Way Early Happy Birthday

      When I was growing up, I was lucky because around my birthday I always got to miss school one day and go shopping with my Grandma Mar Mar.  It was the best day ever because she would pick me up at school take me to Main Place Mall (or South Coast Plaza, depending on what store was IN that year) we would spend the morning shopping all over the mall and then we would meet my Far Far at lunch, where I would show off my awesome new clothes.  Then, I got to change into my favorite outfit and she would take me back to school to show off my new look.  It was awesome, I remember one year I got a bright red velvet dress and black tights and black patent leather shoes...wow...I was so awesome...But my favorite year ever, she picked my up at the DMV (after I failed my first attempt at my driving test.)  And instead of taking me back to school to face my peers...she took me straight to Nordstrom and we on a shopping frenzy, that year I got some amazing platform shoes that had cork on the bottom? Remember those? Anyway, oh wait...another memory popped in my brain! When I was turning 8 Mar Mar took me to get my baptism dress...and it was amazing...it had tons of beading around the neck and then lace that poked out of the bottom...wow...it was amazing and I got my first high heel shoes that year...amazing!
       Anyway, since this is such a vivid memory for me and my siblings, my mom decided she wanted to do the same thing for her grand babies.  This year we decided to get Marilyn a toy instead of clothes, because she had way too many clothes...so we off we went to Toy's R Us.  First of all, that place is crazy...ok we looked at everything, Barbies and play kitchens, and dollies and Lego's.  But then we hit to doll house area...we found the most perfect doll house ever.  We knew this was it.  Even though Marilyn doesn't turn 2 until July 10th we went a little crazy and gave it to her anyway.  We broke it out the minute we got home and the for the rest of the trip Marilyn was lost in doll house land.  She named each doll and took the out to show them the backyard.  She showed her dollies that it was ok to fall over and showed them how Marilyn falls over.  It was basically the cutest thing ever.  Marilyn still plays hard core with it everyday for at least an hour...I am excited for this tradition to continue...they are special memories to me and I know they will be fore Marilyn.