Eliza's Birthday

At the end of the day, Eliza was ecstatic that her birthday was so "great."  We didn't do anything too crazy that day, but there were enough little customizations that Eliza felt really special.

She woke up and did her morning workout as usual, got a break from some of the work she usually does in the morning, and chose to have chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.  Right after we started driving to school she remembered that she's old enough to ride in the front now, so we pulled over so she could enjoy her first (officially sanctioned) ride in the passenger seat.

She shared (grocery store) sugar cookies and Capri Suns with her class, her less homework than usual, and enjoyed her requested pasta alfredo dinner with chicken and broccoli.  Everyone else got their work done in time for us to also have a movie night - which almost never happens on school nights!  We laughed out loud at one of Eliza's favorite movies, Bedtime Stories.  We also enjoyed cake and she opened a few presents.  She loved the necklace Mema and Papa sent, and has been spending a lot of time with the 3D pen she asked for.  I also surprised her with a metal print of a picture I took of a turtle at the Sea Turtle Hospital in January.

Eliza was really excited to have a birthday party this year.  We decided that the least risky option (Covid-wise) was to gather in a big space, so we scheduled another private viewing party the weekend after her birthday.  She invited 8 friends to come watch Tom & Jerry and we made cake pops and goodie bags to share.  All of the friends came, and they had a lot of fun enjoying snacks while they talked and joked and laughed during the movie.  (Not pictured: Whit, Jack, and Luke created their own boy area in the theater, watching from the second row.)

That night, Suz's family joined us at a hibachi steakhouse for dinner.  It was the first time any of our kids had been to one and they loved it!

It was so fun to celebrate Eliza's birthday!