Natalie and the Downside-Up Birthday Read Online Free PDF Page B

and Dad. Then we say, “Happy birthday to me!”
    “Wh-what?” Daddy sits up fast. Percy jumps off the bed.
    Mom’s eyes pop open. “Nat?”
    I wait for them to be waked up more. Then they can say, “Happy birthday!”
    “What time is it?” Daddy asks.
    “Time for my birthday,” I answer.
    Daddy plops his head back on his pillow.
    Mommy sits up in bed. “Happy birthday, Nat.”She yawns and turns their alarm clock to her. “Let’s let Daddy sleep a little longer. Come on. We’ll make a birthday breakfast.”
    “With real bacon?” I’m pretty sure Mommy didn’t buy the rubber kind.
    “You bet, Nat.”
    “Happy birthday,” Daddy says. I think. ’Cause he says it into his pillow.
    We have a whole lot of morning before it’s time to go to school. Mom and I make pancakes and bacon. We pack me a special lunch with two cupcakes. One for me and one for my bestest friend, Laurie. Only I also stick in two more. One for Farah and one for Anna.
    We pack up our classroom party cupcakes. They are filled with fanciness. Granny covered up all of my frosting mess-ups with pink and purple sprinklies.
    Mom packs enough cupcakes so everybody in our class can have two. Even Sasha and even Peter. I can carry the plastic boxes to school myself, just like other birthday kids in our class did before. On account of I am six. That’s what.
    Daddy gets up. “Hey! Happy birthday, birthday girl. How come nobody woke me up?”
    “We did!” I give him a birthday hug.
    Mom goes to her secret hiding place. And shecomes out with presents. For me!
    I open the biggest present first. It’s a giant stuffed dinosaur. I hug it. “Steg-O is going to love you!” Steg-O is my little dinosaur.
    I hug Mommy and Daddy really hard. “Thank you! It’s what I always wanted. And I didn’t even know that.”

    Plus also, I get a toy that has a screen and buttons to push. And noise. It’s really a learning thing. But I like it anyway.
    I get two games. I can’t hardly wait to play these games with Laurie. Plus also, clothes. These are notusually good presents. Only one of those clothes is a purple jogging suit, and I love it. “Can I wear these purple clothes to school?”
    “Good idea,” Mom answers.
    I’m opening the other present from Granny when the phone rings. And guess who is on that phone? Granny! I know that Different Granny and Gramps will call me too. Only later ’cause they live way far away in California. And time is all mixed up in that place. It’s probably not even my birthday yet there.
    “How’s my birthday girl?” Granny asks.
    “I love being six, Granny! Plus I have presents. And I’ve been up for a very long time. I’m opening your other present that’s for me.”
    “Good timing then, huh?” I think she yawns into the phone.
    I open the present and scream, “I love it, Granny! Thank you!” It’s a purple sweatshirt with three big cats on the front. The cats have on cowboy hats and cowboy boots. “They’re cowboy cats!”
    “Have you looked on the back yet?” Granny asks.
    I turn the shirt to its back. And the backs of those three big cats are on the back of my sweatshirt. “Wow!”
    “Glad you like it, Nat.” I think I hear her yawn again. “Best wear that one at home, though. Neverknow how a teacher will take to a shirt with cats’ backsides on the back, if you know what I mean.”
    “I have our cupcakes ready to go,” I tell her. “They look fancy.”
    “Well, you deserve fancy. Have a great time at kindergarten.”
    “Yep.” I know I will. It’s Month Number Two and Day Number Four. And I, Natalie 24, get my own kindergarten birthday party.
    On account of I am a lucky birthday girl. That’s what.

Chapter 11
The Cupcake Crash
    “Nat, are you sure you don’t want me to help you carry in your treats?” Mommy asks.
    “No thanks. I can do it myself.” I saw other birthday kids carry in their own parties.
    We are in Buddy in the school car parking lot. I’m trying to climb out of the