Amelia's 8th Birthday

For our second birthday of the week, we celebrated with Amelia. (Grandma Judy took her to build-a-bear a couple of days before and I took pictures, but they are nowhere to be found.)

She was anxiously awaiting our arrival back from the gym so she could choose a present to open before school.

She was very excited to open a new outfit, since that was the only thing she had really asked for. (Well, other than a pet, which I think I made very clear was not going to happen. Yes, I crushed her dreams before her birthday even arrived.)

Okay, she talked me into one more present before school. (You will notice Duffy in the backgound enjoying a lovely smoothie made in the new blendtec.)

While all the kids were off at school, Peter got a special early birthday surprise. Grandma Judy stopped by to drop off his birthday present since she was going to be gone on the actual day. He was so excited to have a turn to open something, and said, "Oh, Grandma Judy, you brought me a present! Yeah!"

Once everyone was home again in the late afternoon, we had a rather rushed celebration. (As always, it seems, we have to be somewhere else on the nights of these March birthdays.) Shawn was busy frosting her cake while she was opening the rest of her presents.

We ran into a bit of a frosting malfunction, and out of time, so the cake didn't get finished. There are no guitar strings and the finishing details she wanted weren't on there, but she seemed OK with that as long as she could blow out some candles and eat a piece of cake with some ice cream.

Happy Birthday Amelia! I just can't believe how the years continue to fly by. So hard to believe that my tiniest little bundle, who I never could imagine being anything other than a tiny little dark haired, dark eyed creature,

has blossomed into the beautiful and sweet (and regularly sized) 8 year old she is. Eight is a pretty big year, since she will be baptized as well, so there will be more celebrating in a few weeks.