Like I said yesterday, I adore traditions.
We started some fun traditions with our daughter’s first birthday, so I thought I would share them here.
My husband decided he would come home every birthday with a flower for each year of Lydia’s life. *SIGH* I fall in love with him more all the time.
Then, we decided we would take a picture of her with the flowers and her favorite stuffed animal. We think it will be fun to watch her grow while the stuffed monkey stays the same size (even if it will most likely be missing eyes and covered in grime after a few years).
As you can see, we had a hard time getting Lydia to hold still. Daddy had to help.
At her birthday party, we borrowed a Japanese tradition. We set out different items that represent life paths.
A book for academics, a ball for sports, a conductor’s wand for music, a paint brush for the arts, a spatula for the culinary arts, a pencil for…(I don’t remember- I think we meant it for academics. Whoops! Two academic representations), and money for wealth.
Lydia chose the ball. Watch for her name at the olympics in about 18 years!
We also bought a pretty (and sturdy) notebook for guests at her party to sign and write why they love Lydia. Out of town grandparents emailed us so we could paste their words in the book. We will keep using this book each year. I think it will be fun for her as a teenager to look back through her book. Even her cousins who can’t write made little drawings in her notebook.
What fun birthday traditions do you have?
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Happy celebrating. I love the one about the flowers. Maybe this is one I cna still start and it would be perfect with my adolescent daughters who could use the boost.
My mom was THE BEST at birthdays, she made us feel so special but never realy spent to much money. We would wake up to the house all done up, she would stay up late and do it when we went to bed. Even as teenagers she would stay up really late and do it. She always made a homemade cake
AND we always got to pick what was for dinner 
I love my mom
I’m pretty sure she meant the paintbrush but was distracted by the brightness of the ball. Do it again and put down a bright paintbrush. Let’s be fair. Artists get distracted easy. She probably was thinking of painting the ball and hadn’t paid attention to the instructions.
What neat traditions! Stopping by from SITS to say hi.
Oh, isn’t your husband sweet – I hope he keeps up that flower buying!
Oh, I am a complete sucker for a man being so sweet to his baby girl *swooooon*
My mom always calls and sings Happy Birthday to me (even though she’s local). I love it so much that I asked her to let me tape her singing it (since I know no birthday would be complete without her song, and she won’t be here forever.) She obliged, and here’s the post, which will always be a treasure to me: http://www.halfpastkissintime.com/2008/05/forever-young-at-heart.html
I love your photo tradition; your daughter will love that you cared so much to think of it. Dad always gave “birthday spankings,” and Mom followed the up with “birthday kisses.”