Happy Birthday Abby!

Today I spent the day with my nieces Abby and Lily, and it was more than just any average day of books, arts and crafts and decorating the cat with stickers - it was Abby's birthday! Chugging her way towards Social Security, I can't believe that she is 6 years old already! It seems like only yesterday when we went to visit her at the hospital and she was under that little baby fry lamp trying to keep warm. Now, she's a recent Kindergarten graduate who can read!

Our fun-packed day started off without a hitch, but soon, like all good plans it started to go awry. We plan, God laughs (Abby doesn't). It was raining pretty hard today so I left nice and early to make sure I made it to Sister's house in time (it's about 45 mintues from me on a good day). The morning went well - we did some art projects and then worked on getting dressed. Abby picked out her own clothes so she was easy and after 15 minutes, I was able to convince 3 year-old Lily that a turtleneck at the end of July wasn't the best idea.

Then at 12:30 Mommy came home from work, and the girls ate lunch at a speed that would impress competitive eaters world-wide. Why? Because we were going to the Jump Zone!! A perfect rainy-day activity that Abby had been looking forward to ALL WEEK. Unfortunately, about half the population of Connecticut also thought it would be a good idea and they got there before us. When we arrived, there was a nice big colorful sign on the door saying that the Open Jump session was full. Abby, now an avid reader, didn't have to be told that we couldn't go in.

With promises of going to the Jump Zone on another day, we quickly came up with a plan B. Plan B sent us in the direction of mini-golf since the bad weather from the morning had disappeared. A few minutes after we got excited about golf, the sky got dark and we heard the distant rumble of thunder.

Enter Plan C. Plan C took us to the mall in search of the Build-a-Bear workshop. We found the bear factory and Abby took her time picking out the perfect bear and a cute outfit. Thankfully, mini golf was quickly forgotten and Abby was once again a happy birthday girl.

The rest of the night was uneventful, and now I am back home, hoping that time will slow down and keep all 5 of my nieces little girls for just a while longer.