As a general rule, we do not have birthday parties! Lizzi had one when she turned four years old and she still talks about that one time she had a party! Our birthday parties have always consisted of a small cake after Sunday dinner with family. The only people Audrey requested to be at her party was Poppy, Mimi, and her cousins, Jayden and Asher. She had 1 out 4!
However, she did have lots of cute friends to join her to celebrate. There were 16 children and 10 adults who ate ham, fried shrimp, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, salad, chocolate covered strawberries, cake, and ice cream. The fried shrimp and the chocolate covered strawberries were the big hit. Without a doubt, they had to be sick from the rich food.
We try very hard to be part of the culture, however sometimes we just ask for forgiveness. I put a time limit on the party! After 30 minutes past the time limit, I offered to give everyone a ride home. They laughed and said they would just stay the night! One thing that is different for us is not opening gifts during the party. We were not expecting any of our friends to bring gifts as it would be a burden to them. However, each family brought Audrey a gift. Audrey couldn’t wait to open them. We just asked for forgiveness and explained the difference between Guatemalan and American parties.
It rained all afternoon so playing outside was limited. Paw Patrol on the television and the inflatable were part of the entertainment. The big entertainment for the children was going up and down our stairs. The children were 2 and 3 years old. Soy monitored the stairs because we are apparently over protective. The parents are extremely laid back and the older kids help the younger kids. No worries!
At 8:00 our house became quiet! Audrey said it was the best birthday ever.
(Last Friday, I received a note from Sydney’s teacher stating they need to dress up for career day on Monday. Sydney wants to be a doctor, but we do not have any medical costumes. I convinced her to be a “pet doctor” and just take a stuffed animal with some band-aids. Lizzi told her to be a teacher because it is the easiest costume and she was basically lying to her teacher anyways. Yesterday morning, Sydney put an extra school uniform in her book bag just in case. There may have been more than one occasion, I sent Sydney to school with the wrong clothes and/or supplies. She may have cried at school because she was the only kid with the wrong clothes. Now she doesn’t trust my ability to read Spanish!)
Shining Light Abroad Ministries 