Jessenia's Birthday!

The year Jessenia gets to celebrate her birthday ON her birthday, we are going to have a smashing party.  Last year Mack had a test the day after her birthday so we postponed the party a few days.  This year Jessenia got her tonsils out less than a week before her birthday, so we celebrated the night before tonsil removal.  She has no idea.  And it was the best decision we could have made.  She was still miserable on her real birthday, plus she had all of her new toys to play with while she was recuperating.

 Here is the beautiful four year old, with her haul.

 She gets prettier every day.  I am a little worried about it. 

 If those presents behind him weren't so obviously not for him, I would lie and say this was his birthday picture.  We never got a good one on his day.  But he of course insisted on having a turn on Jessenia's big day.

 Jessenia is really good at loving every dorky little thing she gets.  Which makes her parents feel good, since their gifts are so clearly sub-par when compared to the gifts she gets from others.

 But this was her favorite!  Reese got a LeapPad for Christmas and Jessenia has been asking for one ever since.  I told her to ask Grandma (since she is who got Reese's) and Grandma did not disappoint.  For all those parents of toddlers, we are so glad that we have these LeapPads.  They are easier for the kids to handle than an Ipad, cheaper, sturdier, and all the games have an educational premise (some more loosely than others).  They are dreamy for road trips and doctor visits when I used to lug fifty busy bags and books to keep them entertained.  I wish we had one for Brisbane, because he is much better at it than our iPods & the games are more interesting to him. 

 More gift opening.

 Reese was a very good big brother, and even drug a chair over to watch his sister open her loot.  He didn't touch any of her things and was very excited for her.
My encouragement of Chick-fil-A after Brisbane's birthday bash, apparently did not fall on deaf ears, and that's where Jessenia chose for her dinner.  Reese and Jessenia even sat at their own little table.  It looked like two little cuties on a date.  (Reese as a teenager:  "Mom!  That's disgusting!")

 In a repeat of last year, Jessenia wanted cupcakes.  Chocolate with pink frosting.
After cake I set the pool up in the backyard and the kids had their first swim of the year.

 Brisbane refused to get in the water but played with his water table instead.

Reese and Jessenia had a blast however!
We love our sweet Jessenia.  She definitely wants to be a helper (even when her 'help' isn't really all that useful).  She is such a good big sister to Brisbane and has the biggest imagination.  We are grateful every day for her goodness and life just wouldn't be the same without her.