Flashback Friday: My birthdays

Growing up in a family of 10, it seemed like it was always someone's birthday, especially during the fall when 7 of us had our birthdays. By the time I graduated high school we added like 10 nieces and nephews so it seemed like every other week we were having cake. 

And in my own little family, we have a birthday a month Sep-Dec. It's birthday season! 

We had a few birthday traditions when I was a kid which is what I'm flashbacking to today. I don't have pictures of most of what I remember but I know there are tons of home videos and I wish I had those to share. 

Our presents would be wrapped and waiting for us on the piano bench first thing in the morning. If it was a school day, we'd all wake up extra early so we could watch the birthday person open their presents before getting ready for school. Everything was wrapped, even jars of baby food that we asked for. (That is so weird now that I think about it. Fruit flavors only--we weren't asking for pureed peas. I swear baby food was better back in the day--more sugar, I'm sure.) Games, puzzles, toys, a 6-pack of our favorite pop (I'm going back to saying "pop") and clothes.

My mom made our cake--whatever we wanted. She had a tab in her recipe box just for cut-out cake patterns. I remember she'd let us look through it even when it was nowhere near our birthday just to get ideas.

How cute was I??  

Fun fact: I still have that suitcase. Erica uses it all the time.

Always opening presents in pajamas.

Every other year we got to go out to dinner. I usually chose Chuck-a-Rama. The other years we got to have a friend party. We played classic birthday party games like pin the tail on the donkey, the candy bar game and red-rover. When I was maybe 5, my mom took us all to Burger King. I have much treasured home videos of that one. This was before cellphone cameras--someone in my family is walking around Burger King with a big 'ol camcorder on their shoulder!  When I was a young teenager, a couple of times my mom took us all to see a movie at Movies 8 in Provo (Twister and A Little Princess). 

Back before pinterest, birthday parties didn't have themes. "Birthday" was the theme.

Cupcakes and checkers. All you need.

Pictured below is my 12th birthday (what Sarah will be turning next month.) You can see I am a full-on aunt by this age. That little boy on my hip is a grown man. By this time my older sister was making all my birthday cakes. She was a great cake decorator and one of the biggest reasons I love homemade frosting so much.

This picture below makes me happy and sad. So happy to have my grandma singing to me but sad her head got cut out of frame. That's my uncle Chad on the right. I spent a lot of time with him and my aunt Karen (you can only see her arms) as a kid and they were such a good model of a healthy relationship at a time when I needed to see that. His life took a sad turn and he died a few years ago. This is how I remember him

Right after this I was dribbling a water balloon on the table and it burst and got everyone around me wet. I cried in my room until Karen came and got me. 

Not pictured but documented somewhere on film is our most awesome family tradition ever!! When we were really little we would put the birthday cake on the piano bench, light the candles, turn off the lights, hold hands and sing happy birthday while we circled around the bench. Justin has seen the home movies and he says it reminds him of a séance.  Think of it more like dancing around the May pole or the Danish holding hands and singing around the Christmas tree. Maybe that's where we got it. I'm going to make all my kids do it this year.

Which brings me to my birthday this year. I woke up to the sounds of the tape dispenser and paper rustling on my door. I got attacked by butterflies.

And by hearts all the way down the stairs.

My girls even set out the birthday plate and bowl for me.

It wouldn't be my birthday without a Shirley's cinnamon roll. James and I ate them at park in Provo where a proselytizing couple asked if I had heard the healing gospel of Jesus Christ. Why yes, yes I have. They shared a few scriptures and then James told them it was my birthday and that I was 37. They didn't believe it so I guess that's a win.

These are the flowers Justin got for me.

He also got me a new ice cream maker. We made some frozen yogurt and it was soooo good. This machine and I are becoming fast friends.

Screenshot of 1:29 pm, the moment I turned 37. (Sunny and 59 is also my second favorite weather.)

My dear sweet friend Kenzie brought over a balloon and birthday present. It was the biggest balloon we'd ever seen! A couple of days later, to get the kids to stop fighting over it, Justin taught them to inhale the helium. Parenting win.