'cause lime green looks great on anyone...

Last night I attended the most giant birthday party of any one year old I've ever known!  It was awesome.  Adults, kids, babies, barbecue and presents.  The whole thing was very chaotic... and entertaining!  I watched the parents of the birthday girl open their child's presents because she was very busy chewing on the paper that once enclosed the first opened gift.  While juggling their own child and the presents, they also had to fight off everyone else's kids who were anxious to "help".  Then I watched two kids break one of the new toys.  It was tragic, but hilarious.  Sort of Shakespearian.  Later in the evening I tried to spark conversation with a new friend.  She was probably eight years old.  Her t shirt had an embroidered ballerina on the front so I asked her if she could do a little dance for us.  She said, "Oh.  No.  We're not too good."  It was really, really funny.  I appreciate her family's honesty to her about her skills.  Hopefully she will never be one of those types of people who perform on "American Idol" or "America's Got Talent" who clearly have no talent at all.  I always think to myself when I watch those people, "where are their families?  Why haven't they been honest with them?"  Tough love, people.  Your kids will thank you.  The bigger and more important theme of the evening however was that my friends made it through one blessed and miraculous year with their daughter.  I'm sure there were many times when they wondered if they would get to celebrate that day at all.  Thanks be to God.