Emily's Big Day

I swear we didn't forget about her b-day, I just haven't blogged about it because we have been so busy. It is not her fault that her birthday falls near a major holiday and I promise we made her feel like a queen for a day (As did all the friends and family members that sent cards and well wishes..thank you!). She was excited that her birthday fell on a Friday this year as it is a school day. She wanted to dress up and chose to wear a silk dress. She wanted her hair up and chopsticks in her hair. We surprised her by getting her a little hairpin from one of the Japanese shops. She loved it. Then I brought cupcakes to her classroom. The cupcakes were vanilla with pink frosting as she requested (she said she thought that some of the boys wouldn't like the pink but "they will just have to eat it." Emily doesn't take any guff from boys!! It turns out that color becomes a non-issue when it tastes good...everyone loved them). The whole class sang "Happy Birthday" to her and her wonderful teacher let her pick a present from her birthday jar. After school, the girls and I went to Cocok's where the girls got their toenails and fingernails painted and Mommy got a pedicure. Brian was working late, so we held out until he got home and just made our dinner reservations at Macaroni Grill. The restaurant was packed and everyone clapped when the staff sang "Happy Birthday" to her in Italian. That was a neat experience because the staff is primarily Japanese! It was great. When we returned home, Emily opened her presents and it was off to bed. Since it was so late, we didn't have her cake until the next day. The girls think it is great that they get to celebrate their birthday twice (once in our timezone, and once in the U.S's timezone). Emily desperatly wanted to have a wolf birthday and I usually make the cakes. However, wolves are not in my repitoire. So, I had one done at the Banyan Tree Club on base (the cupcakes were my homemade contribuition this year). The club scans photos and prints them on cakes. We used her favorite wolf photo, one that our dear friends in Alaska took recently. (You can see more about them and their photograpy through their links on my blog). She loved her cake! Due to the fact they have a minimum size on cakes, we had to order the size you see in the picture. It made for happy neighbors and friends as we pawned cake off left and right! Emily had a great day. I can't believe our baby is growing up! I am so glad she still has time for hugs, cuddles, and kisses.