It Was a Great Day to Turn Nine

Maddie's ninth birthday was today.  What made it so special? 

Was it because her birthday fell on a Sunday and Brian could be home to share it with her?  A good thing, but no. 

Was it because when she opened her presents she got a coupon allowing her to get her ears pierced?  Exciting to be sure, but no. 

Was it because she ate chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast?  Another good thing, but no. 

Was it because she blew out the candles on pink lemonade cupcakes after lunch?  Yummy, but no.  

The thing that made this 9th birthday so over-the-top better than the rest is that Maddie went out to dinner and met her penpal, Erin!

Maddie and Erin have been exchanging letters and drawings for about three years.  When we found out Erin's family would be on vacation less than an hour from our house and that their trip coincided with Maddie's birthday, both families made plans to meet for dinner. 

It took awhile for the girls to warm up and feel comfortable enough to talk.  We joked that maybe they could pass notes since they were used to communicating with pencil and paper. Once they started to talk, though, they didn't stop.  They turned sideways in their chairs and began a steady stream of happy chatter.

As an aside, how many trips to the potty do you think 2 families with 11 children between them can make during 1 mealtime?  I'm not sure either because I lost count, but it was more than 4!  We did get a great photo of all 11 children where not 1 child was crying.  Success! 

Back row left to right: Maygen (7), Ada (6), Nora (11 months), Maddie (9), Erin (9), Owen (6), and Gavin (10)
Front row left to right: Garrett (2), Ben (4), Alaine (2), and Kylie (4)

It was a lovely day to turn nine!