Happy Birthday to Cindy!

Today was my birthday. And, it was basically a perfect day. It started off with me waking up beside Dani, looking at her and asking her if she knew what day it was. She softly said, "No." I told her it was my birthday and she just smiled at me. Then, I said, "You're supposed to say happy birthday to me." And, with a big grin, she said, "Happy Birthday, Mommy." I know I had to tell her what to say, but she is only 3 (and a half).

The morning was brilliant! Cole went out and got me a coffee and stroopwafel from Starbucks. As I came up the stairs, the girls gave me cards that they had picked out and signed. And, then they gave me my presents. I got a cool purple iPod Nano and an arm band so that I can use those when I'm running outside. I can't wait to start playing with them!!! I also got a flower lei set (with bracelet, headband, and necklace) and some chocolate animals.

That morning, I went to the gym with the girls. I took a Body Combat class while the girls played in Club V. When I picked them up, Katie and Dani had to give me some birthday cards that they made for me. When we got back, Cole went out to pick up my birthday cake. It was a "Cheeky Monkey" cake. Super cute and yummy, too. While the girls were eating it, Claire got chocolate cake all over her face. Dani said, "Her name is Chocolate." Katie said, "No. Her name is white chocolate, because she has light skin." The things that kids say!

The girls all took a nap. It took forever to get Claire to sleep. By the time she was down, Katie was up. So, Katie and I headed to Princes St. to do a little shopping. We picked out a birthday dress for me and some dresses for the girls. It was a really fun outing with Katie. We got to ride on the top of the double decker bus and she had fun looking at all of the little clothes and shoes for babies. Of course, when we got back, Claire and Dani were awake.

That evening, Miss Susie, a babysitter from the gym came over and watched the girls so that Cole and I could go out. We went hiking along the Salisbury Crags that are the cliffs between Arthur's Seat and the city center. From the crags, we got some beautiful views of the city. We were even able to spot our flat and the Craigmillar Castle! After hiking for about an hour, we headed to our favorite Indian restaurant: Kismot! Again, it was yummy food and excellent service!

After that, we headed back to the flat. The girls were all in bed. We settled down to watch a little tv and eat some chocolate truffles. We heard little feet coming up the stairs. First, Dani came up. Then, after realizing that Dani wasn't in trouble, Katie came up as well. We couldn't resist playing with them for a few minutes then it was back off to bed! It was a really nice birthday! I had a lot of fun and realized that I'm really going to miss this place when we leave. It will be nice to have our house and car back. But, we'll miss the Indian restaurant and the lovely family that runs it. And, we'll miss the cool weather that allows us to walk all around town without melting into puddles!