Hello Seven

It’s probably a very good thing that I’ve had 3 months to recuperate and reflect on my 1st baby’s 7th birthday celebration because planning a party for a demanding picky particular creative, imaginative little girl less than 4 weeks after having a baby, while adjusting to 5 babes can be slightly overwhelming. However, aside from running on baby-high fumes, the day was a total success!

She asked for a Hello Kitty themed party with her closest pals. A day of games, plenty of girly time painting nails and applying make-up, making pizza’s from scratch and an ice cream sundae bar of her dreams…and despite having just given birth and having my doubts, I’m sooo happy we were able to give her exactly what she envisioned in her little (big!) mind’s eye. As always, it was a team effort to pull this off! Mimi made all the beautiful tissue balls and took care of Amelie the night before and the 1st half of the party. Daddy ran last minute errands for me and disappeared on minute’s notice with Soren until boys were allowed back in the house. Bapa helped put together a picnic table and made an incredible ice cream stand and Super Auntie Nini picked up cookies and took over as the most popular, fun, gorgeous hostess, make-up artist and nail stylist while I tried to stand back and enjoy, snap a few and keep up with the energy of about 6 little balls of estrogen.  😉

The girls started out with hor d’ oeurves and sparkling pink lemonade..

May or may not be spiked for the sleep deprived momma!

Decorating their Hello Kitty back packs

This one knows how to hold her own with those older, sassy ones

Charging up to please some demanding little clients.

These two…Ah!!!!!!!

Pin the bow on Hello Kitty. They shrieked, laughed, squealed and begged for 2 and 3 rounds…

That smile never left her face. I told Dean that night after the house was dark and quiet that I had never seen her so excited, so charged, joyful, pure, innocent happiness the entire day. Knowing she felt loved and celebrated was worth every bead of sweat I poured hopping around from store to store with 5 kids literally hanging off of every limb, staying up late when I was so sleepy to make party favor bags and letting her imagination run wild and express every idea that came to her mind when all I wanted to do was sleep for days. For this? For her? Yep. totally worth it!

This was probably my favorite part of the day. 1, Because I luuuve pizza. 2, because I don’t think I’ve ever made a pizza from scratch. I had to hold myself back from snatching a ball of dough from one of those girls to knead and flour and roll out my tensions. (It looked so therapeutic) It was so fun for me to watch them have as much fun as I know I would have had and for a moment, a day, to become a little girl again!

Such seriousness and concentration

And focus

So blessed to share this special day with my sista!!!!

yeah, we knew that wouldn’t last very long..

Sophia started it off and then it was game. Flour everywhere. Giggles. Oh, the giggles. These girls know how to live. in. the. present. moment.

Love it!!!!!

The gorgeous Allison Laquay donned our party with her quiet, baby beauty

I tried to get 1 group shot of the pretty little girls, you know, preparing to be young ladies…

Take 2…

What. was. I. thinking???

Girls just wanna have fu-un!

So, we turned the girls bedroom into a salon. This was supposed to be Aunit Nini’s comfy chair but she was bouncing all around from request to plead that I hardly saw her sitting down…

And we gathered enough nail polish to run our own real salon.

This is serious business for a 4 year old…

The girls were in another world…I seriously think they could have stayed there all night. I don’t remember indulging in this kind of stuff when I was little but every single one of them, focused, relaxed, so content!

The birthday girl in her creative element.

And a very curious little sister.

I gotta admit, I was a little, (or a lot), nervous at how the momma’s were gonna react when they saw their little girls (& the fact that I let them run wild & free – ha!)

And worried they might not  be able to recognize them 😉

..But they forgave me…

The sundae bar created by Bapa and decorated by yours truly.

Hello Seven.

Be good to my little one this year as she presses on in her studies and matures in her awareness of the world around her, her developing reason, and her use of free will. Help her to learn how to be a young lady and help me to continue to protect her innocence.  Remind us that every day is a gift, meant to glorify God in our work and in our play.

Friends!

The day  wouldn’t have been complete without 8+ kids running around to Frozen. Miranda’s face says it all. Prosecco in hand. Good choice.

Alizea Ann,

I can’t believe another year is upon us. You continue to amaze daddy and me with your beautiful mind and your passionate heart! We are so proud of your potential and success in the Classical Liberal Arts, your hard work in the area of self control, your willingness to help me (soo much) with your siblings and the house work. You welcomed another sister just before your birthday with such incredible, exuberant pure love. You protect your sisters and brother daily. You have become the preferred person to take Amelie out of her crib every morning and you have a way to sooth little Yvette and engage Genevieve in your creative play. Your love of reading and learning continues to grow especially stories of Virtue and of God’s word. You are a talented artist. You are my right hand gal and I am always telling daddy how I don’t know how I would’ve survived the day without you. We are so proud of the 7 year old you are and we thank God for you daily! Thank you for making daddy and me so happy and so close to God! We love you so much!!!