She's seven: Kalina's birthday journey!

"Best birthday ever!" Kalina decided.

One way you can tell your child is growing up is by their birthday plans. Last year, we enjoyed a fun and fantastical fairy party with Kalina. This year, Kalina didn't want a party, and wanted few gifts. She simply hoped to spend time with family and enjoy a treat or two on her special day. Possibly a trip to the zoo for the family, and a Mommy-Kalina date, and she'd kindly send Elise to the candy store so she'd get to celebrate separately, but equally. How thoughtful! How lovely! How...seven? Are they all this grown up?

Although Kalina had admitted she was "starting to get excited about presents," they weren't her focus. Case in point:
Me: Elise, would you rather be rich or famous?
Elise: Famous, so then everyone would look at me! (And Elise flashes one of her dazzling, "life is grand and a bit funny, isn't it?" smiles.)
Me: Kalina, how about you? Rich or famous?
Kalina: Neither. I feel like I already have too much stuff, and I don't want people to look at me.

Whoah. I didn't try to argue her out of it, of course ("But if you were rich, you could give all the money away!"), and instead marveled at the amazing girl growing up in my house.

The paper-making kit looks
really fun!

But Kalina did have a few "wants" for her birthday--namely, a pinata and a pet. She really wants a dog or a cat, but understands, in her seven-year-old way, that dream will have to wait.(The pinata, however, is planned for Uncle Tom's visit, because what's more fun than Uncle Tom and a pinata?)

Her most favorite want, however, was to see Grandma and Grandpa for her birthday. And sometimes in life, things just work out. As it happened, we were already planning a trip to meet Grandma and Grandpa in Iowa, and one day that happened to work perfectly was June 28: Kalina's special day. How could we not? We made the plan, and then made the journey with our ecstatic still-six-year-old.

The bigs packed their own suitcases, and also helped as gopher, finder, checker, baby watcher and many other odd jobs as we got ready for the big day. Mommy was inspired by the Laura Ingalls Wilder books we'd been reading (if Laura and Mary can do it, so can my girls!), and the girls were actually happy to help. Setting off on a Saturday morning, Matt and I discussed in the first hour how we could picture taking more, and longer trips soon. What fun we were having! Kids happily entertaining themselves, new scenery all around, and a rare opportunity to actually converse with few distractions.

Rainbow Magic books hand-picked by
an attentive Elise!

The rest of the six-hour drive, however, Naomi and I spent in intense negotiations deciding how much time, exactly, Mommy would spend sitting beside her in the backseat. She won. Naomi at this time also started chanting "Home, home" and never really stopped until we pulled into the driveway once again (she did have a fun trip, though). Kalina, on the other hand, happily dug into a stack of Rainbow Magic books we checked out from the library, and Elise led the cheer for "Snack! Snack!" every thirty minutes, and occasionally busied herself with an activity book or general Elise chatter.

We arrived with plenty of time to play: we were staying with some friends, including a sweet one-year-old who was a bit afraid of us. By the end of the trip, gentle Kalina had patiently and kindly coaxed the girl into a little friendship. In the meantime, Naomi claimed all the toys, Kalina doted on the dog and Elise did the monkey bars in the backyard all by herself for the first time! Go Elise! And although Naomi wasn't thrilled with our delicious dinner ("If it's not blueberries, I won't eat it.") and even less so with her pack and play, she went right to sleep, being about as tired as a one-year-old who missed a nap.

Kalina's birthday dawned through thunderclouds, but the whole family woke with sunshine in our eyes as we dove right in to celebrations. Our hosts were kind enough to supply Kalina with "birthday cereal" (Lucky Charms), and the birthday girl opened a bejeweled yellow dress that was almost as radiant as our little seven-year-old herself. Kalina and Elise happily chattered about their marshmallow charms, even donating a couple to Naomi (who somehow knew they wouldn't taste like cauliflower) as they eagerly anticipated seeing Grandma and Grandpa within the next hour or two and swimming in their hotel pool.

After the pool. If you look
closely, you can see that
Naomi's eyes are actually
open. They will remain that
until bedtime.

Soon enough, we were there! We spent the morning paddling around (Kalina even tried the hot tub), playing with a favorite game from Kalina's preschool days (Don't Break the Ice) and generally having a lovely birthday. Then we picked up sandwiches and headed to Living History Farms, where Kalina hoped to milk a cow or hold a baby chick.

Next to Grandma and Grandpa, sheep
were some of the most exciting
parts of Kalina's birthday.

The farm always has surprises in store, and rarely disappoints. No cows needed milking and no baby chicks needed cuddling, but a couple half-grown lambs were willing to be chased and petted, much to Kalina's delight. She and Elise did that for a while and fed chickens grass, and those activities did the trick to make it a lovely day on the farm. Kalina also had the privilege of performing her current piano favorite on a pump organ.

Dairy Queen, at the birthday girl's
request!

Our next stop was Dairy Queen (Kalina's choice) where the bigs both confidently and immediately ordered chocolate ice cream with M&Ms (Elise) or Oreo's (Kalina). And then we were off to a favorite park for presents and playtime.

Despite the fact that Kalina was more excited about spending a special day than unwrapping gifts, she was plenty happy with the craft activities, books, scooter and pet coupon she received for her birthday. Special thanks to Elise, who had thoughtfully remembered and chosen the exact Pet Fairies books Kalina was hoping for.

After a farewell to the grandparents, who were making the trek home that night, we brought weary and weepy kids to the nearest McDonald's and ordered a trio of Happy Meals. Somewhat tragically, the meal that Kalina was most looking forward to all day proved to be almost too much. Too tired (and sad, already missing Grandma and Grandpa, and full, having stuffed herself with ice cream) to eat much more than a few fries and a solitary chicken nugget, she contented herself with putting together her toy. The Happy Meal was much more of a Melancholy Meal, but it still counted.

Kalina was cheered up by the sweet little toddler awaiting her at the house, and we were soon calling it a birthday night. No-Nap Naomi fell asleep almost as soon as her head nestled into the pack-and-play mattress, and her big sisters soon followed her to dreamland.

Elise is a little bit scared of the buffalo,
but Kalina is more concerned with
making sure her kitten is in the picture.

The next day dawned sunny all around, and we were quickly off to meet Uncle David and Aunt Debbie at a prairie reserve nature center. The highlight of our visit was Kalina's series of impromptu prairie puppet shows, which had just the right balance of prairie wildlife and humor (a bird busily babysitting three nestfuls of hungry birds while the parents were at a party, a frog jumping away from a coyote, a buffalo and a coyote duking it out, and more!). The girls enjoyed spotting real buffalo out the picture window, and seeing some of the wildlife we'd been reading about in Little House on the Prairie.

A happy birthday cake
from Aunt Debbie!

We had lunch at a beautiful park where Kalina detected and uncovered a nest of squeaking baby rodents (mice? gophers?), and then we visited Uncle David and Aunt Debbie's apartment. After a brief rest time (even Naomi, who managed to sleep for 30 minutes alongside Matt!), Aunt Debbie served Kalina a lovely birthday cake and we celebrated once more.

Then another park, dinner, another park and it was time for bed. Our trip was mostly over, and we headed for home the next day, Kalina contentedly digging into the dozens of Rainbow Magic fairy stories she had at her fingertips, Elise continuing to remind us about snacks and Naomi utterly refusing to nap, but not crying too much. All in all, it was a lovely birthday vacation!

And what a lovely birthday girl! Kalina is growing sweeter and more responsible by the day, although she retains just enough mischief and forgetfulness to remind us that she's still a kid--and thank goodness!

Kalina's two favorite
puppet-show characters.

Kalina can pick out a tune by ear on the piano, add and subtract two-digit numbers (usually), make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and scrambled eggs, doggie paddle, get to know new acquaintances, recite verses from memory, find her way home from across the neighborhood and sometimes across town, point out homonyms, talk knowledgeably about plants and geography, sew an entire project all by herself and write a letter to her penpal, with only a little help with spelling. She loves the arts and continues to make up songs, in addition to humming along with the Sound of Music and other favorites. She also makes up her own craft projects alongside Elise, and dances lovely ballet even though she only had a few months of lessons. She keeps her bed neatly made (most of the time) and knows how to clean much of the bathroom, although I only make her and Elise do it when I'm both short on time and in possession of plenty of patience (which sounds like an oxymoron, but it doesn't have to be).

Kalina played a pump
organ!

Our seven-year-old still resides in her own little world much of the time, but still doesn't like to be too far away from the inhabitants of this world. Lisa, the lamb that's been with her forever, is her best friend. She thinks that snorting like a pig is funny, as are mooing and sneezing, which I really don't get. Kalina has developed the ability to do things she doesn't want to without (much) complaining, handle disappointment, tackle challenges like drawing a panda, push through frustration without coming completely undone (sometimes), see the bigger picture and delay gratification. She's a pro at waiting patiently, and thinks her little sisters are absolutely adorable, pointing out cute photos of Elise and Naomi rather than herself when we go through the album. She enjoys being the oldest, sometimes in secretive cahoots with Mommy to help make sure the littles are taken care of, and she giggles importantly whenever we're developing an elaborate plan to distract Naomi from the pincushion she's been eyeing, for example, or make sure Elise doesn't feel upset when she can't draw a person quite as well as Kalina can. She thinks it's hilarious (and rightly so) to make up a "moral of the story" for the board books she reads to Naomi.

Naomi's new friend: Aunt
Debbie!

Speaking of little ones, she can be unusually gentle and patient with them, and would often rather spend time with a 1- or 2-year-old than with their older siblings. Kalina has kind words and pats for all the neighborhood dogs, and even some sympathy for the neighborhood creepy crawlies (although not always). A favorite act of charity is to gather sticks from the yard, place them on the front of our driveway, and sidewalk-chalk a note that they're free for dogs.

Kalina is generally quiet and even-keeled, but can very easily turn loud and goofy (sometimes too loud and goofy). We're working on time management (reading has been a setback, as getting lost in a book is much more fun than brushing your teeth), responding, and a few other skills that can too often be forgotten by introverts and dreamers.

Kalina's favorite foods are pancakes, watermelon and all kinds of treats. She enjoys salad and the cheese sauce we put on broccoli, and loves to chow down on peanut butter and jelly or fish sticks for lunch. She also relishes pasta, tacos, cheese pizza and hot dogs, but a surprising new favorite is schnitzel with noodles (thanks, Maria). She's lost her love for blueberries, but makes up for it in cherries. Her favorite color is pink, and then purple, but she usually changes every couple of months. She's happiest when she's quietly expressing herself through crafts, music and even cooking projects, spending time with those she loves and digging around in nature. Plus reading her beloved Rainbow Magic series, of course.

Naomi also loved playing
"throw Grandpa's new golf
ball!"

One of Kalina's favorite expressions is and awe-filled "Beautiful!" when confronted with various jeweled, flowery and glittery creations at stores or at home. She has good taste in art and music alike, and can recognize advertising when she sees it: "Mommy," she whispers in Target, so no other customers overhear and feel bad, "Look, those signs are advertising! They want us to buy all that stuff we don't really need!" Smart girl.

But Kalina is not entirely grown up. Although she let a lot of her stuffies get stashed in the basement a couple months ago, and much of her allowance goes toward purchasing additional stuffies for her expanding collection. That is fine by me--and I'm a little bit glad that eight is a long, amazing year away.

Happy birthday, sweet Kalina!