Si Kecil Turns Six

Si Kecil, the little one, turned six this past week.  She's been counting down the days to her birthday - her first one in America - for weeks.  Normally in Indonesia we have a big party with all Zoe's friends, but this year we just did a family party.  And while I missed our friends, I did not miss sweating in my Tarakan kitchen, frantically trying to make a cake look like a pony's head, and scrambling to come up with a party craft.  Ahhh, a stress-free birthday.


Zoe wanted to go to lunch at the Pirate's House, a legendary restaurant in Savannah.  

We sat in the part of the restaurant that is the oldest house in Georgia.  And a real pirate came by to sing "happy birthday" to Zoe!

Here we are, making our best pirate faces.

At home, the kids whacked open a pinata from Bop, which was full of candy.

And if gobs of candy from the pinata weren't enough, I laid it on thick with a Candyland-inspired cake.  I saw a picture of this cake a few years ago, but could never get my hands on the candy needed for it while in Indonesia.  It was a big hit.

A kid's dream cake, right?

Zoe wanted two things for her birthday: to get her ears pierced, and an American Girl doll.  We came through on both counts, although she almost chickened out of the ear piercing.  Most Indonesians have their girls' ears pierced when they're infants, and I wish we had done that with Zoe.  She was all excited about it, until we walked into the mall and got closer to the jewelry store.  There were a few tears, but after it was all done she was all smiles.  

Our little one, si kecil, has brought us so much joy.  She is an energetic, affectionate, crazy little kid, who lives up to her name: life, full and genuine, which belongs to God.

And tomorrow we will be celebrating her brother's birthday.  Carter (who doesn't live up to his name - "cart-driver" - we love him anyway) will be 14.  Yep, I feel old.