Viv the Butterfly is Turning 7

It is surreal to think that seven years ago, on the other side of the world in Thailand, I was in labor, about to welcome my first born to the Earth. She has been a strong, determined, sensitive soul with an incredible desire to be good. I continue to learn so much from her, and I am so grateful for the privilege of being her mom.

She has had quite a year. She suffered the emotional anxiety of leaving loved ones in Utah and moving across the country into the unknown wiles of Connecticut. She was a champ and made new friends effortlessly in her new school. She continued gymnastics. She survived Lyme disease and poison oak. She got a retainer to correct a cross-bite. She began learning what it takes to take care of chickens. She took some sewing classes. She became a book worm, devouring a series of fairy books. She lost her two front teeth, not to mention two on the bottom as well. She earned a few more freckles on her face, and she grew taller. She is amazing, and we love her more that we can say.
This year, despite our urgings otherwise, Viv really wanted to have a "friend party" - at our house. For years we've gotten away with doing very simple birthday celebrations at grandma's houses with cousins. It was great. No invitations, no hassle, etc. Also, we all agreed that gifts could be recycled toys from each others houses. I loved it. This year we took the plunge into the real world of kid birthday parties. Out east the parties are pretty out of control. It is not unusual for parents to spend $1000 or $2000 on the event. We can't afford that, and even if we could, it's...RIDICULOUS...to me. Plus, I get uncomfortable with too much stuff, and didn't want a ton of new plastic toys that we don't need.

So, Viv and I spoke about it all. She made a list of fun things to do for her birthday at home, and we talked about the purpose of a friend party. I asked her if it was to get presents or to be with friends. She said the latter (thank goodness), so I asked if she'd like to use this opportunity to help someone in need. We discussed a few different options, and in the end, she decided that she wanted to help her preschool friend, Nicolas ("NICO") by suggesting that her invited guests all purchase NICO t-shirts instead of bringing her a gift. I was so proud of her decision. The party turned out to be a lot of fun (and work), and it was so cool to see all of the NICO shirts. The kids helped to decorate a sign for NICO, and they made up funny skits to make him laugh (we filmed them to send to him). There was party hat decorating, cupcake decorating, a balloon race, a pinata, and a bit of dancing/karaoke. We love you, NICO!!

In other new, we said goodbye to PamPam. It was an emotional departure for her (I took that as a very good sign). We had such a good experience, and we intend to keep in touch with her. Also, Scott (super-cool guy with Advent Creative) has been staying with us for over a week now working on things for Viridian. He leaves tomorrow. It's been fun getting to know him better.