Happy 8th Birthday Emma!

So far, this has been a big week for Emma!

Turning 8 and starting 3rd Grade!

Emma, lets see...you are a mini-me.

You have a huge heart for everyone.

You love music, sports, games, movies, swimming.

You are not a girly girl and I wonder if you'll ever wear a dress voluntarily. :)

You love to watch Jessie, Good Luck Charlie, A.N.T. farm, Austin & Ally.

But you will also watch Peppa Pig, Team Umizoomi, Bubble Guppies, Doc McStuffins, and Oswald to please your sister.

You have a passion for arts and crafts, and you LOVE watching Craft Wars with me. Our new adventure is learning to SEW together!

In just 10 years you will be turning 18 and embarking on your own adventures. I can't wait to see where God leads you. But for now, I will soak up everything about you because I know 10 years will fly by.

For your first few birthdays, you became overwhelmed with attention and you sobbed every time we sang "Happy Birthday" to you. I think you grew out of that stage around age 4-5, but your birthday pics will always remind us of your sweet shyness during those years.

...On to the birthday news...

Here are a few of my favorite photos over the years:



This year's birthday cake was a new one for us.  I made a Number 8 cake and topped it with M & Ms. I'm working on a blog post on how I made it, so you will see the details soon. And instead of choosing a theme for her party, we simplified things and just had a "RED" party, since red is her favorite color these days. Plates, cups, napkins, silverware, tablecloth, balloons, were all red and white.





This year, we had close family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins) over one day where we ate and visited. It was wonderful having all 5 cousins (including new baby cousin Grant)together for a new photo shot! We all snapped like crazy and this is the best one I captured:



For her actual birthday, we planned a fun outing for her, and let her bring 2 friends along! We went to Gateway Fun Park where we played mini-golf, bumper cars, go-karts, practiced at the batting cages, and spent a bunch of money in the arcade. We all had a great time!



This year, she asked for new games for her Nintendo DS and a kids video camera. We also got her a stuffed animal that she saw on vacation but couldn't get because she had spent all her money at the Disney store. She loved him because he had "big cute eyes". I instantly knew I would be ordering him from Amazon as soon as we got home.



My birthday wish for you, sweetie, is that you stay true to the person God has designed you to be. That you continue to love and and live for him every day. That you grow up to be as wonderful a mother as you are a daughter. Ok, that's more than one wish, but hey, I have lots of dreams for you. :)

Happy Birthday Emma!