Happy Birthday Emme

When we first moved to Ohio one of our first outings was to the North Chagrin Reservation where the remnants of Squires Castle are. Though just a gate house for Squire's planned estate, after 120 years it appears to be a small castle. Emmry was not even one-years-old at the time but on that visit I planned her fourth birthday party, which was to be her last birthday in Ohio. What would be better for a little girl than having a princess party on the lawn in front of a castle? The girls would dress-up and we would play games, eat fancy food, and hunt for pixie sticks all with the castle in the foreground. Summer and early fall weather in Ohio is beautiful, so it would be perfect.

Unfortunately, while the weather in Ohio can be beautiful, it is also unpredictable. Mid-September, 2007 was windy and cold. It did not stop my princess party dream though. We had the party at the castle, though Emmry actually wanted a flower party. The kids dressed up, we played games and ate, but all with our jackets pulled up around us. The tissue paper flowers I painstakingly made for decorations tore and blew in the wind. The table cloths would not stay put and the watermelon shaped like daisies looked out of place as we huddled around the BBQ.

Thankfully weather in Arizona is a bit more predictable. This year with just a few months planning we threw a beach party. With eight of her friends dressed in suits and sun screen, we played games, ate, and swam in the warm Arizona sun.

As a family on the 15th we drove to Sedona where we played at Slide Rock, a natural water slide in Oak Creek Canyon, and snacked on its banks. Emmry even braved the cold water and slid down the chute with her dad. It really was perfect!

As we put Emmry to bed with her presents around her, I couldn't help but think that age four started out so unpredictably, despite three-years of planning, and at the end of that year we were in Arizona. Hopefully age six will be much more predictable... we'll just stay right where we're at.