Today was a very nice 8th birthday. We sang Z the birthday song and let her open one present -- a cool bag full of stuff for geocaching ("swag" to put in the caches, a retractable mirror and magnet). Then we went to Fox and Goose for breakfast. On the way home we stopped and found TWO caches in East Portal Park near our house. She was really excited.
She then got to play with her friend from across the street for a while, and we packed a lunch. We went to Effie Yeaw nature center (the neighbor, Fidget, and her dad went with us) and played around a bit, walked to the river, ate some lunch, then spent a little time in the visitor center. Finally we came home for just a bit more playtime. Then it was karate (she opened her new gi from Grandpa first), where she was the class leader, and we dropped off her black belt project collection box. Then we picked up Chinese food for dinner, opened a few more presents, and then she and Lochlan just played with balloons for a while.
While I don't downplay, in this space, how difficult it sometimes is to raise her/live with her, I am not sure I say often enough what an absolute pleasure she can be, too, and what a blessing, and what a smart, kind, funny girl she often is. At the age of 40, you'd think I'd stop being astounded at how many years have passed, but I never really am, and to think that we've had her in our lives for eight years (1/5th of my life!) is just marvelous.
Happy birthday, Azadeh Finn.