HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MJ!

Seamus made you a bouquet of flowers

So FIVE years old feels like an important milestone  (maybe more for me that for you) but it seems like you've changed overnight. I told Grandma Barbara, who arrive in time to celebrate your day, that when God made you, though you're beautiful flesh and blood, he formed you from at least 80% sunshine.





You radiate joy, light and love. At five years old it seems that you float or skip everywhere you go.  Someone stopped me at school this week and said - "If ever I've seen a pixie girl, there she goes!"

Dad made you breakfast in bed (extra early because he had a morning meeting). You awoke to Happy Birthday songs with smiles and hugs for everyone. And off we went for the day. One of my favorite aspects of you is your flexibility and resilience.

We dropped the boys at school and ran to the grocery store to pick up some special treats for Grandma. We picked out a story book to give to your class (A Bernstein Bear's Collection). I let you look at toys, but you never even asked if we could get something. Dad and I bought you some fancy shoes the week before and you knew that was your present.


From the store we headed back to school. Finn returned home from yesterday with a sore mouth and so a big part of your birthday was spent dealing with his abscess tooth at the pediatric dentist. Again, nothing but smiles, encouragement for Finn and patience with the day.  Dad made time to take you, Thomas and I out to lunch, and we had a wonderful time at the Four Inns. You just seem like such a big girl all of a sudden.  Ordering for yourself, nice manners and very practical view of the world (eat half the cupcake and save the rest for later).


After lunch we cleaned the car, quickly ran home to empty the groceries and pick up the house. Just as we got home, Grandma called to say she'd landed and off we went again! Grandma arrived laden with treats for everyone and that's always wild fun waiting to see what else she pulls out of her bag. Her presence was the best present - but she never comes empty handed! And of course that's so much fun too!

You asked for homemade deep dish pizza for dinner and so we made our inaugural try (we determined too much crust - but it was still good). We also made fruit salad and of course had cake. Winsor's, Grandma and Grandpa Schneeman and Grace all came over for a bit and we had so much fun that you forgot to open gifts for TWO days.

 

What can I say about you? I am so grateful for you - I hardly have words. I loved your birthday - mostly because we had so much fun running around together, laughing at Thomas and just being together. Your soul is so full of love - I can't tell you the number of times you tell me that you love me (or Thomas) every day (hear that, teenage MJ?). I imagine we'll have some rough patches as we both get older (just you wait until I'm in Menopause), but for right now, there are few people I'd rather spend my days with than you.

You're very serious all of a sudden about practicing your letters and words, your speech has improved dramatically (you used to reverse your pronouns, but I realized this week that you don't do it anymore at all). You're branching out more and more.  On Sunday you went to the Liturgy of the Word for the first time (usually Finn goes without you, but apparently now that you're 5, you're not afraid of going along too). He took you by the hand and you scurried off just as though this is how you always do it. Almost made dad and I a little sad.  Change sometimes happens over night.

You're good a your jobs around the house, emptying garbage, folding towels and sorting socks. You're incredibly helpful with Thomas - so much so that I sometimes I wonder how I did it all the first few times around.

We say it time and time again, but you give me faith, because God knew exactly what He was doing when He sent you to us. All of us, Seamus, Finn, Thomas, Dad and I need you so much - you bring a special kind of Joy and light into all our lives and so we say thank you every day for this chance to all be together.

Happy birthday, Sweetie Pie. I love you more than you'll ever know.