On Labor Day, we took the girls out to the Memphis Kiddie Park. This is a small amusement park in Cleveland designed specifically for people under 50" tall. It has ten rides and a mini-golf course. This turned out to be a great way to spend the day off. Mady was a little hesitant at first. She was still a little gun-shy around rides after her experience at the Fair in Iowa over the summer. The mini-roller coaster and the mini-Ferris Wheel were particularly intimidating to her when we walked in. She started with the Merry-Go-Round. She has ridden on a few of these before and has always enjoyed them. From there, she progressed to a boat ride, a pony and cart ride, a rocket ship, a race car, and an airplane. After mastering all of these rides, Mady decided that she was brave enough to take on the scary rides. I was very proud of her for working up the courage to ride the "Little Dipper" kiddie roller coaster. She actually had a really good time on it. I thought it was a little to jerky for someone who sits much higher than the backrest.
Carrie and Cami didn't go on any rides this time, but they had fun watching. We'll probably plan to visit it again in the spring and Mady will be able to take her little sister on the rides.
On September 8th, we celebrated Cami’s one-year
birthday party (9 days early). This was the closest weekend that Aunt Krista
and Uncle Steve were available, so we went with it. My parents graciously
offered to host the gathering at their house. We were very excited to have so
many family members come out to celebrate with us. The Greanya family even
drove down from Flint on Friday night. Andy spent the night we us, so we got to
catch up with him. Aunt Charmaine, Uncle Del, and Nicole all stayed at a nearby
hotel. 
From my side of the family, Grandpa Richards and Grandma
Beyer both made it out. My Aunt Mary, Aunt Marty, Uncle Pat, Aunt Andy, and
Uncle Charlie also came out. My cousins Margaret (and her soon-to-be husband,
Doug) and Matt and Emily, along with their daughter, Caroline also came. It was
a very full house! Fortunately, the weather cooperated with us (despite some
rainy forecasts) so we were able to set out some lawn games and spread outside
to the yard. As an exciting side note, Aunt Mary’s seventh Grand-child was in
the process of being born during the party, so she kept getting text updates
(too few and far between for her liking). Little May Madden eventually made her
way into the world later that evening. 
We served “Javanese Dinner” for the meal. This is a Greanya
family favorite. It is basically a built-it-yourself meal that consists of
rice, chicken, gravy, tomatoes, green onions, pineapple, coconut, almonds,
peppers, and cherries (I’m probably forgetting a few things as well). It might
sound a little funny, but it is a crowd pleaser. Everyone really enjoyed it,
which meant we didn’t have many leftovers. 
Cami seemed to have a very good time. She was just starting
to take her first cautious steps when we had the party. While she was pretty
gentle with her smash cake, she really did enjoy eating it. She got a couple
toys and some new outfits for the winter. Most of our guests just helped out with
a large shared gift which is going to be a brand new stroller. Our old
garage-sale find is definitely on its last legs after three years of steady
use. Cami’s brand new “Baby Jogger City-Mini GT” has been ordered and should be
here very soon. We are really appreciative of everyone’s generosity. To top it
all off, Michigan got their first victory of the season. J All in all, a great
way to celebrate one year of life! Congratulations Cameron Lee!
