Buggy’s 12th Birthday!

Hi Everyone!  

We had a most awesome and excellent summer holiday in the USA.  As you might have noticed, I also took a break from posting on the blog.  Our days were filled to the brim with activities….from gardening to taking trips to Washington state and Dubuque, Iowa to playing and working on the family farm in Michigan.  We had a fantastic summer!

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Since we knew that we'd be back in China on the actual day of Annika's birthday we got her birthday celebration off to an early start while we were still in Michigan.  

I should probably also tell you that Annika has fallen in love with – AGAIN – the "Harry Potter" series.  She's been creating mippets (little polymer clay figurines) of all the Harry Potter characters.  She's re-read the series.  She built herself a broomstick (I think it might be the Firebolt) out of branches and twigs she collected in the woods. And she really wanted all things Harry Potter – including a birthday cake in the shape of a Snitch.  (Unfamiliar with these terms?  Read or watch the movie series!  They're fun! However, the series does get progressively darker.)

Remember I mentioned that Annika wanted a Snitch shaped birthday cake???  Check out the cake that Aunt Beth created for her!

It's perfect! It looks just like a Snitch!!!!  

Have you ever been to a Shrimp Boil?  No?  Well, this was our first summer trying it….and boy, let me tell you – it's deeeeelicious (even if you don't like shrimp!).  Our shrimp boil consisted of potatoes and corn – both grown right here on the property – cut up sausages, and shrimp.  My mouth is watering just thinking about that meal.  The corn and potatoes were absolutely BEAUTIFUL.  Before the potatoes were cooked they looked like brightly painted Easter eggs – they were solid colors of pink, purple or white.  And they tasted even better than they looked!

Here's Grandpa dumping out the boil on to the table (lined with parchment paper):

Oooooooooo…..ready to dig into this pile of yumminess????

I can tell that Annika is ready to eat!

It's a grab-what-you-want kind of meal.  It's lots of fun and very easy to put together.  And – oh-soooo-delicious! 

Here's the family enjoying the birthday meal:

Time for cake!!!

 Grandpa lighting *gulp* TWELVE candles on Buggy's cake:

Boy, we enjoyed that cake!  :-)

After cake…gifts from Mommy & Daddy.  We gave her several Harry Potter related items…including this Time Turner necklace:

Fast-forward with me ….to Monday (August 10).  We arrived in China the previous day and as there is a twelve-hour time difference…this was Annika's birthday dinner "celebration" at our local hot pot restaurant:

As you can see the girls were really "enjoying" the meal. (It was also delicious, trust me.)

Jet lag really wiped out our two girls!

One thing has remained constant over the past few years – every year for Annika's birthday I make a lemon meringue pie in her honor.  This year's  pie was a day late but that's okay!  It's better to stretch out the birthday celebration anyway. Right??? RIGHT!

Blowing out the candles on her piece of pie:
Happy birthday Buggy!  I can't believe how much you've grown and matured over this past summer.  I'm not surprised that you're now TALLER than me.