Celebrating a birthday with a 3-year-old

What a beautiful weekend. The sky was blue with fluffy white clouds. The weather was warmer than expected. Best of all, we had a mini family reunion with hubby’s family. It had been a very long time since we had seen most of them and we relished the opportunity to catch up on any and all family news.

The occasion was Molly’s third birthday. Molly is our niece’s daughter. My sister-in-law, Sue, who is Molly’s grandmother, also had a birthday that same day but Molly was clearly the queen of the party.

The drive to Huron, Ohio, which is up by Lake Erie, seemed like it took forever. The drive home was even longer. There was a time when spending three or four hours in the car was no big deal. The older we get, the more we understand why people prefer to stay home.

We had forgotten the exact address and if it hadn’t been for the vanity license plate on a car declaring that the owner was an artist and a poster of a snowman on the house door, we might not have found the place.

As it was, we were greeted loudly by Olive, the boxer, and quietly by an adult who had a death grip on the dog. At first it was just immediate family. Molly sneaked a finger-full of icing from her birthday cake when her mom wasn’t watching. The small gang of children, which increased its numbers every time the door was opened, was everywhere but I didn’t hear the first raised voice, nor did anyone dissolve into tears.

Presents were opened. The birthday girl’s mom displayed the gifts as they were unwrapped.  Molly took a couple of breaks before she was called back to open the remaining presents. Grandma Sue wrote down who gave what so that thank you notes could be sent at a later date. And, yes, these people send thank you notes.

One of Molly’s cousins had as much fun with the tissue paper as Molly had with the gifts. I’m sure that if we had brought an empty refrigerator box full of tissue paper we would have been a hit. As it was, we gave her a coloring book. When her mom and dad discover that there are stickers in the book they may not invite us to come back.

We had much-needed conversations with family. One had just retired and was loving it. Her husband worked at a local school.

One niece and her husband had relatively new jobs. That niece was working from home and was in the middle of a video conversation with a client one day when her youngest daughter decided to hang over her shoulder and stare at the screen. At some point, roses were arranged by said daughter in such a way as to cover the screen. Nobody said working from home was without its challenges. Fortunately, the customer had a sense of humor.

Sue had her own stories to tell. She had just graduated to a walking boot. This is at least her second round of problems with her ankle. We are hoping she heals more rapidly this time than she did the last. Her granddaughters commandeered Sue’s walker and declared it to be a house. This is despite the fact that there is a gauzy tent set up in a corner for the girls to play in.

A late lunch was prepared and the birthday girl blew out her three candles. Cake was served and I snuck a piece of blue icing onto Molly’s plate. I think it was Molly’s, though it might have been one of her cousins.

People were beginning to leave. The younger girls and at least one of the grandparents were clearly in need of a nap. We said our goodbyes and headed for home. It seemed like forever before we turned onto our street.

It was an exhausting day but well worth it. Perhaps next time we can meet somewhere closer to home. I am reminded once again how much I love these people that we seldom see.