Gills-A-GoGo: Caroline on Caroline's Actual Birthday

by Caroline Grace Gill

We went to Target and got popcorn and today is my real birthday!! Popcorn was my breakfast 'cause we were going to go to Denny's, but we were late. Then we went to Kohl's and bought me some new clothes! At Kohl's we went to the makeup part and we put on all kinds of makeup and I couldn't see my eyeshadow. And my mom dropped a container and it probably broke. (Yes, it did break, no biggie, just a plastic cotton ball container that I suspect was already in two pieces but set together to look fine, so sue me, Kohl's.)

This is me at Applebee's. The lady thought I was only eating soup but I had chicken fingers and french fries. I ate my mommy's soup.

(And can I challenge anyone to actually be able to eat a salad on a tiny kidney bean shaped dish without leaving half the salad on the table?! The table top was neatened up for the purposes of this picture, but guess there went the point!)

Sorry, spewing bitterness towards Kohl's and Applebee's is not very happy birthday-like. It really was a great day! Back to Miss C:

Then we had to stop at the store to get a yellow cake mix since I wanted a yellow cake. My special supper that I picked was Mexican rice, sausage sandwich, and yellow cake with white icing and a 6 candle.

We picked up the boys and then we went to the outdoor pool for swimming at the YMCA. Sam loved the frog slide! I did the big twisty slide!

We got tired and this is me asleep in the van. And Sam was asleep, too, when we drove home.

(And if we are ever gonna get to hit P for publish this week, we really did start this on Wednesday and now it's Friday, Mama's just gonna have to take over since Girlfriend's attention span for this one is done gone.)

So now, the Diane version:

Caroline's girl-only birthday plan was for us to have Denny's for breakfast, go shopping, and have Chinese for lunch, and Mexican for supper. I thought that sounded great! I woke up that morning seriously excited since those are all my favorite things! Well, morning reality hit and we didn't get out of the house until 9:30 and if we actually did breakfast then, that would throw off the whole schedule since we had to pick up the boys from their friends' house at 1:00. So I convinced her to get a snack while we shopped at Target. That explains how she came up with the crazy idea for popcorn breakfast--her mom made her do it.

She was not the shopping mad-girl that I expected! In an ocean of girlie clothes at Target and Kohl's, she would casually pick up something and put it right back, not really interested. Maybe all those years of "No, you can look but we are not buying anything" that I have chanted since the dawning of our children has actually brainwashed her.

By the end, she asked to try on a pair of capris and 2 t-shirts and that's what she got for her new birthday outfit. And good thing she finally came through 'cause if there's anything we (don't) have a shortage of in this house, it's toys, flipflops, and girl clothes. Just ask Gary.

Lunch plans then shifted to Applebee's at my suggestion since I had a free kids's meal coupon and that worked well except we were running so tight on time that I didn't get to tell the waitress it was Caroline's birthday! Of all places to miss out on that. We just had to eat and get the check and go, or we were going to be seriously late for picking up the boys at 1. I hope I can get over that guilt. My poor time management probably cost her a deluxe-o free dessert and staff singing and the full restaurant's attention for 3 minutes. And a balloon! Bummer.

The afternoon event was swimming at the Y with Sam. The big boys stayed home since they "don't like the outdoor pool." ?? We had fun hopping in and hopping out over and over and where was Mom's time to enjoy the last open lounge chair that we were super lucky to score on a totally crowded pool day? Good thing we had it to hold our towels.

After a snooze/recharge for Sam and Caroline, and after Gary finished mowing for already the 233rd time this season, we had our gourmet supper of just-what-she-asked-for and then it was cake and presents time. By now it was 8:30-9:00 at night, and can I just say, Caroline was so good about patiently waiting for the finale.

Her gifts: smelly markers from smelly brothers, Jack and Grant, slippers from Sam, a Baby Alive and the hard-to-come-by outfit from me,