Another Happy Birthday!

Sierra just turned 7! She had decided that she wanted to do a friend party this year, so we spent quite a few days getting ready for the big day! I forgot to take the camera in to her classroom on Friday, so I don't have any pictures. But we took her cupcakes and all her friends wrote down their birthday wish for her and combined it into a book. It was pretty cute. She was excited to be spotlighted.

After much deliberation, Sierra decided she wanted to do a Littlest Pet Shop theme for her party. Why? I have no idea. The only Littlest Pet Shops she has are ones that came from a McDonald's Happy Meal, so I was a bit surprised at her choice. But, Moms must do what makes their kids happy on their birthday, so we got the decor and planned the party!

I had a bit of fun planning the food! We had carrots for rabbit food, goldfish crackers for cat food, Scooby graham bones for dog food, animal cookies, and animal crackers. I couldn't resist some M&M's, so I just called those birdseed. For her cake, I got a big dog dish and made a trifle in it. I cut pound cake into cubes, lined the bottom, then topped it with strawberries and a cheesecake filling, then put the remaining cake cubes on the top. I thought the girls would be a little grossed out by it, but they loved the cake and ate it up!

I had to get extra long candles to go in her cake, but it worked out great.

As we were decorating for the party, Sierra and Brooke put a party hat on Cole. He actually left it on long enough to get a picture. Then he noticed it was on and immediately took it off. The girls just thought it was hysterical and couldn't wait to show Dad!

She got so much fun stuff from her party. She got a couple Littlest Pet Shop playsets, a Zhu Zhu Pet, Ballerina Barbie, My Little Ponies, and an Ariel Slip 'N Slide. After her friends went home, she opened a few gifts from us. We had taken her out earlier in the week to pick out a new bike. I keep forgetting to get a picture of it, but she picked out a High School Musical themed bike. We got one that is pretty big, but she has now mastered the art of jumping on and off since she can't quite reach the ground from the seat! She got some books, a Hannah Montana game, and a fashion stencil set from her brother and sister. I think she made out quite well!

For one of our activities, the girls decorated little boxes and turned them into houses for their Littlest Pet Shop. Once they were done decorating, they brought the box over and received a new pet. Sierra signed the adoption certificate and they had to give them a name. The girls loved it and were quite excited to take their new pet home.

We also went outside to play a few games. We played Animal Simon Says where all the actions had to be animals. Here they are being frogs and snakes!

We also played a game of musical lilypads. Instead of using chairs, I printed off pictures of lilypads and they used those to walk around. It was so funny to watch them try to jump on the paper when the music ended.

I think the party turned out great and Sierra had a fun time.

Some Fun Facts About Sierra

• She is a total night owl! She stays up late, no matter what time we put her to bed. She is horrible to try to wake up in the morning and we've spent a lot of time fighting in the mornings before school.
• She loves anything girly. She loves princesses, ponies, animals, painting her nails, dress-ups, Barbie, make-up, etc... I never got into that stuff when I was little, but I did learn a few things from my sisters!
• She's not afraid of anything! She loves roller coasters, trampolines, bike rides, climbing trees, etc... She is a little daredevil and will attempt anything.
• She loves pasta. I think she could sit down and eat a whole package, especially with white sauce. She also loves salad and ice cream. She definitely takes after her parent's sweet tooth and loves any treat.
• When she drinks out of a straw, she sticks her tongue out underneath the straw. She has always done this, ever since she was little. I've tried to drink like her and end up spilling all over. I have no idea how she does it.
• She is pretty quiet and shy when she's at school or church, but it's a whole different ball game at home. She's quite stubborn and always puts up a fight.
• She loves movies, even scary ones. When she was little, her favorite movies were Jurassic Park and Gremlins. She never got nightmares and that is what she wanted to watch all the time. She still loves to be scared and watches Scooby Doo all the time. She also loves the Barbie movies and pretty much anything Disney.
• She hates housework. She doesn't like to do chores and fights me on them all the time. She is quite the mess-maker and doesn't like to clean up after herself. Once in a while she'll be a good helper, but most of the time she's not.
• She loves being outside. She likes to play with friends, riding bikes, swimming, swinging, and just running around. She loves summertime and can't wait for it to get here.
• She still loves to cook and help me in the kitchen. Hopefully we can get some fun cooking time in this summer.
• She's got an amazing memory! That girl can tell you about every little thing that has happened in her life. If you play memory with her, watch out! She'll beat you every time!
• Her imagination runs wild! Her teacher loves reading all the stories she's written in class. They are very inventive and keep you laughing. I'll have to post one sometime!

They say you always get a kid that acts just like you. I know Sierra is mine. I think that is why we already butt heads sometimes, but we also love to go shopping together and hang out. She is such a joy to have in our family and is a sweetheart to all those who know her.

Happy Birthday, Sierra! We love you tons!