied, “No. Bops doesn’t really sing.”
She looked at him and said, “Please, Bops?”
And then it was like that SNL skit where Kristen Wiig says, “Don’t make me sing” while she’s clearly dying to sing. Bops took that mike and proceeded to sing all seventy-four verses of American Pie.
It will go down as one of the highlights of my life.
Which pretty much sums up how I feel about Caroline’s ninth birthday.
The good news is she feels the same way. On Saturday morning she hugged me tight and said, “Thank you for the best birthday I ever had.”
And then she put on her robe, turned on her lava lamp and began to sing Space Cowboy on Guitar Hero.
I might be raising a lounge lizard.
(Yes. Those are holes in my wall. It’s a long story that I’ll share when I have the strength and/or think it’s funny.)
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Sounds wonderful! Glad you had fun, enjoyed the food, and got your fridge fixed. Nothing worse than a broken appliance. Our washer broke the day we all came down with the stomach bug. That my friend was plain mean.
I’m raising an only girl, too, and your last two posts made me laugh and cry! It does go by way too fast, and your posts remind me to cherish the moments. Thanks for sharing your life!
You girls sure know how to celebrate! Happy Belated Birthday, Caroline!!!
Can’t wait to hear about those holes in your living room wall.
Love this post! We all deserve birthday weeks. My dearest friend in the world thinks birthday months are necessary! Caroline’s sounds lovely and her joy is evident in the photos. As for floating in the lazy river watching the moon with your little girl, that sounds heavenly.
Looking forward to the tale about the holes in the wall.
Such a fun post!! Y’all really do birthdays up in style, huh? I’ve always been of the opinion that the important occasion of my birth deserves more than just a passing glance. I might have laughed out loud at the comparison of Bops to the Kristen Wiig skit. Too funny!
Happy Birthday to Caroline! I can’t believe she was a kindergartner when I started reading this blog!!!!
What a fun birthday week for Caroline! I too am an only child-I was also the only grandchild and niece that lived locally (my cousins lived in Alaska) so I was also blessed with many birthday festivities. Can you say spoiled? I now have 5 (almost…) kids and we’re lucky to have them spread out so we can make each child feel special but it’s not a week long celebration. I’m afraid we’d always be celebrating something then!
I’m in the San Antonio area so I can’t wait to try the Formosa Garden.
Happy, Happy Birthday Caroline!
What a wonderful birthday! When my kids were little they each had lava lamps – and disco balls! Maybe she’d like one of those for Christmas!
Sounds like a wonderful birthday week! I will have to try that lazy river floating some time. It sounds like lots of fun. My gal had her birthday the week before last. She is all against cake as well. I stuck birthday candles into a container of Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia FroYo. It was so good! … And it beat sticking birthday candles into a pizza (which was last years). Keep up the great work Mama. Caroline sounds like she is turning into a sweet young lady!
Love this! My second cousin is a bona fide lounge lizard. His name is Del and he only has one eye because you can indeed have your eye shot out by a bb gun. Anyway, he performs in bars around St. Simons Island, GA. He even did two tours in Lithuania! I grew up going to eat in restaurants and bars and listening to Cousin Del belt out “Ride, Sally Ride”.
I just love Caroline’s personality! What a fun little firecracker!
You are the BEST MOM EVER!!!! What a great way to celebrate her brithday!!!
My goodness, wasn’t it just last week that I was reading here about how Caroline had just learned to ride a bike? Oh, my. And hooray for birthday WEEKS. My husband and I have birthdays tha are exactly 1 week apart, so we both celebrate all week.
My son mentioned the fact that I was also having a birthday WEEK. I told him that it was because I was just too fabulous to celebrate just one day. And I’ll bet the same thing is true for Caroline!
Happy Belated Birthday Caroline (your Mama looks just like Bops)!
I loved the lazy river story. You are right – you will always remember that’special blessing.
And the picture of Bops singing with the mic?? It melts my heart the way they have their arms wrapped around each other. <3
All I can say is GROOVY!
That sounds like a whole week of groovy fun!
The holes……since I am married. To a man. I’m almost positive P might have something to do with it?!
If not, sorry sir!
I’m still teary-eyed over you two watching the moon together…
Thank you–all I could think about as I scrolled down was why you had three holes on your wall!!! I thought maybe it was just some freaky camera illusion…
You definately reach the Pacific Coast. I live an hour north of San Francisco and have read your blog for years.
Sounds like she had a fantastic birthday. Lava lamps are awesome!
Sounds absolutely wonderful! My kiddo is 6 & exactly 7 years ago today I found out “we” were pregnant…. right before going to some good friends’ wedding! Talk about an emotional event!!! Anyway, my Brylee bug is my only child & I suspect we feel exactly the same about our only children because I make the BIGGEST productions out of every little thing. So Brylee is a tad on the dramatic side, just like your sweet Caroline. Happy Caroline’s Birthday, Big Mama! Wishing you & Caroline many many more sweet & fun birthdays together!
super fun birthday!! hibachi is sooo good – we had it last night (and then i had it again today)
can’t wait to hear about the holes…
I really loved this post. Maybe because my baby girl will be 3 tomorrow and I’m sure the next time I blink, we’ll also be celebrating her 9th birthday. Or maybe it’s because I feel like I’m seeing Mimi and Bops for the first time after reading about them for years now. They look like such nice people! Thanks for sharing your special moments.
Well. I would never have noticed the holes in your wall. Really. After I read that sentence I scrolled back up and yes, there are holes and now I want to know the story or I’ll never sleep again. Caroline — my birthday is coming up and I want one exactly like yours. Especially the floating down the river looking at a full moon.
I have never even met her and yet I’m sitting here thinking: “Caroline looks so grown-up!” Sounds like a great week.
Happy Belated Birthday to Caroline. What a fabulous celebration. I loved the part where you both are floating along looking at the moon. Sounds perfect to me, too.
Blessings to you…
That sounds like an interesting birthday!Looks like a great time!
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