March 29, 2009

  • Happy Birthday to Annamarie

    Happy Birthday
    Annamarie!!!

                                                 
                                                 Today, Annamarie (our "middle child") turns 9 years old.

    She is so excited about it FINALLY being her birthday, she has gone around for the past 48 hours reminding everyone not to forget.  She loves being the center of attention and was a bit over the top insisting that we treat her like royalty.  We explained, before church, that she was NOT to walk up to people and tell them, "It's my birthday.  You *have to* tell me happy birthday."  I knew she craved the attention, but we had to discuss being proud, puffed up, and rude. 

    You'll never guess what the pastor did (without speaking to us first).

    He told the congregation about 3 children who prayed for him all the time and have prayed for him and his family for years.  He said he calls them his prayer warriors.  He told about one of the little girls, who he wouldn't name (Rissy), calling him one time when I was sick.  She had hung up without leaving a message, but he called back when he saw he had missed a call from our family.  He told the congregation that he called back and said a little girl answered the phone.  He told her he thought he had missed a call from her mother.  She said, "No Pastor C.J., that call was from me.  Momma's sick and I wanted you to pray with me and agree that she will get well."  (He never looked at her, but Rissy was sinking into her chair the more he talked about her, because she HATES being the center of attention)  I wondered how Annamarie was taking the attention being shown Rissy (albeit anonymously) and Annamarie was grinning and so proud of her sister.

    THEN, the pastor said, "And today, one of those 3 little girls is having a birthday.  I'd like all of the congregation to sing Happy Birthday to her, because she is one of my 3 little prayer warriors."  Annamarie stood, and the whole church sang JUST TO HER!!!  Annamarie beamed!  I was so thrilled for her.  She was genuinely pleased when attention was directed to Rissy and God blessed her kind heartedness by having the entire church make *her* the center of attention while they sang to her.  She didn't have to tell anyone it was her birthday, nor did she need to ask anyone to say, "happy birthday" to her.  Isn't God wonderful???  We told her, afterwards, that God KNEW she wanted something special for herself and God always knows what we need before we asked.  It was a wonderful lesson for my children to see God's faithfulness and graciousness.

                                               

    The sermon was great and Annamarie could barely sit still because what was happening after church was Mexican food - her choosing - at one of her favorite restaurants.  Lunch was good.  We met "Mr. Camilo's" family there and he ended up picking up the tab as his gift to her on her birthday.  Of course, she was well mannered and thanked him "very much"!!!!!

    On the way home, we stopped to pick up her cake.  This is the first birthday without a "theme" and party treats, etc.  We've made 8 years old the last year for our girls to have big decorated "theme" parties.  She is the first one to hit the "birthday without a theme" and she was a little nervous that her day would go by unnoticed.  She didn't know what to expect.

    She is hard to understand sometimes, because she has difficulty expressing herself.  She kept saying she wanted a flower birthday (I guess because Rissy had a heart and flower tea party birthday in February), but I didn't know exactly what she meant or how to give her what she wanted.  I couldn't find ANY pretty flowered napkins and we ended up with bright yellow plates and napkins and I told her I'd have yellow and purple flowers put on her cake.  She agreed that would be fine.

    MEANWHILE, I couldn't get rid of a nagging thought that I should check in our "party bin" of plates, napkins, etc. left over from past parties.  There I found some perfect napkins.

                                                    

    I had purchased a silk flower arrangement as a centerpiece for her birthday and it will be a gift to her to keep in her room.  The basket and napkins looked great together, PLUS, I found purple plastic forks!
                                          

    She has requested fried chicken (thank goodness she means "take out" chicken!), corn, and fruit cocktail for her birthday dinner.  I asked her if she minded if I made biscuits, which she agreed sounded good.

    Last week, I called the cake decorator at the grocery store and told her what colors to use on the cake.  We picked up the cake on the way home from the Mexican food lunch and I don't think the cake decorator could have done a better job matching the bouquet (which she hadn't seen) or napkins if she had tried all week!  The cake will look perfect and Annamarie is pleased - which is more important than anything else!
                                         

    Since friend, Lori K, refers to me as Martha Stewart, I rose to the occasion.  I couldn't let the gifts be wrapped in less than her favorite colors - purple and yellow - and tried hard to match her purple, yellow floral theme!
                                       

    Annamarie is the one with the gentle, healing touch.  She's the one with a laugh that sounds melodious, like a song of soothing water trickling over rocks in a creek.  She is the child who forgives the easiest and quickest.  She is the child who wakes up every morning in a good mood - groggy - but a smile and a cheery, "Good morning, Mommy."  So many times I have prayed, "Lord, please make me more gentle and soothing like Annamarie" - her presence brings a peaceful calm to the atmosphere.

    And, today she is nine years old.  I remember when she was little and looked just like Dora the Explorer.  A tiny little thing with cute little legs and that glossy, dark hair!  Even then, she was cheerful and so polite, always wanting to please and serve others.

                                    

     So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Annamarie.  I know you are blessed, and we are blessed by you being a member of our family!!!!

Comments (10)

Comments are closed.

Post a Comment