(Elise's Birthday - September 28, 1996)

Lana's alarm clock went off at 7:30 on the morning of Elise's third birthday. She got out of bed to make a special birthday breakfast for Elise. Before going to the kitchen, Lana quietly opened the door to her daughter's room. The little girl was sound asleep cuddling her stuffed Dalmatian puppy named Dale. Lana tiptoed to Elise's bed and kissed her on the cheek. Elise slowly opened her eyes and smiled at her mother.

"Happy Birthday, Lis," Lana whispered. "You are three years old today." Elise started to move around so she could get out of bed, but Lana gently laid her back down explaining that it was 7:30 in the morning and that she should go back to sleep until breakfast is ready. Elise nodded her head and slowly went back to sleep.

Lana first started decorating. First, she hung up two colorful "Happy Birthday" signs - one for the living room mantle and one for the kitchen table. Second, she blew up and tied three balloons onto the kitchen chair. Third, Lana laid a throw blanket on the table and put together a picture collage of her daughter from when she was a newborn up to three. Last, she put a medium sized birthday gift bag on the table. She looked at the clock, which read 8:00, and started making breakfast: waffles with strawberries and whipped cream on top and sausage.

Elise once again woke up, but this time to the sweet smell of waffles and sausages frying. She gasped happily and sat up in her bed. Oh boy! Mommy's making waffles and sausage for my birthday breakfast. I wonder if it's ready. Elise got out of bed, stretched, and walked to the kitchen.

Elise stopped short at the kitchen doorway and couldn't believe what she saw. Oh...my goodness! She saw the balloons floating above her chair and the birthday bag sitting on the table.

"Hi, baby," said Lana. "Your birthday breakfast is just about ready. Go ahead and sit down."

Elise sat in her chair as Lana put two waffles on a plate. Then, she cut three strawberries in half and then plopped two scoops of whipped cream on top of the waffles. Elise licked her lips hungrily after Lana placed the plate in front of her.

"Enjoy!" Lana said after she cut the waffles on Elise's plate.

Elise took a bite of her waffles. "Yummy! Thanks, Mommy!"

"You're welcome, baby," Lana replied with a chuckle. "Let me know if you are ready for sausage."

"I'm ready! I'm ready!"

"That's quite a start to your birthday, Mommy!" Kennedy commented.

"Well, your Grandma Lana always made the best waffles," Elise replied back as her mother chuckled.

"I still do," Lana added.

"Anyway, after breakfast, it was time to get ready for my party. Grandma Lana gave me a bath and braided my hair..."

"All right, Lis. Just hold still," Lana said while the two were in the bathroom. She was putting a finishing touch on Elise's bubble braid. "I'm almost done."

"I'm sorry, Mommy," Elise apologized. "I'm just so excited for my party."

"I know, dear." Lana put on one more hair tie on Elise's braid. Then, she took out a mirror and held it up behind Elise's head so she can see.

"Wow! Mommy, I love it!" Elise exclaimed. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, baby," Lana chuckled. She held up a can of hair spray. "Okay, now I need you to turn around so I can spray your hair and don't forget to close your eyes."

Elise did exactly what she was told. After Lana sprayed her daughter's hair, she took Elise to her bedroom to find an outfit for her to wear for her party. Lana took out three different outfits from Elise's closet and put them on her bed: a light pink and blue long-sleeved floral jumpsuit, a white t-shirt with red overalls and matching sweater, and a long-sleeved light purple dress with black stockings.

"What would you like to wear to your party, Lis?" Lana asked her three-year-old.

Elise took a look at her outfits, then back to her mother. "I want to wear..." She pointed to the first outfit. "...this one."

"Great choice!" Lana smiled at her daughter, who started to dress herself.

"When is Grandpa coming?" Elise asked after she got dressed into her jumpsuit.

"He'll be here between 11 or 11:30," Lana answered. "Don't forget that Uncle Michael, Aunt Julie, Uncle James, Great-Grandma Sophia, and cousins Kimmy, Christopher, and Amy are coming, too. They will be here..." Lana stopped when the telephone rang. "Oop! Hold on, sweetie."

"Okay." Elise went over to the living room and sat on the chair and looked out the window. She loved when her cousins came over. Kimmy and Amy are Uncle Michael and Aunt Julie's children. Julie is Lana's younger sister. Her oldest daughter, Kimmy, is going on 12 while Amy is 1 and a half. Uncle James is Lana's older brother. His only son, Christopher, is 15 and in high school. Elise loved Christopher very much and he is her favorite cousin.

"Hello?" She heard Lana on the phone. "Oh, hi, Jules! What's that? Amy has the chicken pox? Poor thing. Oh, no. Yes, we'll come over after Amy is well. I'll let Elise know. Oh. Okay. Hang on." Lana motioned for Elise to come to the phone. "One moment, Jules." Lana told Elise that Aunt Julie, Uncle Michael, and Kimmy wanted to talk on the phone for a few minutes.

Elise took the phone. "Hello?"

"Happy Birthday, Lis!" said her aunt, uncle, and cousin.

Elise smiled. "Thank you. Are you going to come over soon?"

"Oh, honey, we're so sorry," Uncle Michael said. "Amy is sick and we won't be able to come over after all."

"Ohh," Elise said in disappointment.

"We're going to make it up to you," Aunt Julie said, trying to cheer her niece up. "We decided that you can come over after Amy is well and we can celebrate your birthday then. Okay?"

Elise smiled a little. "Okay. I hope Amy will get better soon. Bye-bye." She hung up the phone and sat back down on the couch.

"It's too bad that Amy came down with the chicken pox," Lana said as she sat next to her daughter, who hugged her and tried not to cry. "I know you're disappointed, honey, but what did Aunt Julie tell you?"

"She, Uncle Michael, Kimmy, and Amy want to celebrate my birthday after Amy gets well. But, when?"

"It'll take at least a few weeks for Amy to get better," Lana told her daughter. "But, don't you worry. She'll be just fine as long as she doesn't scratch those spots. Before Aunt Julie called, I was going to say that Uncle James, Christopher, and Great-Grandma Sophia will be coming at around noon."

Elise nodded and went back to looking out the window. Then, she thought of something or someone... "Mommy, is Shari going to come to my party?"

After Richard told Lana that Shari had replied, they agreed that they should keep it as a surprise for Elise. They even discussed the surprise with the rest of the family, who also vowed to keep it secret.

"We'll see, sweetheart," Lana answered. "Why don't we get started on your Lamb Chop birthday cake and then finish decorating?"

Elise smiled and the two headed for the kitchen to bake the cake.

"Do you really think Shari will come?" Elise asked again.

"We'll see."

A few hours later and as promised, Richard, Great-Grandma Sophia, Uncle James, and Christopher came over to celebrate Elise's birthday. The three-year-old was so excited to see her relatives especially Christopher and Great-Grandma Sophia. Christopher would play "Fur Elise" on the piano and make her laugh every time he sees her. One of Christopher's favorite ways to make Elise laugh is imitating animal sounds.

Great-Grandma Sophia, who was born in Germany, but raised in Scotland, believed in the birthday spanking custom. She sat on the couch, took out a small paddle, and told Elise that she must give her a spanking. Elise looked a little worried because she thought that she was in trouble. Sophia explained that when she grew up and celebrated her birthday, she would receive a spanking based on the number of years she has been in the world and an extra one "to grow on" for the following year. Elise felt better when the paddle Sophia brought was soft and not too hard. Sophia then placed Elise over her knee.

"One...two...," Sophia counted as she spanked. "...three birthday spankings and one to grow on." Elise giggled and gave her great-grandma a thank-you hug and a kiss. Afterwards, she went back over to the window.

"Sweetie pie, what are you doing?" asked Sophia.

"I'm waiting," Elise answered.

"Waiting for what?"

"A friend."

Sophia decided to humor her. "How about we play a game? I'll ask you questions about what your friend looks like."

"Is it like 20 Questions?" Elise asked.

"It's kind of like that, honey," Sophia answered. "Okay, here's my first question."

The game went on until Sophia couldn't think of any more questions. She asked Elise if her friend is a boy or girl, what color her friend's hair is, if her friend is tall or short, etc. Elise then asked her great-grandma if she would really like to play one of her board games. After Sophia said yes, she asked Elise if Christopher would like to play a few games. Elise smiled and asked her older cousin, who also said yes. Elise and Christopher went to the closet to find a few games to play.

Elise selected "Chutes and Ladders", "Twister", and "Candyland". Christopher mentioned that he brought his "Bop It" with him so they could play a few rounds. Then, the three of them walked into the kitchen. Lana was already in there getting lunch ready. Richard and James had returned to the house after picking up a pizza. Lana told her daughter that she could play one game for now because it's almost time for lunch and present time. Elise understood and started playing "Chutes and Ladders" with Christopher and Sophia. Lana and Richard could tell that she's having a good birthday so far after they heard her giggling uncontrollably.

Suddenly, Richard heard the door knock. When he opened it, a huge smile began to grow on his face.