Birthday Memories

It’s my birthday week, so I thought I’d focus this week on birthday celebrations. Which has had me thinking about all of my birthdays over the years.

Because I have a summer birthday, my birthday never seemed to be quite the same two years in a row. Sometimes, we’d be camping and I’d be sung to around a campfire.

Sometimes one of us would be at overnight camp or Dad would be directing a bike camp during my birthday, so we’d wait and celebrate it when we were all together.

One time, we were at my grandparents in Delaware and we celebrated there.

If we had visitors staying with us, they’d be included in the celebrations. Which was really fun the year my aunt – who was just getting into cake baking – was visiting. I got a Barbie cake that year! You know, the kind where the doll is put in the top of the cake and the cake is her dress? Oh, yeah, that was a fun year!

Because it was summer, sometimes I would have an ice cream cake. Sometimes, it was one of those cake mixes where you’d bake it right in this little cardboard box that came with it. Remember those? One time, My Chandler surprised me with a Mickey Mouse ice cream cake!

And then there was my 5^th birthday, when I got to have a Sesame Street birthday cake! Oh, I was in heaven that year!

It’s funny when I think back to all of my birthdays. I vaguely remember the gifts. Oh, I remember some, like the first curling iron I ever got or the birthstone ring from Grandma or the handmade pillow with my three girls handprints on it. But, what seems to stick out most in my mind are the interactions, the gatherings, the celebrations themselves.

Having Dad put on the Beatles “Birthday” song, teasing each other that the wrapped presents that were clearly a record were really flat pinapples, the laughs and jokes as we sat longer around a dinner table to eat the cake, the hugs from my girls. Being able to come home from the hospital with Pumpkin on my birthday and have my favorite meal with my family.

Ahhhh, birthdays!

Comments

[kp]

I hope this year's birthday is memorable as well. Thanks for sharing. kp

[MaryBeth]

I'm so glad you're writing again. I just love your stories. Maybe sometime, these could be put into a booklet form for many others to read. As for the birthdays, you are so sentimental!! I had forgotten the Barbie cake...but the Sesame Street one, that was so cute. Didn't we use our FP Sesame Street characters? Oh well, yes...these are very fond memories for us, too. I also think of the day you were born. WOW....Tomorrow's the day, I love you!! Hugs

[CFS]

thanks for the nice post. Glad to see you back at it. I'm waiting for your blog post about the road trip to PEI. There has to be some great insights!

[Amy]

Just one blog post about PEI? I've got so much to share, I'll be talking about that most awesome trip for weeks! (Hee hee!)