Betz's Birthday!

Another birthday has come in the Diamonds household.  Where do the years go??  Betsy has been shooting up before my eyes.  I am sure she was a foot shorter just last week!  This year Daddy decided he would take each of the girls on a special outing for their birthday.  Alison got to go along with him to a preachers' meeting, Emily had a date at the zoo, and Elisabeth and her sister, Amy, whose birthday is not 'til next month, were taken to the Mall of America for a day at the Nickelodeon Universe theme park.  Now, in addition to the drive and the cost of this adventure, Daddy is not a big fan of rides and theme parks, so we see solid evidence here that he was thinking of someone else's happiness on this day.  He brought along a backpack full of work to do while the girls had a blast riding everything that was fast and furious. 

Wait.  What is this??  My husband on a roller coaster???

As it so happened, the park was not at all crowded, and some travelers who were at the MOA on a layover gave my husband a left-over ride ticket.  Look!  He even has a smile on his face!  That man just has to do something completely out of character once in a while to keep all of us ladies guessing!  (The ride, I mean.  Not the smile.)  :)

The birthday girl likes to have her gifts hidden.  This was too funny -- she looked all over for this package in the red wrap, and there it was in plain sight!

 

Betz's traditional birthday cake choice is banana cake with peanut butter frosting.  It was a tough decision this year, though, because she thought lemon cake sounded good, too.  Emily solved that problem.  Betsy was sure puzzled when she unwrapped a lemon!

 

And surprised to get a cake mix!

It hasn't been a lemon of a birthday, though.  

Last summer the girls went to Cabella's with some friends, and Betsy raved about some candied pecans they were sampling there. In vain I looked everywhere for them (we don't have Cabella's nearby) and finally decided to try making some.  Allrecipes.com rarely disappoints; now we are all fattening up on delicious pecans.  The nicest words a mom can hear are these: "Mom, these are better than Cabella's!"  *pats self on back*

This evening we will have the birthday girl's choice, chicken tacos, and play a game or two of her new game, In a Pickle. 

My #3 child is becoming a beautiful young lady.  I am so thankful to be her mom. :)