Archive for July, 2014

Serenity is Six Years Old

Monday, July 14th, 2014

I am late with birthday favorites this year, but I still want to record them here.  This is going to be a VERY long post with monthly pictures of Serenity, her favorite things and some of my favorite things about her =)

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Serenity is six years old today. It was a lovely day, full of family fun. When I first woke up I snuck out of the house so that Serenity could wake up to a birthday donut breakfast. Eric moved downstairs so he could hear Maia, which meant I got to go to bed upstairs to wait for Serenity and Donovan to wake up. I love morning snuggles in bed, and though they often get into the blue rocking chair to snuggle with Maia and me in the mornings, this was even better. And then Serenity rushed downstairs to see her breakfast treat! She was so happy! I had put up a few of her party decorations so that it would be festive in the morning, and she was really happy with them. She gave me one of her exuberant hugs where she nearly climbs up into my arms and said, “THANK you Mama, the decorations are lovely! I LOVE them.” I let her decide what she wanted to do with the day. She wanted to stay in her unicorn nightgown all day and play around the house. She spent a lot of time on a new website, but she also wanted to play a few board games with me and Donovan, and she and DZ spent a long time pretending to be unicorns and dogs. Eric surprised us by coming home in the middle of the day. They played dodgeball with our snowball set, and Serenity loved blocking and dodging with her fancy footwork. They used the swing, enjoyed popsicles, and we ordered her favorite cheesesticks from Papa Johns. We ended the day by building a crazy fort doghouse and kitty house for them to sleep in. They filled it with pillows and covers and somehow managed to fall asleep anyway =)

July 2013

July 2013

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Sugust 2013

Sugust 2013

September 2013

September 2013

October 2013, at the fair

October 2013, at the fair

October 2013 on our annual trip to the pumpkin patch

October 2013 on our annual trip to the pumpkin patch

October 2013

October 2013

November 2013, reading anatomy books =)

November 2013, reading anatomy books =)

December 2013

December 2013

December 2013, first ice skating!

December 2013, first ice skating!

January 2014, taken by Heather Warren

January 2014, taken by Heather Warren

January 2014.  All my pictures of Serenity from this month are with Maia =)  Such a sweet big sister!

January 2014. All my pictures of Serenity from this month are with Maia =) Such a sweet big sister!

February Super Hero Party at School

February Super Hero Party at School

February 2014

February 2014

March 2014.  This is my favorite picture of the year I think.  It's just so Serenity =)

March 2014. This is my favorite picture of the year I think. It’s just so Serenity =)

April 2014

April 2014

April 2014.  We were comparing eye color during a break from playing Kingdom of Keflings

April 2014. We were comparing eye color during a break from playing Kingdom of Keflings

May 2014, she lost her first tooth!

May 2014, she lost her first tooth!

 

End of school sign picture =)

End of school sign picture =)

May 2014, day dreaming

May 2014, day dreaming

June, my dancing Hufflepuff

June, my dancing Hufflepuff

July 2014

July 2014

 

 

A very happy birthday to my sweet daughter who is growing up so fast! I love listening to stories about butterflies named Rainbow and unicorns named Ribbon. I love that you are intensely interested in any game you see and can figure out how to play them, whether it’s a board game or a computer game. I adore watching you move. You have a graceful, lyrical way of dancing that I love, especially when you dance to Frozen. I can see that you understand the story in every movement. I love watching you read late into the night just like your Mama. I love listening to you giggle and exclaim over books that I adore too, sharing these things with you is such a beautiful, special moment. I love that you plan elaborate games with Donovan. He’s your best friend and your co-conspirator. I love watching you with Maia. You desperately want to pick her up and just take care of her. You laugh and make crazy noises to entertain her if she’s upset. You have such a sweet and helpful heart. You are fiercely competitive, which leads to some tears when you don’t win, but you love to cheer for others just the same. I love being your Mama, special girl, and I am simply amazed by the person you are becoming.

 

Serenity’s Favorites from year 6

 

Song:

Serenity loves to be Elsa! I think just about every little girl her age loves Frozen right now. We went to see the movie together in theaters and it was SO much fun! She was really scared at parts and she cried when Anna turned to ice, but she has been playing Elsa ever since. She is hesitant to actually watch the movie again, but she listens to the music all the time and has a beautiful dance that she does to “Let it Go.” Let it Go is her favorite song. =)

 

Toys:

Dress Up stuff, especially her Periwinkle Dress

 

Rainbow Wings

Rainbow Wings

Legos: She got her first real legos this year. We did a Lego Advent Calendar every day in December, and she got several Lego Friend kits. She loves building the kits and needs no help figuring out what to do. Occasionally she needed help getting the pieces tightly clicked together, but mostly she could do it alone!

 

Goldieblox and Legos.  I love the complex building she can do!

Goldieblox and Legos. I love the complex building she can do!

flowers, leaves, twigs

Serenity loves playing in nature. One day last fall I went outside and discovered that she’d decided fall wasn’t coming fast enough. She had pulled every leaf she could reach off the maple tree and was standing on a bucket to get more! She loves it when I prune the trees because she takes the branches and builds hideouts.

 

Helping Fall Along

Helping Fall Along

Serenity adores climbing trees!  She even taught DZ.  She walked in one day and said, "This is really an emergency.  I taught Donovan to climb the tree and he can't get down."

Serenity adores climbing trees! She even taught DZ. She walked in one day and said, “This is really an emergency. I taught Donovan to climb the tree and he can’t get down.”

When she plays with toys its not often just for the toy itself, usually its a part of her grand scheme. Like she will fill Mama’s closet up with every toy in the house because she needs things for whatever club or adventure she’s planning with Donovan, but it’s more of a collection thing than a toy thing. She loves making nests, hideouts, secret nooks out of cushions, blankets and pillows. She loves jumping off the couch onto those pillows and cushions, or rolling down the slides Eric makes out of mattresses. She uses the couch as a balance beam.

 

Finding my children with a mountain of toys in a random closet is not unusual

Finding my children with a mountain of toys in a random closet is not unusual

They covered their entire bed in books and pillows... seems pretty cozy to me

They covered their entire bed in books and pillows… seems pretty cozy to me

Flashlights

 

My Little Pony: The whole family went through a serious My Little Pony phase this year. The kids got me Rainbow Dash and Spike for my birthday. Serenity made a Twilight Sparkle for herself a month later, and even got her a stroller to push her around in. We watched the show on DVD, and I made them My Little Pony stick horses to ride and Serenity was Twilight Sparkle for Halloween.

 

My Little Pony

My Little Pony

Twilight and Pony in their strollers

Twilight and Pony in their strollers

Crafts: Serenity likes to do crafts if I set them up, but when she sets crafts up for herself they usually involve tape and stickers. She loves to make signs. She loves to fill page after page with stickers. She will sometimes even write on her signs now, which is exciting =) And she draws actual things now instead of just coloring or scribbling, thanks to the wonderful Mrs. Foster. She said her favorite craft at school was when they took clipboards out to the butterfly garden to draw what they could see. Then after that she loved Action Jackson Pollock. =) Splattering paint on canvases, so fun!!!

 

Art projects by Serenity!  She drew heart lake a lot, and added stickers.

Art projects by Serenity! She drew heart lake a lot, and added stickers.

The butterfly Garden

The butterfly Garden

Galaxy Play-doh.  This was one of their favorite crafts this year.  We looked at pictures in Serenity's space book, and added colors and sparkles to black play-doh to make the galaxy.  Serenity added beads for each planet and the asteroid belt!

Galaxy Play-doh. This was one of their favorite crafts this year. We looked at pictures in Serenity’s space book, and added colors and sparkles to black play-doh to make the galaxy. Serenity added beads for each planet and the asteroid belt!

 

Stuffed Animal:
Snowy.

Also added a Unicorn named Silver to her collection.

 

Practicing Back Bends

Practicing Back Bends

Games:

Serenity has started playing really complex games this year. She plays Dominion with us! Eric and I are thrilled. She really grasps how the cards interacts and does a great job. Eric and I usually give ourselves some kind of handicap, like saying we will only buy Duchies for points, and then we try our best to win. She gets so excited when she has a good run of cards! She would dance in the windowsill and just grin! Another grown up game she’s played a lot this year is Ticket to Ride. We don’t always keep score on that one, but we work to try and complete our routes and she can do it! And she can reroute if someone takes the way she planned to go.

 

Just last month Eric bought a new game, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles strategy game. Serenity loves it, and they play actual, challenging games. DZ and I went to run some errands and they played four times in a row. She was interested and focused the whole time, and she was a good sport even though she lost three of them, and she wanted to keep playing. Eric was over the moon excited!

 

For her 5th birthday she received Mermaid Island as a gift. It’s a cooperative game, and so much fun! It led to the purchase of other cooperative games because they are fun and make us all happy =)

 

 

Computer:

Serenity still loves computer time! This year we Carson introduced us to a new app, My Singing Monsters. The whole family was addicted to this for months! We still visit our monsters occasionally, although we have finally slowed down a bit. =)

 

Serenity also started playing a couple of x-box games. She doesn’t particularly like stressful or timed games, but Eric downloaded Kingdom for Keflings for her and she loves that. And it’s possible Mama played it quite a bit as well. It’s a little like the Sims, or a mini Civilization game, you build houses and universities and a castle for the keflings by building resources and using blueprints.

 

Serenity still plays all her old online favorites too, Nick Jr., Starfall and Disney Jr.

 

Food:
Serenity has gotten to be a much better eater this year. She will try almost anything, and she even sometimes eats the food she tastes. She will eat salmon if Eric orders it! As far as favorite foods go though, they are still very much the same. She loves Strawberry Donuts, she frequently requests Oatmeal and Cinnamon Toast from Papa, and she loves Chicken and French Fries.

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Strawberry birthday donut treats

Strawberry birthday donut treats

She loves popcorn!

She loves popcorn!

Books:

Serenity is still an amazing reader. She even got an award for being a great reader at preschool! She reads chapter books all by herself easily. But probably the most exciting moment of the year for me was that we read the first Harry Potter together! She loved it, and I adored all her reactions. Probably my favorite moment was when she said that in Mirror of Erised she would see herself as a unicorn. Oh, or when she giggled, cheered, and clapped when Gryffindor won the house cup, and then asked where book 2 was =) Loved it!

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Some of our other favorite books from the year include the Rescue Princess series. The princesses learn ninja moves and rescue animals, which is absolutely perfect for Serenity!

 

We did the summer reading program as we usually do, and Serenity chose a really big book from the chapter book section, the Cats of Tanglewood Forest. We started out reading together but she quickly finished it on her own. But I really wanted to know what happened!

 

She loves reading non-fiction books too, especially science books. She will read her book on the Human Body, or Science Play, or most recently the Exploralab book late into the night. It is a little strange when she asks me to read it for her bedtime story though. Personally I’d read one experiment and then want to actually do it, but she reads it cover to cover. =) She spent several months reading a new National Geographic book about space. She learned all about the planets (and she knows to classify Pluto as a dwarf planet, sob) She knows stars and constellations and actually quite a bit more than I do about the planets moons =)   She also reads a chess instruction manual fairly often.

 

Science experiment!

Science experiment!

Loves:
Swimming
This year Serenity got really good at swimming. She spent the whole year in lessons because just taking a few weeks during the summer was not doing enough to get the kids competent in the water. And she loves it! It was the first activity on her list to sign up for again next year. She can swim all the way across the pool by herself. She can dive, and float, and swim underwater to retrieve rings.

 

Dancing

We took an entire year in dance lessons as well. She said she liked her lessons, but there were a few weeks that she’d say she would rather not go. Finally I told her she needed to decide if she wanted the lessons, and if she did then she couldn’t complain about going anymore. And that did the trick. She was doing Jazz and Tap because her friends Harper and Wren from U-school enrolled in that. I don’t think it was her favorite style of dancing, but she did a great job at the recital dancing Mambo #5 and Shake Sonora.

 

Mambo Mamasitas

Mambo Mamasitas

Gymnastics

We didn’t take gymnastics lessons this year until the summer session, but Serenity now says it’s her favorite thing again. Her cartwheels are amazing now, and she does really cool things from the spring board. She will run, jump on the board, and then go into a forward roll or a headstand. It’s crazy! She doesn’t like working on the bars though, and she cries occasionally about that. The first week she was crying when Ms. Paige brought her out, and Ms. Paige said, “I don’t know why she’s crying, she was the smallest girl there and she did everything!” I understand though, she feels overwhelmed and thinks she has to be perfect at everything. We talked about how the whole point of lessons is to learn things you don’t know how to do, and she’s working on it.   We will see if she chooses to take gymnastics next year how far she goes!

 

Serenity loves school. Every day she’d tell me she had a greatsome day. The big news of the day was usually who got to be line leader or the caboose =) The days it was Serenity’s turn to be line leader were always the best days! She loves art, computers, and playing with her friends. She always came home with a lot of sand so I know she enjoyed the sandbox, and the day I spent with her at school to bring her birthday treats she showed me how she would climb all over the playground!

Best friends! =)  I love watching Serenity make friends at school!

Best friends! =) I love watching Serenity make friends at school!

 

Our temporary cat Snowflake.  As much as Serenity likes pretending to be a cat, we weren't ready for the responsibility of taking care of a cat and socializing him.  Snowflake just didn't get enough attention so he needed a new family. Serenity agreed.

Our temporary cat Snowflake. As much as Serenity likes pretending to be a cat, we weren’t ready for the responsibility of taking care of a cat and socializing him. Snowflake just didn’t get enough attention so he needed a new family. Serenity agreed.

Pretending to be a ninja turtle

Pretending to be a ninja turtle

Field Day

Field Day

She loves that Daddy volunteers at Field Day!

She loves that Daddy volunteers at Field Day!

She wanted an outfit to match her sister

She wanted an outfit to match her sister

Big Sis

Big Sis

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We did some fun hairstyles this year.  Her current favorite is the Elsa braid of course

We did some fun hairstyles this year. Her current favorite is the Elsa braid of course

This is the first pair of shoes Serenity chose for herself, and she absolutely wore them out.  We had to take a picture of them before we said goodbye to them =)

This is the first pair of shoes Serenity chose for herself, and she absolutely wore them out. We had to take a picture of them before we said goodbye to them =)

 

Donovan in June

Monday, July 14th, 2014
Dinosaurs programmed the IPAD to say RAWR

Dinosaurs programmed the IPAD to say RAWR

Checking out the birthday invite on the computer

Checking out the birthday invite on the computer

Building a gigantic dinosaur in legos

Building a gigantic dinosaur in legos

Playing with the Lego birthday cake =)

Playing with the Lego birthday cake =)

Play-doh birthday cake from the dinos =)

Play-doh birthday cake from the dinos =)

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Every single dino and dragon book we own.

Every single dino and dragon book we own.

So much fun reading them all!

So much fun reading them all!

Birthday balloons.  The pterodactyl flew off with one!

Birthday balloons. The pterodactyl flew off with one!

Painting with the dinos

Painting with the dinos

Dino Garden

Dino Garden

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I just realized I forgot to journal about Dinosaur Week! The week before Donovan’s Dinosaur birthday, his dinos came to life each night for some silly fun. Monday morning, Donovan found them playing x-box, watching a dinosaur show, and looking at the invitation to his birthday on the laptop. He concluded that they want to come to his birthday party, and said, “Well, they are my friends. I WANT them to come to my party.” They programmed an awesome birthday message on the IPAD. Tuesday he discovered that they had built a huge dinosaur out of legos. Donovan’s reaction… he gave his awesome little giggle and said, “My Dinos wanted to play with the Legos. They’re my best friends.” Wednesday, they got into the play-doh and made him an awesome cake, complete with candles. Serenity added some play-doh to the candle for a flame and we sang. The part he liked best about this morning was that the t-rex got his head stuck in a play-doh tub. Thursday, the dinos got out every single dinosaur and dragon book we own, which led to a lot of book reading with Mama that day. Friday morning he found the dinos tangled in a lot of balloons that were purchased for his party. The pterodactyl was even flying away with one balloon! Saturday morning they were all assembled in his dino garden, wearing party hats and wielding a sign that says “RAWR” which means Happy Birthday DZ in dinosaur. =)

 

7/2

Parenting Win: Tonight, for dinner, the kids chose to eat Triscuits and Whipped Cream. I am awesome. Serenity at least had a little avocado with her first batch of triscuits, before she moved onto dessert Triscuits.

 

Table Hammock. Pinterest win. I tied a blanket onto our table and it was a very cozy spot to hide out. I wanted one for myself! And then Eric decided he would fit in it just fine and he went for it =)

 

Ninja Turtle Training. Eric watched a few episodes of the Ninja Turtles with the kids and it led to all-out turtle mania. Donovan had two swords tucked into his shirt all month, at least until he got a turtle shell for his birthday complete with sword loops. =) He loves attacking balloons and walls with his swords and his awesome ninja moves. Serenity likes the ninja moves too =) Donovan is always Leonardo, which sounds more like Leo’ardo. Serenity prefers Donatello, or April.

 

Building Dog Houses/ Paw Patrol. Donovan has always loved pretending to be a doggie. Well he recently discovered Paw Patrol on Nick Jr. The show is about dogs that also are rescue heroes. There’s a fire dog named Marshal, a police dog named Chase, etc. So nearly every day he asks me to call him Zuma (the puppy that does water rescues). He reminds me every time I accidently call him Donovan that he’s really Zuma. Right now he says he wants a Paw Patrol birthday for his next party. I have to say, it seems perfect for my dog/super hero loving boy =) He pretends the rest of us are in the Paw Patrol as well. Serenity is usually Sky, Maia is Rubble, and I am sometimes Ryder, the little boy who leads the Paw Patrol.

 

Leonardo attacking balloon foot soldiers with his katanas.  In a princess nightgown.

Leonardo attacking balloon foot soldiers with his katanas. In a princess nightgown.

Table Hammock

Table Hammock

We build doghouses every day around here.  With cushions, pillows, crazy forts, whatever works.

We build doghouses every day around here. With cushions, pillows, crazy forts, whatever works.

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Donovan adores morning swing time with Daddy

Donovan adores morning swing time with Daddy

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Birthday card from Aunt Tina.  It had a dog on it!

Birthday card from Aunt Tina. It had a dog on it!

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Building his new legos wearing the safety goggles from Papa

Building his new legos wearing the safety goggles from Papa

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Such a snuggly sweet heart boy =)

Such a snuggly sweet heart boy =)

Filling his own pinata

Filling his own pinata

Serenity’s Unicorn Party!

Saturday, July 12th, 2014

Serenity’s Sixth Birthday Unicorn Party

 

Ready to Paint!

Ready to Paint!

Serenity’s party started off with a big surprise! The first two guests to arrive at the party were a unicorn and his pony friend! Rachel the pony handler came to the door and immediately Serenity introduced herself and started telling her how it was her birthday party today and all the things we had planned. She was so excited to tell someone about her party that didn’t let Rachel finish her speech so she still had no idea there were ponies waiting to see her! Finally I told Serenity that there was a surprise for her and she should let Rachel talk. We followed her out to the horse trailer and when she realized there were real ponies to ride she was absolutely thrilled! One was even dressed as a unicorn, and while she did point out that it was a unicorn costume and not a real unicorn, she was extremely happy anyway. She rode the white unicorn first, and Donovan rode Stormy the brown pony. They got to ride before any other guests arrived. I spent the first hour trying to get pictures of everyone riding the ponies and getting people started on the craft and making sure everyone got a unicorn horn to wear. I’m not good at delegating. =)

 

The BIG Surprise

The BIG Surprise

Going to have to research and see if I can remove sunspots from photos =)  Or maybe I'll just think of it as extra unicorn magic =)

Going to have to research and see if I can remove sunspots from photos =) Or maybe I’ll just think of it as extra unicorn magic =)

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I nailed canvases to the fence for the party craft. I loved this setup! I gave the kids paint in egg cartons, and a chip brush so we could just dispose of the mess afterwards. The canvas had a ribbon hanger with a rosette attached to write names on, and a vinyl sticker of a unicorn. The kids painted the canvas and then peeled the sticker to reveal a beautiful unicorn! I still want to paint one myself, I may do that with the extra canvases. =)

 

Painting!  We will have to do this again... especially since the nails are already there =)

Painting! We will have to do this again… especially since the nails are already there =)

A few people tried out the game of Unicorn Shoes that was set up in the grass. A little glitter to a set of horseshoes and some new stakes made out of spirals like unicorn horns and it was all set.

 

Unicornshoes

Unicornshoes

After half an hour of pony rides, with Serenity and Donovan getting at least five rides each, it was time for the feeding and grooming activities. Everyone loved this, and the horses got so many treats they were having a hard time chewing them all. I wanted to brush the horses too, they were so beautiful. I really hope one of my kids wants to take riding lessons and doesn’t mind if Mama takes them at the same time. =)

Feeding the Unicorn a treat =)  He definitely earned that after all the pony rides!

Feeding the Unicorn a treat =) He definitely earned that after all the pony rides!

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At this point, it was time to bring out the watermelon popsicles to cool off. They were unicorn horn shaped as well, thanks to the popsicle mold I found. So fun! =) And the popsicles were just watermelon with a pinch of salt and a tiny bit of sugar. With a really great watermelon you wouldn’t even need that.

 

Aunt Kelly gave Maia a popsicle =)  She enjoyed it!  Aunt Jen also fed her strawberries, which she loved.  Her tongue pushing out the food is evidently genetic and we will have to work on that.

Aunt Kelly gave Maia a popsicle =) She enjoyed it! Aunt Jen also fed her strawberries, which she loved. Her tongue pushing out the food is evidently genetic and we will have to work on that.

We came inside for the food and the rest of the activities then. The unicorns practiced their magic with the Magic Milk Experiment. Pour about a quarter inch of milk into a dish, put a bit of food coloring in, and use your unicorn horn dipped in dish soap to make magic! The swirly colors are so pretty, this experiment is addictive!

 

Magic Milk

Magic Milk

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Unicorn Magic

Unicorn Magic

At the last minute I added a beading activity. We already had plenty of beads, so I just set them out on the table with some pendants I made with a unicorn sticker and one of those metal rimmed labels. Easy and cute =)

 

Beading Craft

Beading Craft

I love all the sweet unicorns! Everyone wore the unicorn horns I made. Although I think Eric wore his the longest, he still has it on and the kids have gone to bed. And I love the silly unicorns with multiple horns 😉 I think Barrett and Raegan were in a competition to see who could find the craziest ways to wear unicorn horns.

 

Sisters =)

Sisters =)

My sweet unicorns!!!

My sweet unicorns!!!

Best Friends =)

Best Friends =)

A narwhal and a spiky dinosaur.  He added the ninja turtle shell later to his costume

A narwhal and a spiky dinosaur. He added the ninja turtle shell later to his costume

Serenity was excited about her cake! She actually got to cut into it, and then she discovered that it was a pinata cake! Jennifer had hidden jelly beans inside. She didn’t say a thing when she saw that, she just immediately started stuffing jelly beans in her mouth. She told me all about it later and was so happy about another great surprise =)  The rest of the food all fit the unicorn theme as well. We had rice krispie treats shaped like horns. Actually, they were fruity pebble treats, and Eric managed to find fruity pebbles in just pink and purple so they were perfect! He did the grocery shopping for the party and he did such a fantastic job he might just get to do all the grocery shopping =) He found purple dish soap for the unicorn magic, and the pink and purple fruity pebbles, and the perfect color juice boxes. =) We also had rainbow fruit kebabs, pretzel sticks, and cheese sticks. All horn shaped foods.

 

The gorgeous cake made by Jen.  Even tastier than it looks, and with a surprise inside!

The gorgeous cake made by Jen. Even tastier than it looks, and with a surprise inside!

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Pinata cake.  The jellybeans made the birthday girl very happy!

Pinata cake. The jellybeans made the birthday girl very happy!

I pretty much lost control of the party at this point. Fishing happened and was enjoyed by all, but I was putting Maia down for a nap so I wasn’t much help. Serenity had asked about getting to open her presents so I said she could, and somehow she ended up opening them in the narrow space between my desk and the stairs in complete chaos. So I have no idea who gave her what present, and I can only hope the video my dad took might give me some clues, or thank you notes are going to be a bit generic! She adores her presents though. She has created Snuggleville and Ponyville up in her room, and has distributed various ponies and horses around it, and she’s sleeping underneath a beautiful rainbow. She brought her new unicorn backpack over to me and told me how this was her new backpack for school and was just gushing about it. So much fun and so many sweet friends came to celebrate with us! It was wonderful!

 

After the party was done I got another huge hug and she told me it was her best party yet! She loved the pony rides despite the heat and she was so thrilled about every part of her party. I just love her =) She is so sweet and enthusiastic, it’s just so much fun!!       She also told me “I’m so glad you’re my friend Mama.”  =)  Just melts my heart =)

 

After the party was done we spent the rest of the evening visiting with our wonderful friends from Oklahoma City. It was lovely, and the kids played together upstairs so well! They went through dozens of costume changes, and I think the older boys were on a mission to complete all of Serenity’s lego sets in one day. I am so happy with how everything turned out! I’m still a bit giddy from the wonderful day!

 

Reading Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great.  I think Brent read it to her later too =)

Reading Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great. I think Brent read it to her later too =)

Donovan said, "Casey look at Mama!" so Casey would pose for this pic.  Then he added, "Casey is my friend!"

Donovan said, “Casey look at Mama!” so Casey would pose for this pic. Then he added, “Casey is my friend!”

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Become A Unicorn

Become A Unicorn

She loved her decorations so much =)  We enjoyed them all week since I put them up the night before her actual birthday.

She loved her decorations so much =) We enjoyed them all week since I put them up the night before her actual birthday.