Kylie's Family Day!!!

Well, the good news about having a private blog is that I can now refer to my girls by their names, as opposed to Big Sis and Little Sis!

Tonight we celebrated Kylie's 4th Family Day. Many people refer to this as "Gotcha Day." It is the day that Kylie was placed in our arms in Kunming, China in 2004. Actually it's on Friday but Steve is going to be out of town then, so we celebrated it today.

Every year we ask Kylie what restaurant she would like to go to, and every year she chooses Olive Garden. That's fine with us, as it is one of our favorite places too. I think she likes it so much because we always get a birthday cake for her. Instead of singing "Happy Birthday To You" we sing "Happy Family Day To You." She really, really enjoys celebrating Family Day.

We did something different this year. This year we bought Kylie a present. She's been wanting an American Girl doll, but they are $100! I just can't justify spending that kind of money for a doll for a 4 year old. Last week I went to Target and bought her a doll very similar to the American Girl doll, and for only $31. This doll has brown hair and brown eyes, like Kylie, and it comes with a baby sister named Sophie! Sophie is wearing a onesie that reads "I Love My Big Sister." I knew Kylie would love it.

I wrapped the doll in pretty, striped wrapping paper. After we sat down at the table I had Steve get it from the trunk where I had hidden it. As soon as he brought it into Olive Garden Kylie asked if it was for her. She tore into the wrapping paper. The look on her face when she saw the doll was priceless. Her whole face just lit up. She said, "Oh Mama, thank you, thank you! I've been wanting this for a long time." A "long time" consists of one week, which is how long she's been asking for an American Girl doll.

Dinner was delicious. I ordered chicken parmigan, Steve tried cheese ravioli, and Kylie & Sophie had their usual fettucine alfredo. We brought candles with us and Kylie put 4 on the cake for her 4 year anniversary. She loved all of it. As soon as we got home she had to show off her doll to our neighbor Lulu, and then she put the doll in her doll stroller and took it for a walk around the neighborhood.

What a great night.