Eight years ago we welcomed our first daughter into our family.  We were not, “trying for a girl.”  In fact, I really was hoping for a boy.  I just was.  I am a very practical person by nature and after having two summer-born boys my logic pointed directly to ANOTHER summer bound boy. 

I should have known it was a girl.  From very early on in the pregnancy we knew that if it was a girl we’d name her Marie Selah.  I just *knew,* yet we were still deliberating a boy’s name en route to the hospital for the delivery.  This clear-cut name did not promote my desire for a girl.  A few weeks before I was due, I conceded that it *might* be a girl and bought a sweet little Marie the Cat outfit at Wal•Mart – for our potential Marie.

She has always been exceptionally animated.  And the queen of silly faces.  I joke that she is three people in one, and that she is like a bottle of pop shaken vigorously on a roller coaster while fireworks went off overhead.  The girl has spunk.

She keeps us in stitches.  Mostly joyful, she CRASHES when her heart is broken.  She loves sports and cheers on her friends. She gets frustrated at her Nan and I when we don’t run the bases fast enough, and dislikes defeat.  But she never quits and always wants to play again.

And we celebrated her birthday busily at home doing nothing.

We woke her with our traditional morning birthday song. 

Then the kids dressed like “Olesons” again for hours of play.  Nan came at lunchtime and brought a few gifts for Marie.

We broke from birthday fun long enough to go to the Stone-Tolan house for our NYS history class.

Home again for dinner, etc.  Ba (John’s mom) and Nene (my sister) joined us.  Marie found another dress out of the dress up clothes to enjoy dinner in. 

Sister-girls.

A tin pot for Laura Ingalls play.  A Marineland shirt we bought while we were there a few weeks ago under the guise that it was for Mommy.

Still so animated.

Back to Nellie Oleson clothes for birthday pie.

Golly – do we love our 8 year old ray of sunshine.  Can’t believe I would have signed up for something different. 
God does things way better than we can.

It dawned on me as we were hanging around Darien Lake yesterday that we were last year EXACTLY two years ago to the day.  Funny how my life is like that.

It’s also funny how few photos you take a place like this!

Johanna enjoy the swimming a lot, as did the rest of the gang.  We played a long time in the wave pool and visited some of the slides.

Tab had the best of both worlds, for the most part.  After taking The Predator (roller coaster) by the horns upon our arrival, she slowed down on the wilder rides and spent part of her afternoon showing Johanna around the kiddie rides. 

I’m not a huge fan of Darien Lake.  It’s bigger than Seabreeze, but not better, in my opinion.  It truly does have enough to do there to make it a vacation spot for some.  But so much of what it has to offer costs extra.  And I don’t know that it really offers much different; a lot of ride ideas seem to repeat.  And it is a concrete jungle.  While they have benches everywhere, the shade is grossly lacking.  And… it just isn’t that pretty.  Most of what should be flower beds are just dirt and weeds.  Granted, we are big amusement park people and many who visit Darien will not look at it as critically as we do.  But while it is almost the size of Dollywood the lack of cohesive theme keeps me from getting “in the mood.”

ALL THAT BEING SAID – I must give a shout out to a new ride they have called, “Moose on the Loose.”  You ride a moose through a track and at intervals hear the scenery speak to you.  It really is novel.  I haven’t seen anything similar in all the other parks we’ve been to. 

And the kids got properly soaked at Grizzly Run.

Dad got “soaked” at the Perry’s ice cream counter.  And as very little food in the park was safe, it really was the only treat we could partake in. 

And go figure… sweet Stewart… the one who CAN’T eat any of the other food is the one who dropped off the top of his ice cream.  I offered  him some of Hanny’s and mine, but he passed.

She was okay with that. 

 

Oh – and look.  Here is the only photo of me from the whole day.  With my girl.  The day before her birthday.

Here I am with my girl the day before her birthday in 2010.

I am SO behind on this blogging…

Nigel turned ten on the 2nd.  The timing of his birthday means most years Daddy gets the day off.  (Unless it falls on a Friday, which was last year.)

We had a few gifts before breakfast.

A surf board for the pool, some new drum brushes, a t-shirt, and two “gift certificates.”  One was for a MYSTERY DAY WITH DADDY, which took place on the third.  And the other was for a day at Village Sports in Fairport that we will use at a later date.

Nan brought him a Prince Caspian action figure.

Late in the day we took some pizza and wings to a park for dinner.  Nigel chose a Sesame Street theme because of our recent trip to Sesame Place

 

Nene (my sister) gave the boys a joint gift of a boat for the pool.

And a Grover cake was gobbled by all.

It was a hot, gorgeous birthday with lots of playing and swimming.
And it WAS a special day.