Today is my sister Nancy’s birthday… I love her and I love that she is part of what we call the “Birthday Trio” in our family. Imagine, nine children in our family and three of us ended up with January birthdays all in one week!  Pat  January  21, I am January 25 and Nancy is January 27.  Nancy and I always remember how even though there were three of us in one week, our mom NEVER combined those birthdays. It was the unwritten rule that all three of us would have our own cakes and our own celebrations. Nancy laughs now, thinking that by the time her birthday rolled around , our mom must have been a little tired of baking cakes! (and that was back in the day when you didn’t just  buy a pre-made one either!)  But dear Mom, she just really made sure we had a special day.

Oh how well I remember those frigidly cold January birthdays, growing up in South Dakota!  There was nothing like that excitement though, waking up in the morning, knowing it was your special day!  Back then yes, we DID walk to school, and yes, it WAS so cold… but along with that walk to school, we usually stopped to buy “treats” for the other kids in our class. Remember doing that? Usually every kid got a nice five cent candy bar. Everyone was a winner on a birthday day~  After school, it was always so special to come home and see that birthday cake sitting on the lazy Susan on the kitchen table. Our table was big, and everyone participated in the party that night, gathered around for a nice meal and then the presents and cake.

As I recall, we didn’t often have fancy birthday parties with our classmates, but celebrating with our big family was party enough.  Most of us saved our allowance and bought a little gift for the birthday kid. My favorite gift I can remember was one year when sister Nancy took my Barbie doll and made little knitted outfits for her. Barbie was missing for weeks as Nancy worked on that surprise. I will never forget how special that was, a  cute little skirt and jacket, all hand knit, along with a few cute little knit dresses. Barbie was styling!   Right now I am smiling, just thinking back on that one… Nancy, I wish you a blessed birthday today, and I thank God that he made us sisters…Brother Pat too, so fun to share  those birthday memories with you as well. What  I would give to live closer so we three could celebrate together!  I think we’ve matured and the cake could be shared…Let’s make it chocolate though if you don’t mind!  Lots of love to my January birthday sibs,  Mary