Birthday excess

Tonight as I tucked Sage in for bed, I asked her what the best part about her 4^th-birthday was. She thought for the briefest of moments and said, “Choosing people to say the prayers.” This is a little tradition my family always had on birthdays; today Mark followed suit and let Sage choose the two prayers that occurred after he got home. Apparently it was the hugest (and possibly only) highlight of the day. Were all the other traditional birthday activities unnecessary?

Like boating with her best friend, Connor? (This picture is of Sage watching the minutes tick away on the timer that I set for her marking the time she had to wait until she could go check and see if Connor and Addisyn were awake. We set the timer three times.)

And her joint birthday party with Eliza and friends?

And her presents? (Thanks Grandpa Williams and Amy/David!)

And her cake which Suzy cut into a heart shape, and helped her decorate with an 'S' in M+M's? (When Suzy turned her back on Sage and the sprinkles, and the cake mysteriously turned from white to red. Luckily the birthday girl didn't mind when we found Eliza licking it.)

Now that I understand better how a 4-year-old mind works, I am ready to make next July 1^st a day of total bliss for Sage. We’re skipping presents, parties, and cake, and I’m declaring an official day of prayer (hourly prayers, perhaps), in which Sage will be able to choose the prayer giver. Why complicate things?

P.S. Thanks for all the moral support about "Lily." I've posted this picture on the desktop in hopes of sending not-so-subliminal messages to Mark about the beauty of the name and its namesake.

Oops. I mean these ones.