Family party

Sunday, we held our traditional "transition" birthday celebration, to both finish off the festivities for Camryn's day, and kick them off for Aubrey's. Having both girls' birthdays so close together can be so fun, but so overwhelming. Sometimes it feels like all we do in February is party! :)

Keira wore her party clothes!

Aubrey was just SO happy to play with her...


Grandpa, that's just mean!
Aubrey was enamored with her baby doll bed from Grandma and Grandpa...

Camryn was the only one who realized that a travel pillow must = a vacation! :) More to come on that...

Then it was time for an ice cream sundae bar like no other! The girls had their pick of every topping you could imagine, thanks to their aunties, uncles, and grandparents!



Time to blow out the candles!

One last celebration...I promise that she wanted to do this. In the photo, it looks like we're forcing her!
Happy Birthday, silly girls!

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!