Happy Birthday to Rose

Rose turned eleven years old on Monday! We began celebrations a day early and had the local grandparents and cousins over for birthday mac and cheese dinner on Sunday night. We set up a folding table in our family room for the adults, and the kids ate at our kitchen table a few feet away. Our little house was bursting with family and life, all celebrating our sweet Rose girl. Everyone chowed down on the triple batch of macaroni and cheese that I made (3 pounds of macaroni noodles!) with roasted veggies and kielbasa sausage on the side. We had one small bowl of macaroni leftover. 

Rose chose blue jello for her cake. The massive double batch of blue jello in our rectangular glass pan looked like a giant jiggly swimming pool before I frosted it in a thick layer of whipped cream. I made a pan of extra stiff Jello Jiggler style jello (also blue), cut the letters of Rose's name out of it, and put them on top of the whipped cream. The finishing touch was lots of sprinkles. It was possibly my most fun (and best-looking) birthday "cake" ever. The kids loved it! I set the jar of sprinkles on the table and let the kids add as many extra sprinkles to their jello whipped cream blobs as they wanted. It was a hit.

Sprinkles went flying and rolling all over the kitchen.

Rose enjoyed gifts from both sets of grandparents a few days early. She went out to lunch and shopped for a new sweater with Grama Leslie. Grama Meri sent a big cookie cookbook, and right after Rose opened the package, she immediately baked up a batch of delicious cookies using one of the recipes in the book. 

On Monday morning, Rose opened the rest of her birthday presents before school. Amber gave her eleven packs of gum. Jay gave her three Kindle novellas that are sidekicks to one of their favorite Brandon Sanderson series. It was hard thinking of presents for Rose! The only thing she said when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday was GUM. So I dug deep. Jeff and I gave her a rainbow striped pajama onesie, a pair of adorable bunny slippers, some nice hair scrunchies, a pack of scratch art paper, and a big kick scooter to match the ones Jeff, Jay, and I have. 

Rose's class at school had a pajama day scheduled on Rose's birthday, so Rose got to wear her new pajamas and a new scrunchie to school, and she also brought her new slippers to wear in the classroom. She brought a package of Golden Oreos to share with her class as a birthday treat. I think each kid in her class got like 2 Oreos. I hope nobody thought I was a stingy mom! 

For dinner on her actual birthday, Rose requested Thai food. She ordered Pad See Eew, her favorite fat noodles with chicken, broccoli, and a savory brown sauce. I called in our order at the nearest Thai restaurant, Prosser Thai Bistro, which is half an hour away from our house. They said it would be ready in 25 minutes, so I got right in the car and drove to Prosser, picked up and paid for the food, and drove home. It took a little over an hour, which was longer than I usually spend cooking dinner. Thai takeout is not exactly convenient (or cheap) where we live, but it made the meal all the more special for Rose. 

After dinner, Rose got to choose our game for family game night. She picked Mario Kart, which suited me fine because it's a four person game. So I sat on the couch with my family for companionship, looking at pictures on my phone, while they played several LOUD chaotic cutthroat games of Mario Kart. I nearly broke several times and went to my quiet bedroom to gather my scattered wits, but I stuck it out in the name of family game night.

Rose had a happy birthday, and it was fun helping her feel special for her day. We love our vivacious, intelligent, intense, profound, sweet Rose!

Rose and Amber played the piano together for a while on Sunday afternoon while waiting for the cousins to arrive. Amber thought it was warm enough for a tank top, haha.

The jello cake! I know it doesn't look like much, but I was so proud of how it turned out. (And a little surprised that the jello letters actually worked!)

Rose, ready to blow out the candles with cousins Layne and Grayce on either side.

The cousin table, slurping up their blue jello. I didn't get a picture of the adult table crammed next to the couch in the other room.

Traditional mom-child birthday selfie. I love this girl.

Birthday breakfast of champions: Lucky Charms. I wish I could say that sugary cereal was a treat reserved for birthdays and holidays, but I have given up fighting my family's love of cereal, and unless it's bran flakes or shredded wheat, most cereals have similar sugar content. So I keep buying it because I'm a nice wife and mom.

Rose opened her presents while eating cereal, haha. Here she is with her haul, minus the scooter which was too big to fit on the table, and the slippers, which were on her feet.

The sunrise on Rose's birthday was especially enigmatic with the mist and the pink.

Zoomed out, at 7am.

Half an hour later, at 7:30am the pink was completely gone.

Rosie, all ready for school on her birthday. She vowed to only wear the slippers inside her classroom. Apparently everyone else in her class always brings slippers on pajama days but Rose has never had any. Birthday win!

I went on an actual run in the actual sun on Rose's birthday! It was nice (and short, since it's been a while). The dormant mint and grape fields looked so hopeful in the sunshine, and I let that hope seep into my bones. My body is slowly recuperating from all its many ailments. Eleven years ago I birthed a baby. My body came back from that more than once, so it will come back from sickness and injury too.

In the midst of Rose's birthday festivities, Amber left me a note on the fridge, reminding me: "You love me heart Amber." It made me smile. 

We stabbed eleven candles in the remainder of the jello for Rose to blow out on her birthday. Her sweet school teacher made these candles as a gift, just like she did last year! I had to get cranky at the rest of the fam for photo-bombing this picture over and over (Jeff and Jay), and attempting to blow out the candles just as I snapped the picture several times (Amber).

Birthday Mario Kart! This picture looks so calm and quiet. It was NOT.

WE LOVE OUR SWEET ROSE!