I suppose that it is normal for a child, as she gets older, to try and negotiate with her parents over nearly everything–a later bedtime, fewer chores, more privileges. So, it should come as no surprise that, instead of simply celebrating a birthDAY, Guppy scored a birthWEEK that then turned into a birthMONTH. I caved pretty easily. It seemed logical that since she is such a good kid (and she REALLY is) that celebrating her birth for a short 24 hours was simply insufficient. Plus, it has been a really busy time for our family, so I welcomed the extra time to try and pull together a party, etc.

We celebrated Guppy’s actual birthday with special family friends, the McFaddens. She also lost another tooth. I think this is the 2nd year in a row that she’s lost a tooth on her birthday.

A week and a half later, we hosted a fun swim and pizza party for Guppy and a few of her friends. Everyone seemed to have a blast.

Ariana, I love you and am so proud of you! You are growing up into such a beautiful, caring, obedient daughter and are the best big sister that Miss Vivi could ever have.

Happy BirthYEAR!

Even though the call was issued more than a month ago, the title still doesn’t sound quite right. That’s not to say that I don’t think that Bryan will be a wonderful Bishop of our newly-formed Frisco 6th ward. I’m just still in shock and haven’t quite adjusted to having him gone so much. And even when he is home, he’s sometimes not REALLY home; his mind is elsewhere, or he’s on the phone, or on the computer, or meeting with someone in the other room. He has even fallen asleep reading church handbooks.

But in true Bryan fashion, he is trying so very hard to make it easier for us, and I love him for it. And I know that the blessings our family receives as Bryan serves in this capacity will more than compensate for the sacrifice. But on the first Sunday afternoon that Bryan had to leave for meetings instead of spend time with us, it was still hard for all of us. Miss Vivi cried. I guess that’s one of the privileges of childhood–You can cry when you feel like it, no matter who is watching.

(For those readers not of our faith, the LDS church is primarily administered by lay clergy. Bryan has been asked to oversee our congregation of 300+ members for the next five years or so).