This Month Is Such a Special One

Actually, May was a special month, and I'm just a little behind.  This May we celebrated little Clara's 8th birthday--where has the time gone?  After that we enjoyed little Audrey's birthday, then Isaac's.  Here is pictoral recounting...

Clara's birthday dinner.  On odd years we celebrate with friends, and on even years the birthday person gets to pick a restaurant and fun family activity.  Clara chose steak.  Is she a midwestern girl or what?

After a whole day feeling frustrated by this and that, the prospect of eating out with everybody frankly did not appeal to me.  However, the kids' table manners passed the test that night, and to top it off, at the end when we went to pay, our waiter said a couple sitting nearby had been watching us and insisted on paying for our meal, saying we were "a breath of fresh air."  Little Clara took it as a personal compliment that people she didn't even know would want to pay for her birthday dinner, and I was especially grateful for their kindness.  I had needed some reassurance at that moment that I wasn't failing miserably as a mother.

A couple of weeks later came the climax of the month's festivities. 



Clara chose to be baptized, and the date happened to fall on Audrey's birthday.  What a party it was!  Lots of cousins and friends were able to join us for this special day.

(Some of the cousins who came to celebrate took a pre-lunch break.  This tree is so popular with the cousins and neighborhood friends.  I think they forgot for a few minutes that it was Shabbat!)

The kicker came when I went to make an appointment with my friend and excellent photographer, Keri Blue, to have Clara's baptism pictures taken.  Just after the phone call I noticed screaming and hysterical laughter.  Instead of doing the assigned task of vacuuming the stairs, Clara decided to tease James by convincing him she was going to vacuum out her eyes.  Nice.

She looked like she had just given birth to a 13-pounder.  Pictures were postponed. 

It turned out to be a wonderful, edifying day.  Thank you to all of our wonderful friends, and beloved family willing to make the trip. 

The next week we celebrated Isaac's birthday.  What would we do without this boy who always keeps us laughing and on our toes?

And for his special activity:  Lasertag!

Lastly, we did have a real birthday party for Audrey, who turned a magical two years old.  She is a little bowl of sunshine for all who know her, all sweet and spicey rolled into a spunky little pink chub.  We love this little girl!

Among the couple of gifts Audrey received was a sock monkey from her sister, and her very first purse, designed, cross-stitched and assembled by Isaac (it's his new "thing.")

The Pinky and her entourage, early on the morning of her birthday.