What do I think about birthdays?

Dear family and friends,

If you know me well you know I LOVE birthdays! Particularly mine and Jesus's...but I love other people's birthdays too. If you know me well you know I have a very hard time remembering anyone's but mine, Jesus's, Ed's, our children's, my parents, and my sisters. Although I forget...this forgetting thing is really starting to scare me, but that could be a whole blog in and of itself.

On Friday our Wyatt turns THIRTEEN...oh when did that happen. The day before he was born I had to climb up and chase Caroline into one of those monstrous climbing play towers. I'm sure it helped induce labor.

I think I love birthday celebrations because they just remind me of how much Jesus loves us. Jesus delights over me everyday, which really boggles my mind. Some day we are going to get to experience that in a more tangible way that I can't even fathom at this point. This is usually right up there with my best day of the year (except my 22nd birthday...ended up good but had lots of lessons for the newly weds). Yet I realize that being with Jesus someday will most likely make all these earthly days seem quite shadowed. The good ones are just a foretaste. Birthdays are filled with love, surprises, sweets and people we love (and who love us).

So our Wyatt is a planner. This causes problems around his birthday for two reasons....1) Because birthdays are a gift, not something you can plan and order 2) Because my planning is not as always as fast as he would like to be. BUT we finally have a plan of order, some of which he knows and some that he does not.

When the children were little we created our family birthday adventure. This was originally in lieu of birthday parties. As the children got older, somehow I ended up roped into both. Now that they are older, Ed has put a stop to parties (although there always seems to be something or other that could be construed as one) and we're supposed to be sticking to birthday adventures alone. Every birthday, I pray about what all God wants us to do. The order of the day has to fill two billets 1) to make the birthday celebratee feel loved and special 2) to not overwhelm the mother. I don't always make #2 but I always make #1. The last thing that is very important to Ed and I about birthdays is that they are always a privilege, not a right. We've had one birthday postponed for two weeks and one stopped half way through and not continued until the next day. The heart of the receiver must be in grateful receiving mode that honors the Lord and not themselves.

So here goes:

1) Birthday adventure begins at 4:30...the specific adventure has not been announced as of yet. There will definitely be pictures later this week. This is usually a surprise and involves all six Thomas Troops (except one year that everyone got a special spend the night away with Daddy).

2) Several families are coming by Thursday night for cake...no party...just cake and a prayer to thank God for our Wyatt.

3) Friday is going to be very different than normal as Ed has to work Friday night (Air Force Ball) and we will not be able to be with Wyatt on the evening of his birthday. Ed's been in D.C. this week so he's going to take leave on Friday and we are going to go spend the day together. As long as everything works out with reservations we are going to take Wyatt out for surfing lessons and a beach picnic.

4) Wyatt's siblings have been planning their birthday evening that they will spend together. Kate has chosen a movie, they are working on their menu, and lots of extra little surprises. Now the danger of this all happening without the parents is expectation management. We'll see how it goes...

So off I go, my day is full as it takes lots of time to make all these things happen. In the meantime the children are working on school.

Love to you all! I apologize for my silence this past week. Ed being gone just adds to my plate, but God is good...

Love in Christ,

Dinah for The Troops

P.S.-Birthday season in our house is from the 1st of March until the 18th of April. During this six week period we celebrate birthdays for Ed, Caroline, Melanee Kate, and Jefferson.