Birthday Extravaganza!

[altarflame]

The mad rush yesterday, literally all night long and this morning to make it all happen were NOT. FUN. I'm foggy headed from medication and dizzy and in pain from my ear, and was just plain tired, and Grant gets all weird whenever I'm sick in any way ever since 2007. BUT WE DID IT. And today was great and it's over and I'm glad for everything :)

The TEN YEAR OLD girl at the beginning of the day.


Balloon from Dad, who was taking Aaron to his show most of the day.


He also outdid himself the night before, baking chocolate cup cakes which he then filled with coconut cream pudding and frosted german style, and mini lemon poppyseed bundt cakes with drizzle, and he made from-scratch strawberry lemonade and ginger peach tea. And cleaned the bathrooms spotless for me and did tons of dishes...we went to bed at like 6:30 (I was doing tons of backed up sewing I'd been neglecting while ill, for presents), and were back up at 10:30.


Definitely a hit.




Shaun took all the pictures, and went to BJ's for pizzas for me AND the WD for candles AND brought a gift and was just generally awesome like he is.


Tiny girl with a tiny tea cup.




The balloon got away.


Aunt Laura made Annie a pumpkin cheesecake this year (this has been pre-arranged for months). She also shopped for me and came back with everything for fruit, veggie and dip and pickle and olive trays. I love everyone in my life so much it is ridiculous.


IT WAS SO AMAZINGLY INCREDIBLY GOOD.




She wanted to wear her charater shoes all day.


Beautiful baby Elizabeth.


Cammi, Elise, Isaac.


Sophia and Ananda crafting.

I LOVE Sophia's mom (Cybele), they live way up in the Grove or we would be together absolutely constantly. It was their first time at our house and I could just talk to that woman forever.

Beautiful sisters.

That's right, I said it.

Opening gifts.


Her friends are SO MUCH MORE INTERESTED in babies than she is; there is no novelty for her I guess :p Cammi, Christina and Elizabeth.


She loved her enormous new dance bag. There is just not room in anything we had before for the times she needs four changes of costume, 3 pairs of shoes, a book and lunch. So I made her one and am really happy with how it came out :)


THIS is the face of a little girl who was just given a LAPTOP by her Opa(!)! It's a Netbook and Grant spent awhile configuring it all tonight for her...




Annie and Opa.




She loved this skirt I made her (inspired by an Anna Maria Horner design). She CAN stand comfortably in it, but she likes to pose this way with it. It is just so her.




It was a really great day. Oma and Patrice (her cousin) showed up a little later and she just glowed all afternoon and evening. And CLEANED UP. That I can even remember right now she got:
-$20 from Nana and Pa
-$50 from Bobby
-$10, a bunch of amazingly "her" sort of clothes and some Silly Bandz from Oma (apparently silly bandz are all the rage at Dance Empire and so she was psyched about this - I had never even heard of them before)
-a balloon crafting kit from Kristina
-a little hand made Ocarina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocarina) on a necklace from Shaun
-$25 Borders gift card from Cammi
-the newest Emily Windsnap book from Sophia
-A FREAKING LAPTOP, from Opa
-new shelves by her bed, from Daddy specifically
-an Usborne book and a stationary set from both of us
-and also from both of us, but made by me: a small tote, a dance bag, a couple of skirts, a shirt with a ton of cool embroidery stuff on it, and shasta daisies I planted weeks ago that are now seedlings for her...and I am so psyched that she LOVES this

I was really impressed by how well the older girls integrate and play with all the little kids. Neither of the four of them have any younger siblings but they were really quick to organize tag and hide and go seek with Jake, Isaac, Brian and Elise on the opposing team and things like that. They held chickens for awhile, too.

Then at the end of it all this crazy nut walks in the door from the sold out Dance Empire company show at the Colony Theater on Lincoln Rd - it was the first I'd seen of him quite this way ;)




Ananda had put some treats and cheesecake to the side for him, which made him really happy, I think more that she thought of him than anything. They were in some insulated catching up on each others' day bubble (YOU GOT A LAPTOP?!?!?!) for awhile.

*sigh* Good stuff. Off to finish the first season of Weeds with Grant...

Comments

[mizzy.livejournal.com]

Wow, your daughter is such a Beautiful girl young lady. She has grown up so much in the years that I have known you. I am so glad she enjoyed her special day! I am jealous she got a laptop!

[a-cherry-on-top.livejournal.com]

I'm not much of a commenter, but the pictures of Aaron are too much! A couple years and a couple tattoos and he'd fit right in with the Philly hipsters.

Also, Ananda's party looks amazing. It's the kind of thing I would have loved as a girl.... Actually, I still would. :) She looks so happy!

[moobabe.livejournal.com]

That looks like such a lovely day. :)

I really would like to eat those chocolate cupcakes every day for the rest of my life.

[daveandmonika.livejournal.com]

My 13 year old brother just posted on FB yesterday that he got a laptop...I remember when I was 13 we got internet for the first time (dialup, so we couldn't be on too long or we'd miss calls and you paid by the minute) and all 6 of us shared 1 AIM screen name.

[noelove.livejournal.com]

I had to scroll back and see why you're not feeling well. I was blinded sided by your new found fascination of OCP that I failed to recall puss coming out of your ear.

Can you make me a skirt like that? And those cupcakes?!

What a sweet girl Annie is remembering to save some treats for Aaron. And what nice girls she hangs out with who were all about the little ones.

Also what are your ground rules for laptop use? Hours a day? Does she have to share with the other kids? Is she already good about sharing things that are hers?

This is such a nice happy post.

[pagangoat.livejournal.com]

de-lurking to say wow, you have such a beautiful family! And also, I want that skirt;) Awesome happy post:)

[wanderinganima.livejournal.com]

This post brought a tear to my eyes in a good way. I miss the years when my kids were young ...enjoy it while you can it goes by so very fast :)
Your kids are growing so fast ! HA HA HA
WEEDS is cool ...or all of the 1st 8 episodes that I've seen anyhow I was wondering ...are you caught up on LOST ?
Have a great night !
Teresa

[wanderinganima.livejournal.com]

I forgot my grandson is also the 17th of December LOL :P

[(Anonymous)]

Will Ananda be having a blog now that she has a laptop? If so, post a link please.

[fotosax.livejournal.com]

Looks like it was such an amazing day! I'm so sorry that we couldn't make it... everything looks delicious and funtastic.

[babyslime.livejournal.com]

1. Ananda is gorgeous.
2. You and your sister are GORGEOUS!
3. Her shoes. I WANT HER DAMN SHOES.