The Best Birthday
Ever for Tiara!
A silly story just for you ?
Once upon a time, on the most magical morning of the whole entire year, a little girl
named Tiara opened her eyes and felt something sparkly in the air.
Her nose wiggled. Her toes wiggled. And then…
“IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!” ?
She shouted so loud that all three of her sisters woke up at the exact same time. ?
She zoomed out of her bedroom in her pajamas — zoom zoom zoom — straight
down the hall to check on her baby sister.
“Good morning, little smooshy face,” she whispered in her very best Big Sister Voice.
The baby looked up with her big round eyes and went “Gaaahhh.”
Which everyone knows means Happy Birthday in Baby Language.
Tiara gasped with delight. “She said it! Mama, SHE SAID HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!“
Then Tiara heard something terrible.
Waaah! Waaah!
Her baby DOLL was crying! ?
She gasped again. She grabbed her stroller. She scooped up her baby doll with the skill
of a world-famous baby expert and tucked her in snug.
“Shhhhh,” she said, patting the doll’s back firmly. “I know, I know. It is a very exciting day.”
The baby doll stopped crying immediately.
Because Tiara was simply that good.
She pushed the stroller proudly down the hall.
Squeak squeak squeak went the wheels.
Past her sisters’ room — squeak squeak squeak.
Past the bathroom — squeak squeak squeak.
Past Mama, who was shuffling to the kitchen holding her favorite drink with her eyes barely open.
“Good morning,” said Tiara, very seriously, like a doctor on an important mission.
“Mmmmmph,” said Mama. ?
Later — at a more reasonable hour — Tiara made a Very Important Announcement to the whole family.
She stood on her tiptoes, which made her feel extremely tall.
“I am cooking dinner tonight. Because I am FOUR now. And four is VERY, very old.”
Her sisters stared at her.
The baby kicked her tiny legs like she was riding a very tiny bicycle. Kick kick kick kick kick.
“Gaaahhh,” said the baby, which everyone knew meant Obviously. She is basically a grownup.
So that afternoon, Chef Tiara went to work.
First she stirred something in a big bowl. ? Splosh splosh splosh.
Then she added a very important ingredient. Then another. Then possibly a few too many ingredients.
“Tiara,” said her sister,Amalya, peeking into the kitchen, “why is it purple?”
Tiara didn’t even look up. “It’s supposed to be purple,” she said. “It’s a birthday
dinner. Birthday dinners are purple.”
Her sister had absolutely nothing to say to that.
Tiara stirred and she mixed and she tasted with a spoon and made a very serious chef face. ???
She added a little of this. She added a little of that. She stood on her tippy toes to reach the counter.
She pushed her stroller to the side so the baby doll could watch.
“Are you watching?” she asked the doll.
The doll stared straight ahead, which meant yes.
What are we going to drink? Tiara’s sister, Faith asked.
The drinks are on the counter. Arie gave me the recipe, said Tiara.
Finally, Tiara carried her big bowl to the table with the most careful, most serious face anyone had ever
seen — the face of a chef, a birthday girl, and the world’s best big sister, all at once.
Mama sat down. The three sisters sat down. The baby sat in her little seat, kicking her tiny bicycle legs.
Everyone took a bite.
There was a very long pause. ?
Then Mama got the biggest, warmest, most enormous smile on her face.
“Tiara, this is the most delicious birthday dinner I have ever eaten in my entire life.”
Tiara nodded slowly.
She already knew.
After dinner, after the birthday cake — with exactly 4 candles that she blew out in one giant breath ??
Tiara pushed her stroller one last time down the hall, squeak squeak squeak, tucked her doll in extra snug,
and tiptoed over to her baby sister.
The baby looked up at her with those big, round eyes.
And grabbed Tiara’s finger with her teeny tiny fist and held on tight.
Tiara felt that warm, glowy sunshine feeling — right in the middle of her chest.
“I have the best family,” she whispered.
“Gaaahhh,” said the baby.
Which meant I love you, Tiara. Happy Birthday.
THE END
Happy Birthday, Tiara!
? The world’s greatest chef, a great big sister,
and a very, very grown-up FOUR! ?
Love, Grandpa.