This birthday has been in the making for a long time. One-hundred years, in fact, for the birthday girl. But for the rest of us, we’ve been planning it since January. My father-in-law and his brother made the guest list and chose the location. I sent out the e-vite. My husband’s cousin planned the decorations and ordered the cake. My son painted a giant picture and my twin daughters decorated a banner. Finally, the day arrived.
“What kind of cake is Grandma Michi going to have?” Little Girl A asked. At the age of three, she knows what’s important when it comes to birthday parties.
“I think it’s going to be a dinosaur cake!” Little Girl B declared excitedly.
“I don’t know,” I replied, laughing to myself.
“What did we get her for a present?” my son asked. At the age of six, he has his own birthday priorities.
“You made her pictures, that’s the best present she could want. You don’t really care about presents when you’re one-hundred,” I told him. He looked at me like I was crazy, not believing that anyone wouldn’t want presents. I laughed again.
When we arrived, the kids gave their great-grandma her presents, which she was delighted with. After a delicious lunch, it was time to sing:
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday Grandma Michi,
Happy birthday to you!
And then we dug into our Chantilly cake. We all agreed that we’ll have a dinosaur cake for her 101st birthday.
shawndastories 