Happy (Belated) Birthday, Veronica!

Olivia tried to help Veronica cut the frozen cake from Freddy's. Yep, the calendar says it is Nov. 1.

Not Sept. 19.

Veronica says at this rate, we will be celebrating Julia's birthday on Dec. 8.

Yes, we just might.

It's not easy to pay for a $19.99 cake when you are having money difficulties. So I really appreciated Veronica's patience and upbeat attitude.

By the way, the cake was good. And the Styrofoam base that we cut out with the first piece was, well, funny.

Happy 15th Birthday Julia!

From left: Julia's first day of school this year, her fifth birthday and her photo at birth.

Julia turns 15 today. That means she can start driving with a learner's permit. Three days ago, she got that permit. Do you think she's a bit excited to be behind the wheel?

Who can forget Julia's "eyeball cake" on her fifth birthday (pictured above)? She certainly has her own way about things, her own style. There is only one Julia!

We have some big plans for her birthday, which will be celebrated on Tuesday). So stay tuned!

Happy 10th Birthday, Veronica!

Veronica was very pleased with her Dairy Queen ice cream cake.

Is Veronica really 10 years old? That is really hard to believe. But we're not complaining. She's a real treat to have around and no matter what you call her – "Tiny," "Turd" "Turdium," "Bergonica," "Veron" or "Ron" – she'll respond to you with a smile.

Veronica requested a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. She even picked it out online. But what was written on it ... well, you will have to ask her. We are still trying to figure that one out.

By the way, Veronica is the only one of the girls whose "first day in the life of..." blog entry is still online. You can read all about her "coming out party" in this blog entry.

Happy Birthday Julia!

Julia also had a themed birthday cake, like Olivia.

When Julia saw Olivia's Florida Gators birthday cake, she instantly knew what she wanted for a cake for her 14th birthday.

Fittingly, Julia pulled on her Chicago Blackhawks jersey for the birthday celebration, which featured another amazing creation from The Cake Gallery. This cake likely measures right up there with the best of them – the "Eyeball Cake" on her fifth birthday. It's a must-see.

Like I always say, it's nice that Julia was born in the year 2000 because it will be easy to figure out her age when people pass by her tombstone. True, right?

Apparently, black frosting is hard to make. Who knew?

Invitations Are Ready!

Veronica proudly shows off invitations to her spa/sleepover party.

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Olivia's cake was one not usually seen in the state of Nebraska.

Olivia's 12th birthday was marked by a cake that was "Zach Attack" good. That's because she chose a Florida Gators cake from The Cake Gallery for her affinity for Zach Rance (pictured at right), a contestant on "Big Brother 16." A self-described con artist, Zach was one of the most popular characters on the show and remembered by most for his "bro-mance" with Frankie.

But enough talk about "Big Brother." Olivia enjoyed an usual round of Happy Birthday wishes – Big Brother style – from her sisters, properly documented in this video:

Birthday Party Sleepover

This was quite a haul. Veronica shows off what she got at a friend's birthday party.

Happy 16th Birthday Emily!

It would be easy to type out the memories I have of the day Emily was born. But it would take hours, if not days, to put into print all the memorable moments and events leading up to that day in March, back in 1997.

Somewhere – in print – is a play-by-play of nearly the entire 24 hours before she was born and the hours after. But the company that hosted the original YD Cafe blog suddenly went under, deep-sixing the files before I could archive them. What a shame.

Regardless, there are some photos here and there that I possess. Emily's baby photo (right) is one. I always thought she was a cute baby, but most certainly she is more adorable now. So rather than type out a bunch of prose here, let's just get straight to a few pictures that show her through the years. Unfortunately, the photos I have in hand only date back to when she was nine. But there are plenty on this blog, and my other one, which will help her revisit many moments from the past.

Notice the photo of Uncle Jon on her bedroom mirror.

Checking out her new braces.

This one is interesting, if only for her sisters pictured with her.
From left: Emily, Lauren, Julia and Olivia.

This one is from Christmas 2004, I believe.

Happy Birthday Julia!

At one point, both candles on the cake were lit.

Julia's birthday had come and gone without me last month (when I was in Belgium), so we celebrated in style tonight. Besides a nice ice cream cake (thanks, Aunt Bridget and Grandma YD), we also enjoyed Domino's Pizza. It was a fun time and we still had plenty of cake left over.

Nice expression by Veronica, eh?

Julia will also have to schedule her shopping excursion with Aunt Bridget at some point. Celebrating her birthday also reminds me of the lifetime pass I got her when she was born. The year 2000 was the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Harlem Globetrotters. All you had to do was send a copy of the birth certificate in to them and they'd send you a pass good for a redeemable pass whenever the Globetrotters come to town. We need to use that the next time they stop in Omaha.

Happy Birthday Veronica!

Look who's turning seven years old today. Then, and now, for Veronica.

Special Birthday Greeting

KETV delivered a special birthday wish to Veronica today.

Happy 10th Birthday Julia!

Julia (far left) enjoys an Oreo shake
at Applebee's with Olivia (center) and Emily.
Poor Julia.

She said she kept forgetting that it was her birthday.

The nice, plush warm-up top and pants she received from the Birthday Fairy apparently weren't top of mind. Neither was the nice basketball she picked out at the sporting good store. Or the delicious dinner she enjoyed at Applebee's.

You can't blame her, though. There were a lot of other things going on: early dismissal from school, Dad's late pick-up from extended day (his alarm went off and he ignored it), a fun lunch from Bronco's that included huge trick-or-treat bags and two movies to watch at the apartment ("Mr. Destiny" and "Mannequin"). So the milestone of turning double digits was a bit lost in all the activity that comes with being the middle child of five.

Emily Reaches Teendom

Some of the girls thought the "m" looked more like an "h."
For someone who's been confusing servers by ordering off the children's (12-and-under) menu, Emily is probably not very anxious to turn 13. But that's what she did earlier this month and today we celebrated her official transition into her "teen years."

Here's a look, in pictures, at how the party shook out.

The balloons made for a pretty fun game of "keep 'em up in the air."

Grandpa and grandma Weide were in attendance.

Everyone's plastic cup was dutifully marked.

Lauren did a spectacular job of decorating.

Emily, with one of her typical faces when Sean takes photos.

Veronica helped with the cookies.

Olivia spent a week making this "E.R.W." poster.

Veronica used part of Emily's present as wardrobe.

Emily models the robe that Olivia bought her.

'I Can't Breathe Now'

Emily presents Lauren with her birthday cake.

Happy Birthday, Lauren!

Julia helped make brownies to go along...

...with the birthday cake for Lauren.

Emily did the honors of delivering the cake to Lauren.

Lauren gets ready to blow out the candles.

Cake and ice cream hit the spot for the birthday girl.

Julia added a few sprinkles to hers.

Aunt Jean (left) and Veronica enjoyed the brownies, too.

Happy Birthday Veronica!

It's hard to believe you are already turning three!

Happy Birthday Dad!

I still don't know how old he is, but he looks great!
I don't remember the exact year (I was probably about seven or eight years old), but I do recall how the conversation went between me and my mom.

"Mom, how old are you and dad," I asked.

"Who is asking," mom replied.

"My friends wanted to know," I said.

"Tell them it's not polite to ask adults how old they are," she said.

And that was that. Never again did I ask how old they were. Nor did I ask the year of their birth - to figure it out myself. I do know my dad is a year older than my mom. (Just like I'm a year older than Danielle.)

Regardless of how old you are, dad, I still love you and am glad to have you and mom around. Enjoy your birthday!

Happy Birthday Olivia!

It's No. 6 for our little diva. I love you, Liv.