A Very Lovely Birthday Party

Last year, I was still reeling with trying to get used to extra kids in the house, figuring out how to make them understand us, (Vietnamese being their first language) and still so overwhelmed that I just had family come over for their birthdays.  We had strawberry cake (which we found out that day that Lovely is allergic to strawberries) and it was a happy day.

But this year.  I asked them what they wanted to do, and they enthusiastically yelled at me they would like to SKATE WITH THEIR FRIENDS.

Skating parties are easy, you show up with cake and the rink takes care of the rest of the details.  For a price.  I'm old, so therefore, I was in.

I let them invite 10 kids.  besides themselves.  Lacey, Tyler and Hallie were there for backup skating support, as I just don't skate anymore.  But I'm just here to tell you, back in the day I was a skating fool.  We went twice a week and took lessons as a family.  We were the bomb on skates.  But now I'm old, and had a company wide "Yoga" hour the day previous, and I was getting more stiff by the second as the day progressed.  (more on that later).

So, I don't know my kids friends.  Lovely never remembers anyone's name, and is so over the top when she sees anyone she recognizes in public, I had a few misgivings that she was under the illusion of friends.

Oh, Silly Silly Me.

Her friends were AMAZING.   And yes, I am going to share pictures of her party, because as far as I'm concerned, these kids are mine and I'm showing them off.

 LB is so sweet, he has a lot of friends, but he is so afraid of hurting anyone, he didn't know how to just pick 3 or 4.  So he picked 2 of his good friends, and one of the other little boys brother he didn't know well, he asked him too and told me that he said,  "Bro, we not leave you out" when the little boy was sad from not getting invited.  He is a real keeper.   It was fun to have a "Boy" party.  In the history of our world, it's really the first boy party we have thrown.  They are fun and BIG eaters.  Whoa.

Tyler always throws FUN into the mix, he and Lacey gave LB some walkie talkies and the boys used them to stay connected to Tyler.  There were some bigger boys there and Tyler was their bodyguard.  Fun stuff.

The sweetest moment was when Lovely opened her cell phone.  She is just so grateful for ANYTHING.  It's just a text and talk phone (no smart phones, yet)
Her reaction was just priceless.  She was trying so hard to keep it together, she just really didn't know how to respond. 

Precious.  They shared with me that this was the first time they had EVER had a party with friends.  It was never anything they could do with their volatile bio dad.  Mom couldn't trust him to hold it together.  Neither one has EVER been to a sleepover or had a friend come to the house.  It's overwhelming to me that the most basic of childhoods have been denied to these kids.

So, I'm having a NEW YEARS EVE party.  Girls only.  Sleepover, movies, popcorn, cookies, no sleep, you know the drill.  For Lovely and her friends.   The boys will be hanging with Lacey and Tyler and doing boy things.

Everyone was saying Happy Birthday to them.   She is acting more and more like me everyday.

Oh. Boy.

It's a great life people.  It's full of wonder and light.  And none of this wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't said YES to God's plan for me.  Was it something I chose for myself?  Kids for 20 more years??  ARE YOU KIDDING?  But, seriously.  The peace I have is beyond anything I can explain, and God. Is. Good.

More later.   I have birthday cake to eat.