Mara's Birthday

I don't think I have ever captured one of Mara's birthday stories on the day that it actually happened. Poor baby. This year she was either extra looked over or received an extra special experience. It's all a matter of perspective.

Her birthday fell on our annual Milwaukee trip (where we tag along with Ben for his work conference). Instead of picking her favorite home cooked meal, we ate at the Mayfair Mall food court. Instead of designing her own cake, she just got to blow the candles off the one I made for myself on my birthday. But ... we did stay the night in a hotel on her birthday, and to little kids that's just about the most magical thing that could ever happen. And we did go to Build-a-Bear, where she got not one, but two new stuffies for her party/experience. So overall, I think she felt very celebrated and loved. As the baby of our family, I don't know how she could feel any other way! She gets more than her share of attention from everybody.

Super excited to finally get her Chase stuffie she'd been begging for.

Pretty sweet deal for these kids to get presents on their sisters' birthday

Snuggling mom in the hotel bed

Ben actually had to take the state (work) car down to the event, so that made this year's experience a little unique. This was both a pain (didn't really seem like it was worth going, especially since our museum pass had just expired) and a relief (we didn't have to wait around for him). The kids start to sense this trip is coming as Fall sets in. So it's hard to back out of this little tradition. Without the museum pass, we opted for the Milwaukee domes this time around. The show dome was decked out in Hunderd Acre woods fashion. 

I planned to fill the rest of our day with a McDonald's playhouse, public library stop, and swim at a YMCA. But we basically experience meltdown after meltdown by the time we ate a 10:30 am lunch at McDonald's (I was guilty of most the meltdowns), so instead we headed back to the Fox Valley and went straight to the Mall right here by us. Why? Well, cause the Mayfair Mall didn't have Reid's coveted Snorlax in stock at their Build-a-Bear. I'll tell you what, we don't go to the mall but once a year in this family and it is a good thing! I can't believe how much money we spent in this one little weekend! 

But we had lots of family fun time and enjoyed spending it all with our newly minted three year old.