Friends

(About three weeks late on this post)

Ellie was invited by her friend to celebrate her birthday. 

Friend birthday parties are nice, but we usually just have family parties since there are about 20+ that can show up for that.  When Madison turned 10, we let her have her first friend party.  It’s not that I am against having friends over.  It’s more like the expectation for the parties feel a bit much – invitations + meal + games/crafts/”thing” + cake + party favor.  I am probably making more of it than I should.  What I think a friend party should be is some cake/cupcake/dessert and some play time, open gifts and go home.  Anyway, that’s all beside the point.

Kinsley invited Ellie and two more of her friends to a dinner out to Wasabi (Japanese steakhouse).  What a fun thing to do! 

Because Ellie needs insulin, at least one of us was “forced” to go along.  Really, it was a good excuse for Jeremy, Madison, and I to get to try out the whole experience as well. 

It was a blast to watch the girls faces as the chef threw knives, started fires, and tossed food in their mouths. 

  

Then, they got to eat with chopsticks, talk with each other, and laugh.  Oh, AND they got ice cream at the end!

It was a great party!

Then last week, it was Gloria’s birthday.  She had come over on Saturday for a tasty meal (pork tenderloin, asparagus, and wild rice).  On her birthday, I bought pizza at Aldi to serve as her feast with a red velvet cake from Wal-mart.  Not up to snuff in my opinion, but getting together is what matters.  The girls had a fun time having her over. Happy birthday to a woman who is up for adventures, has a heart full of love, a generous hand, and a passion for her family (and its history).