Today, we had the family birthday bash for Phoebe’s sixth birthday. SIX! We had Grandmas and Grandpas, Aunts, Uncles and lots of cousins over to help celebrate.

It turned out to be a great day. The weather was beautiful. The people were great. The pool was even able to be used (and it was!)!

Happy 6th Birthday, Dear Phoebe!

Happy Birthday, Darling. I hope your sixth year will be everything it should.

Our week was kind of full. Not in the minute-by-minute sense, but full nonetheless.

Three days in a row we had softball related gigs. Monday was practice, Tuesday was a team “party” to hang out, and Wednesday was a game. Practice was, well, practice. The party was a fun time for the girls to hang out together away from the field before the end of the season. Wednesday’s game was awful. It was enormously hot. It was really humid. There was hardly any breeze. Did I mention it was HOT? Alex did pretty well, relieving the pitcher in the last inning of the first game. She pitched well, although didn’t seem like she was putting effort into any other aspect of the position. Right after, she was the lead-off batter. She ended up making a hit, but walked four steps toward first base then stopped.

While we were understandably disappointed in the lack of effort, it turned out that she was in the throes of heat exhaustion. Yes, she was well hydrated. Yes, she was continuing to hydrate during her time there, but this time it just wasn’t enough. Ray and I got her out of the dugout into the shade, and took care of her. She recovered pretty quickly, but we did not stay for the second game of the (usual) double-header.

On Thursday, Phoebe had her annual checkup. She’s doing just dandy and right about 4 feet tall.

Friday the girls and I headed to a friend’s pool for the day. Both girls ended up with nice sunburns. Alex had declined sunscreen every time I asked her (which was often). Phoebe had tons on. I doused her before we left our house and when we got to our friend’s (about 40 minutes away). Then, every hour after. She still burned. Her lower back was the worst, by far, right at the spot where her swimsuit bottoms sit. Poor thing, she was miserable. Alex was too.

Saturday we spent doing yard work. Both girls stayed mostly inside and out of the sun, whimpering about how much their sunburns from yesterday hurt. I felt horrible for them both.

Tomorrow, we will be having Phoebe’s birthday party with the families. My oven died this week, so I have not baked anything (other than some yummy artisan breads in my turkey roaster). It’ll be a nice time tomorrow. For now, we’re going to go watch the American premeire of Doctor Who: The Next Doctor on BBC America (yeah, it was the Christmas special for 2008 over there across the pond in the UK, we are just now getting it here in the US).

Phoebe and I went strawberry picking for the first time this morning! It was kind of a gloomy, overcast morning and kind of chilly for June. On the plus side, there were hardly any other people there picking AND I didn’t see a single bee anywhere (something for which I was warned about by others).

This afternoon, I made some strawberry freezer jam. It was my first time and I’m concerned about it setting enough. Although, I figure, if it doesn’t set enough for it to be “jam” well, then, we’ll have some rather awesome strawberry topping for things like shortcake! YUM!

Today, my baby girl turned SIX years old! Time sure flies.

She had a packed full day. It started with a trip to the pediatrician instead of the crepes with strawberries and cream cheese filling. She had stepped on a picker Monday night whilst frolicking through the sprinkler. Yesterday morning, her toe was a little red and swollen and she said it hurt a bit to point and flex her toes (can you tell she’s in ballet?). Last night more of her foot was puffy. This morning, her foot was downright swollen and red. In fact, it looked almost bruised. Her toe that it all started with was so swollen and red and awful looking.

…anyhow… it has been deemed an infection and she is now on antibiotics. Hopefully, it will be better up by Friday afternoon, otherwise she is looking at some intervenious antibiotcis (no fun there).

After the visit with the doctor, we all went to Red Robin for her birthday lunch! It’s one of her favorite places. She was gifted with some Polly Pockets to open up on her actual birthday (her party is coming…later…).

After lunch, we headed home and got her all primped and primed and gussied up for her ballet recital dress rehearsal. She couldn’t wear her ballet slipper, so she wore one of Alex’s from a million years ago that was three sizes bigger than Phoebe’s. She did really well at her dance despite that she did all of her turns on her heel rather than the ball of her foot. She looked beautiful:

After rehearsal, we went back home where Ray and Alex were finishing their preparations to go out of town (more on that later). Phoebe wasn’t happy about Daddy and Alex leaving, but it wasn’t a surprise or anything.

We were creative and had cereal for dinner and baked some little chocolate cakes (4 cakes… froze 3 for later) and made the best cream cheese buttercream frosting EVAH!

Happy Birthday Sweetie Pie! I love you very much!!!!