The Birthday Girls

I've had the distinct pleasure of sharing in significant celebrations with two of my favorite girls recently.  Keith's sister Kim and her daughter Sierra both marked birthdays recently and in fact, Kim's was a milestone.  I feel a significant bond with these two as members of my extended family...after all, the first family celebration I would share with this family was Sierra's christening, several moons ago.  This year, we celebrated in style both at the lake with Kim and here in KC with Sierra.

Kim's celebration occurred during some blessedly balmy September weather at the lake.  One serene day aboard the Winge boat had us sipping Bloody Marys at a lakeside joint complete with ginormous fans on the ceiling and a cockatoo that will perch on your shoulder.  The day of her actual birthday saw some soft rain and was an actual surprise for her as we all waited in the cabin garage for her to arrive.  Kim celebrated her milestone surrounded by love and family and well she should; she has so much to be proud of; has achieved much and yet remains a helluva fabulous sister(and sister-in-law), mother, wife and human being that one could hope to know.

Kim's daughter Sierra had a whimsical weekend party with us here in KC in November.  Cousin Jill, her husband Chris and their girls also joined us as we descended on the Crown Center area.  The kids got lost in a sea of color and lights in a literally crafty space called Kaleidoscope that was created by Hallmark, whose HQ is here in KC.  From glow-in-the-dark painting to making your own greeting cards and puzzles, Kaleidoscope was a dizzying colorful palette that Sierra reveled in before we moved on to the more sedate space of the KC Sea Life Aquarium, serenely following the watery world of various ocean dwellers. Our food for the day ranged from some New York- style slice at D'Bronx in Crown Center to the homemade feta dip we made for the birthday girl that we enjoyed on the poker table in the Capone Suite at the Elms where the family stayed.

Our birthday girls were feted in fine fashion.  Here's to many more celebrations of this dynamic mother and daughter duo to come...