Harriet's 7th Birthday

Harriet has been so excited this year, over everything.  Each holiday has been so much for her she can hardly handle it.  Her birthday was no exception.  Sometime last fall, she got an American Girl Catalog in the mail and saw the 2013 doll of the year.  Saige - a girl from Albuquerque who loves art and dogs and horses and hot air balloons.  I mean, really - there was no question that she would go nuts over this doll.  Harriet stared at the catalog for weeks dreaming about having it.  She has never had a real American Girl doll before.  They (and their accessories!) are incredibly expensive to say the least.

The amount we usually spend on birthday presents wouldn't be enough for Saige.  I asked Harriet if she'd like to save and make up the difference and get it for her birthday.  I was really surprised at how willing and excited she was to help buy the doll.  In some ways I felt bad that I didn't just buy it for her, but I knew once I spent that much on one gift, it would change the game for everything.  Plus, it's not like she was saving money she earned from digging ditches all day or working in a factory.   The allowance money was coming from us anyway - she just needed to conserve it a bit.  She was so patient about it and was very frugal with her money all winter and spring, knowing she needed to save.

So, as her birthday came closer, all she could think about was the day she would open the box with Saige inside!  Lucky for her, we let her open it at our family birthday party a few days early.

Grandma, Grandpa, and Christine came over for a fancy dinner and birthday cake#1 (red velvet again - the girls love red velvet lately), and brought really fun presents.  Harriet loved opening the bag with $5 bills wrapped separately in different ways and went nuts over the giant chocolate bar from Christine.  Grace was adorable and shopped for her own birthday present for Harriet.  She was so excited to give it to her.

Then, on birthday eve, Harriet went to bed, but then got up at midnight.  I don't know how, but that kid knew the calendar turned over to her birthday.  David had been in California all week and had JUST walked in the door from the airport.  She was dying to get up and open her presents from the Mitchell family.  We gave her birthday kisses and sent her back to bed.  5:30am, she was up again.  This time though, poor thing, woke up vomiting.  Who wakes up throwing up on their 7th birthday?  When Grace got up at 7, we let her open presents and then, of course, kept her home from school.  The Mitchells sent her some very cool stuff.  She was VERY excited that Mo-Deb and Grandpa Lyle sent Saige's dog and jewelry set.

We think it actually turned out to be a great day for her.  David had the day off.  She didn't have any more stomach issues, and was able to stay home and play with her new toys and soak up parent time all day.  (Truthfully, she may have just been so excited about her birthday that she made herself sick over it.)  I was so happy to get to sit at the kitchen table with her and help her with her new Legos and Hello Kitty house.  I don't get very many chances anymore to just sit with her and her toys.  So, maybe waking up sick wasn't so bad after all.  She was even able to blow out a candle on a cupcake and eat it when Grace got home from school.

Thankfully, she was completely well for her party and we didn't have to cancel the Hello Kitty Festival!