Wynn's BIG day!

It is Wynn's 9th Birthday. She has waited so long for this day. Not only does she get to celebrate with friends and family at her party, but she gets to finally get her ears pierced (more on that part later.)!

Wynn had several friends and family for her Cooking Birthday Party. We  made each guest a personalized apron. Wynn's friends were from her class this year, preschool friends, and church friends. The girls gathered, and we had them make a personal pizza. I had pre-made the dough and the girls had toppings to make the pizza just like they liked them. While the pizzas cooked, the girls added fruit a bowl to make a fruit salad (strawberries, blueberries, grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew). They also added different ingredients to make a morning smoothie.  The girls enjoyed their smoothies while Mary Katherine lead them in games. Mary Katherine had different foods in a paper bag, she had the girls blindfolded choose a food then see what they tasted. The next game was letting the girls feed one another either yogurt or apple sauce. The catch was one girl (the eater) had her hands behind her back while the next girl (the feeder) sat behind her. This game was too funny! Trippe was the messiest recipient of apple sauce (which he hates).

The pizza was ready and the the girls enjoyed their pizza and fruit salad. The last thing for the girls to do were to ice their own cupcakes. They enjoyed adding icing and different colored sprinkles. It was finally time for Wynn to open presents. She is so blessed with sweet friends! We enjoyed a great birthday party.

Wynn's big day wasn't over post-party...she was headed to the mall to get her ears pierced. Wynn had called her Nana earlier in the week to join her. Nana had promised to get her ears pierced with Mary Katherine and Sarah ...each time she chickened out. Wynn was successful (and brave) ...she got her ears pierced first then Nana at 63 got her ears pierced for the first time. We were so proud of both girls!

We have two birthdays of our birthday season down with 3 (2 parties) more to go! My how fast they grow and how quickly birthday season passes these days.

Birthday Season Is Here

It has officially begun... our birthday season. I've called it this for the past 8 years because beginning January 24 we celebrate 5 birthdays in the next six weeks. I seems like we get one birthday planned and it is time for the next. We have always made a big deal of birthdays around here. I feel like it is the only day that is truly yours to celebrate....except for the fact that 10 years ago (almost 11) I began to share my day with Trippe. (more on that to come).

Mary Katherine kicks us off with our birthday season. This is a BIG year for her. MK celebrated her Sweet Sixteenth Birthday yesterday. We asked her shortly after Christmas what she wanted to do for her big birthday. She really had no big plans. I was asked by a friend who owned a local restaurant what our plans were. When she found out they were not big then all plans changed. She offered us the use of her restaurant for a surprise party. The planning began. I let MK think she was going with friends to her favorite restaurant Ichiban then to see Soundwave perform. All along, a couple of her friends and I planned this party.

She was sneaky and tried figuring us out, but she didn't have all the details. Friends gathered at Romie's on her birthday. We had told her that we would go out to eat as a family (with Bud) for her big day. We arrived at Romies, Bud opened the door and her friends yelled SURPRISE! She smiled so big. I think she smile most of the night. We had her itunes playing, food was set and everyone visited with one another. Mary Katherine is so blessed to call many people friend. Philip told her that he was so proud that she was friends with so many.(That is just her kind-hearted spirit.) She truly sees the good in all people.

Among her friends were some of her youngest friends...Jessie Lee, Mary Lawson, Pinchy and Lilla. MK was excited to share her day with them also.