BIRTHDAY!!

It was a great day, or rather, a great 2 days. On Tuesday night, we went out to a Mexican restaurant for dinner...

Having a nice time with Daddy.


It's been a while since we've gone to this type of place with Miri, and dinner time with an 11-month-old after a long day at school can be tricky, but all was fine, fortunately.

And then, it was time for a little "family adventure", as we called it. To Mommy & Daddy, this meant the reveal of the new big girl bike! We went to a nearby empty parking lot so that her first ride would be easier than doing it at our house on the grass or gravel.


Here she is, realizing it's hers.


Taking it for a spin. She said, "Mom, is this mine for always?" And then it quickly turned to, "Mom, you and Daddy and Miri can drive home in the car, and I can just ride my bike and meet you there!"


The next day, the girls went to school dressed "as twins", according to Aleaha.


For her school party, Aleaha requested chocolate cupcakes with purple frosting and little horses stuck into them.


She had purple frosting everywhere, including up her nostrils. I took a picture, but decided to spare you all that angle.


She had a very good day at school, wearing her special star-birthday necklace,with "wishes" for her from each of her classmates. Very cute idea.


While dinner was cooking (she requested ham, broccoli, and "letters-n-numbers" pasta), the girls played a little game of Roll The Ball.



Later that evening, we had a little get-together with a few friends to celebrate, and scarfed more cake. This time, it was in the shape of a horse. Hard to tell from this angle that's what it was, but it satisfied her request.


It was a good training session for Miri, of course, as she gears up for her birthday in a few weeks. Here she politely offers Daddy a bite.



She had chocolate in many more places than Aleaha managed to get it. She also got sort of chocolate-drunk, as this photo shows.


Aleaha received so many wonderful presents from friends and family. Here she cheezily shows off a very pretty sundress from Jon & Holly.


And a sure-to-be-favorite "bucking horse" sweatshirt from Aunt Kelly.