So...where were we? Ah yes. Days Four and Five!

June 26th, 2010

My birthday.

Chris and Katie sure know how to make a girl feel special. Chris and the kids picked these fresh flowers straight off the bushes and trees growing on their property. There are even sprigs off their apple tree with baby green apples attached. Since I'm a lover of flowers, this was such a happy surprise.

Another happy surprise was my birthday banner. Here's the story: One year for Christopher's birthday Chelsea made a "Happy Birthday" sign using 5x7 index cards all on her own as her birthday gift to her big brother. She couldn't have been older than six. I bet Chelsea remembers exactly how old she was though. That girl has a memory like an elephant and helps us keep all the facts straight. Well, my birthday followed four days later (like always) and Chelsea made me my own birthday sign using more 5x7 index cards. I kept that sign and still have it tucked away. So the tradition was born. With every birthday that followed my family would all pitch in to make the birthday sign to hang the morning of the celebration and surprise the birthday kid.

This sign is another Chelsea original that she made back at her house in Virginia and packed it to hang on the morning of my birthday. Look at the "i" in Birthday. She used the June wings from my thoughtful girl! I haven't been surprised by a birthday sign on my birthday morning for ten years, so this one is very special to me. Now, this sign is folded neatly and tucked away too.

Katie planned a Girls' Day Out and researched yummy places to eat in downtown Ft. Collins and awesome places to shop. We wanted to get going first thing so the night before my birthday I told Katie Mae that I would braid her hair if she would braid mine so that in the morning we could just take the braids out and avoid blow-drying and all that. It took us till one in the morning to get all the hundreds of tiny braids in but saving time in the morning was the idea, not so much at night.

Chris said it best when Katie Mae and I came upstairs after undoing all the strands.

He said, "Well, we know who the better braider is." Meaning not me.

He said that because Katie's hair turned out like this:

"RAWR!" Work it! The camera loves you!

Katie Mae's mane made her break out into a full tribal dance. 

I know she's loving me so much right now. But we were laughing so hard I almost peed my pants. You have to document those moments.

Yes, I did redeem myself and made everything alright. Her hair looked really great pulled back into a crimpy messy bun. In the end, the braiding actually slowed us down and our breakfast turned into a brunch making the pregnant ones near fainting with hunger.

Brunch at the Bluebird Cafe was splendid! We avoided the early crowds and had a whole corner to ourselves. Daisy and Finn were the only minors allowed to come. Chris took one for the team and stayed home with the other little ones.

Daisy liked getting to know Auntie Chelsea.

Photo op at brunch:

See? I fixed Katie Mae's hair well, didn't I. 

And here are Katie Mae's braiding skills. I felt very ethnic and tried to channel my inner Jamaican, but it just wasn't happening.

After a day of shopping and sightseeing I was serenaded and treated with strawberry shortcake.

Daisy had her eye on the candles.

Olen and Porter and London called before we left for the day and sang Happy Birthday to me. Mamasita and Daddio sent a package that arrived with birthday gifts for Chris and me to open together. I was dreading turning 29 because it means that next year I'll be 30, but if my next birthday could be half as wonderful as this one then my thirties would be off to a great start.

Daisy's birthday gift to me was showing me how she's learned to climb up on things.

This was her first reach. She pulled herself on the steps and almost made it to the top.

Check out that look on her face. She knows she just did something big.

Day Five

June 27th, 2010

This was our last day in Colorado but we didn't need to be at the airport till that evening so Chris and Katie packed the morning with a road trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming to see the Celtic Festival. We all love road trips and in honor of our Irish-loving Pa we were really excited to go. The festival was in the last of its three-day run and so things were kind of winding down when we got there but we still got to meet some Celtic clans and hear some fun music. Daisy was kicking her legs and clapping along, it was awesome.

The town was so beautiful and the weather was perfect so we stayed and had a picnic before the hour drive back to Fort Collins to pack up our bags.

Big cousin Jocelyn was such a huge helper with Daisy. She was always making Daisy little forts to crawl in and letting Daisy play house with her and Cecily.

This always happened. I finally get Asher to look at me (or kind of look my way) when I'm taking a picture and Chris is making a face. Here's my favorite one.

We said our "good-byes" and "see ya soons" and packed it all up.

I knew I would see Chelsea when she came down in a couple weeks to visit and take Olivia and Aubrey back to Virginia to stay with her and I secretly started to form a scheme on how my family could come visit Chris and Katie for Thanksgiving, so my brain was too busy and excited thinking about the next visits to let my eyes think about tears.

I love all my brothers and sisters so much. I know I'm a huge drippy sappy girl, and I don't care.

They're my best friends.

Thank you Christopher and Katie for hosting us sisters and spoiling us rotten.

What do you think about making this an annual event?

The house was still standing when I returned and everyone was well fed and happy. Only Olen and London were home since we let Porter (who begged us and called me twice while I was in Colorado asking to go) stay the week in Heber with cousins till we were to meet up there for the 4th of July. My home sick little man didn't make it past Tuesday and we had to go pick him up and bring him home. I was happy to go get him, though. It's good to get away and then it's great to come back home.