Rachel's 10th Birthday

We celebrated Rachel's 10th birthday this last week. She has been so excited at the thought of her upcoming birthday. The Littles are especially aware of when their birthdays are, or at least which one is coming up next and they talk about it for weeks before it actually arrives.

This year, Rachel was able to give us concrete ideas for gifts. It was very hard in the past for her to come up with more than simple suggestions, like toys or books. She had some very specific ideas this year and it was fun shopping for her.

We actually had two celebrations, the 8th, which is her actual birthday and the next day when Mom and Dad came over and had dinner with us.

Earlier in the day on the 8th, we had picked Brian up at the airport. He was returning from simulator training. A trip to the airport is always a treat.

We had yellow cake with pink frosting and sprinkles. The children all pitched in to frost the cake.

Bessie and I both had commitments back at church that evening, so we had cake and ice cream in the afternoon and let Rachel open her gifts.

Rachel was so thrilled with her gifts. We got her a few things on her list and a some not. I love to surprise the children.

It is exciting for me to see the change in our Filipino children. They are becoming so much more open and willing share their feelings. I think they are finally feeling secure in their family and home. They have certain expectations now for how things work in our family and they can feel confident in knowing those expectations will be met. Birthdays are one of those things. They know they get to choose their dinner and dessert and that we honor the birthday child on their special day.

We have seen Rachel blossoming, coming out of her shell, becoming less nervous and timid. She can more openly share her struggles and victories. She is developing (or perhaps we are just seeing it) a very distinct personality that is all her own.

Happy Birthday, Rachel! We love you!