Birthday Traditions

Today, Sept. 27, is my second son's birthday. He was born in a military hospital in Cherry Point, NC, at 2:25 AM, weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. and was 21 inches long. He is now 11 years old and he's so excited about getting a year older that he can hardly stand it! Last night I decorated his room with balloons and streamers while he slept, so that this morning he woke up to a festive bedroom. I brought him breakfast in bed which he happily ate while Clara and I sat and talked with him. His breakfast was served on the special Red Plate our church family gave us in NC as a parting gift when we moved away. It is a beautiful plate that says "You are Special Today" around the edge. On the back it was signed by all of our friends in NC. ~D~ had requested bacon, eggs, toast with grape jelly, and orange juice for breakfast.

When he came downstairs he opened a present (new wheels for his scooter that he's been asking for!!!) I took his picture after he opened it. We looked through the photo album that has pictures of his birth, and talked about the day he was born and how much joy he brought to our family. In that album there are also newspaper clippings and headlines from the day he was born, and now that he's getting older, they are more fun to look through and see how the world has changed. O.J. Simpson was in the news, George Burns was celebrating his 100th birthday, Pocahontas was coming out on video, and ER was #1 on the Nielson ratings. Sometimes in the evenings on our kids' birthdays, we watch videos of when they were babies. This is a great time to tell them stories of their baby days and answer questions they have.

Later today, I'll measure him to see how much he's grown. We'll also have his favorite meal for supper, tacos. Since he's having a couple friends come over on Saturday to celebrate, we'll wait and do the cake thing then. Tonight, we'll just go out and have some Croatian ice cream after supper. I like to buy a special book for my children on their birthdays but I didn't get around to doing that this year.

Before he goes to bed tonight, we'll all gather around him and each of us will pray for him and thank God for giving him to our family.

Happy Birthday, dear son! You, the middle child, are an easygoing, fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, artistic boy who loves soccer, and the Lord. I cherish these days with you as you grow, learn, and change. I love you!

What birthday traditions do you have for your children? I'd love to hear them!