St. Isidore and the Birthday Girl.

Grandma and Grandpa had this hanging on the tree in our yard when Lily woke up on Friday morning-- grandparents are the best!

We celebrated a birthday on May 15th! Our lovely Lily turned 12. It wasn't the special celebration at school that Lily had been planning on all year. My husband knows that birthdays stress me out, because I want so much for the birthday child to feel loved and special, but I'm also not always great at pulling things together. Our sweet and gracious Lily takes things as they come, though, and appreciates it all. It turned out to be a great day with visits from family, friends, and a special outing.

Lily was able to share an outdoor play date and birthday celebration with her birthday buddy, my little god-daughter who turned 1 this year. It was so refreshing to take a break from school and work to enjoy the beautiful weather, fellowship, and play with dear friends.

After me working several hours in the afternoon while Kurt and Lily made her birthday cake, we surprised Lily with a visit to a nearby farm to cuddle baby goats. These guys were so stinking cute! And tiny! They were only a week old and knee-high on Gemma.

Then it was back home for a very late dinner and even later birthday cake. We had to put her twelve candles in one corner of the cake because the cake was still so warm it melted the wax off the birthday candles. This way only one corner was tainted.

Lily's birthday is also the feast day of a saint who is important to our family: St. Isidore the Farmer. Born in Spain, Isidore was a poor farmer who put his faith first while working very hard at his vocation. Legend has it that when the church bells rang out over the fields at noon, Isidore paused his work to pray the Angelus. To repay his faithfulness, an angel would take up his plow and continue his work for him. We often invoke St. Isidore's intercession for our farming ups and downs, and have multiple images of him in our home.

A crusty prayer card in the milk house.

In our dining room.

On our family altar.

St. Isidore the Farmer, ora pro nobis!

Thank you to all the family and friends who made Lily's birthday special with visits, cards, text messages, videos, phone calls, and prayers. She's a very loved birthday girl!