Taylor Swift party!

To celebrate turning 7, Camryn requested a 'Taylor Swift' themed birthday party. That was it. Her only request. Just that TS be the main focus. This left me and my creativity alone to do the dirty work...

So, I enlisted the help of her dance teachers, and planned a music/dance party at the girls' dance studio. With no TS themed party items on the market, I had to be a little creative, but managed to pull it off with the help of my sister.

The girls had a blast dancing and singing to Taylor's songs, in their dress up clothes, and their painted faces. The best part of the afternoon, was when Miss Liana taught the girls a choreographed routine to "You Belong With Me." Cuteness overload! By the end of the afternoon, they were all sweaty, exhausted, and smiling. Definitely a "swift" success!

School night celebration

It's always hard to celebrate your birthday on a school night, but we did our best!

Headed to Red Robin for dinner...



Ready for gifts...
She always has the best gift-opening faces!

She has been wanting footie PJs for awhile now, and I finally found some in her size! :)
Taylor Swift's concert on DVD. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

What can I say? The girl loves to write...

A sweet talk with Mimi on the phone was a perfect end to the night...

Happy 7th birthday, Camryn!

Dear Camryn,
I cannot believe that it is time again to say, "Happy Birthday" to you. It has officially been seven years now since you made me a mommy, and I couldn't be more proud of what you've learned and how you've grown.

If anything, this past year has been "the year of friendships." You have learned so much, in the best ways possible, and also in the hardest. You said a difficult goodbye last summer to your close friend Colin when he moved away, and it broke my heart to watch you navigate that particular childhood rite of passage. I am proud of you however, for continuing your friendship with him over the miles, via Skype, email, and good old-fashioned, hand written letters. I know that someday, you will see each other again.

You have also made some powerful bonds with some new BFFs of your own finding. At both dance and school, you have identified and befriended some of the sweetest, spunkiest girls. None of them were neighbors, or even children of my own friends. These are your close circle of friends whom you yourself chose to be surrounded by, and I have to say, I am very proud that you are such a good judge of character. :)

You have continued to enjoy many of your longtime favorites this year, including being a performer, singing along with Taylor Swift, and reading dozens and dozens of books, but you have also explored some new 'firsts' as well. You started Daisy Girl Scouts, you went to your first concert, you sampled Hip Hop dance class, and now Jazz too. You will soon start playing softball as well, and you continue to try new things with unabashed enthusiasm. You are absolutely, 100% willing to try anything new. This is one of the things I love most about you.

At school, your academics have continued to amaze us. You love, love, love to read, and you devour entire books in minutes. I've lost track of your scores, but I know your reading level is somewhere in the fifth grade range, based on the chapter books that you read and comprehend independently. It is such a strange sensation to watch some of my own fifth grade students struggle with the very books that you whiz right through without a second thought. In fact, reading comes so easy to you, that sometimes we have to remind you that not everything will always come so naturally. You are very hard on yourself, and expect 100% perfection all the time. You are disappointed when you don't come home with a perfect score on your Spelling test each week, and even though you are very good at it, you call math your "dragon." We are constantly working together to slay it! :)

I love watching your excitement about life, and your innate sense of confidence. The things you say make your Daddy, your teacher, and I laugh every single day. Your genuine wonder at new information and experiences are so fun to watch. I hope you keep that forever and ever, always knowing just how smart, beautiful, and amazing you are.

Happy 7th birthday, my Sweet Peanut.
We love you!
Love, Mommy & Daddy

Cookie Delivery

For those of you who ordered GS cookies.....they're here!

This is what 93 boxes of cookies looks like.
Way to go, Camryn!

A special Girl Scout meeting!

This month, our Daisy Girl Scout troop was working on earning their Purple Petal, which represents the ability to "Respect Myself and Others." As a part of respecting ourselves, we learned how to care for our bodies, and invited a special guest to come speak to us. Nearly every girl in our troop sees the same local pediatric dentist, Dr. Brandon, and so he agreed to give us some of his Saturday time to show the girls the importance of brushing, flossing, and eating right.

He even brought his family, and his 3 year old, Duncan, got to join the girls! :)

Camryn, Emma, and Mara are "the bottom teeth"

After eating, they have "chicken," (a rubber chicken), "licorice," (a pink lei), and "jelly beans," (a large squishy egg) stuck in between them. A splash of "juice" (silly string) tops off their meal!

So they "brushed" their teeth, but still had to "floss" to get all the gunk out. Hilarious!

Thank you, Dr. Brandon, for the good reminders, fun activities, and goodie bags too! If you need a pediatric dentist in the Tigard area, I highly recommend him!

Then it was time for our Daisy Chefs to get cooking!

They worked together to prepare a healthy snack, representing all 5 food groups!

Pita bread for grains...

Cucumbers and carrots for Veggies...

Cheese for Dairy...

Pears for Fruit...

And hummus for Protein... YUM!

What a special Girl Scout meeting!