Father-Daughter Birthdays and More

I know it was our nation's birthday this past weekend, but we were so busy celebrating Audrey's and Mike's birthdays (on the 4th & 5th respectively) that we didn't have enough energy to do anything patriotic.  Instead, we started the weekend with Audrey's first sleepover in celebration of turning 5.  Audrey was SO excited, I think it was an out-of-body experience for her.  Mike and I also had a blast, especially because during dinner, we found out things about the girls' parents that we otherwise would never have known.  :-)

Here's the list of our activities:

- Pho lunch
- Browse the Disney Store & Sweet Factory at the mall
- Toy Story 3 (again)
- Dinner at home
- Decorate cupcakes
- Paint nails
- Watch "Aristocats" on video

(Note:  While I took the girls to the mall to watch the movie, Mike & Marcus did manly things on their own.  They hunted wild boar, got tattoos, and drank blood.)



























On Monday, we had a little BBQ feast to celebrate Mike's 36th.  I can't believe the young 19 year-old I met years ago is now 4 years shy of turning 40.  My husband is old!





Besides almost sharing the same birthday, Mike & Audrey share many other things.  Here are a few:

1. They share the same anatomy.  Not only the soccer calves, but almost every feature of their faces are the same.  The shape of their faces, their eyebrows, their small asian eyes, their cheeks, their noses, and their hair texture is the same.  Even their gummy smiles are exactly alike.  When they are both smiling in full-joy mode, the gum to teeth ratio is about 70/30 in both of them.  It's amazing!

2. They share the same over-productive sweat glands.  When Audrey was first born, Mike's mom would tell me stories of how as a young kid, Mike's bowl cut was perpetually wet due to running around and sweating all the time.  I laughed at those stories while inwardly imagining my daughter always sitting still, demurely sipping tea and quietly playing with her dolls.  Little did I know that I would have my own wet child.

3. They LOVE NEED to run.  If too much time passes before either of them expend some energy, their bodies, souls, and minds don't function properly.  Once Audrey learned to walk, she would run laps around the dining room table.  I'm still trying to engineer a contraption that can turn her running into usable energy.

4. They both consume a large quantity of fluids (probably due to #2).  Mike is never without either a coffee cup, a Nalgene full of water, or some other cold beverage on hand.  As soon as I introduced Audrey to a sippy cup, she could down 8 to 12 ounces of milk or water in one large gulp.  And to this day, I have to keep up with keeping her cup full of something to keep her hydrated.

5. They both have a bio-psychological reaction to tight clothing, especially pants, shorts, etc.  We purposely stretch out both of their clothes so that they can endure the day comfortably.

6. They both love to be with people.  Although Mike really enjoys his alone/family time now, as a kid, he was exactly like Audrey.  His parents used to host many different people in their home and even if they were strangers who only stayed for a few days, Mike would cry once they left.  Audrey loves when we have people over, when people come to babysit her, and especially when people spend the night.  Once they leave, it's "I miss them" on repeat.

I look into both of their eyes and I feel like they share the same soul.  In many ways, even though I'm Audrey's mom, Mike has a keen understanding of Audrey that I don't have because they are essentially the same person.  To me, they are my loves.  Why do I love birthdays so much?  Maybe because it gives me an excuse to unabashedly stare at my loved ones and thank God for all the ways my life is so richly blessed by calling them my family.