MICROCEPHALY DAY!

Here's everyone that chose to wear yellow!  I didn't own a single thing that was yellow, and neither did Daddy, so of course we don't have pictures of ourselves!

 Sister Chace, Grace's CTR 4 primary teacher!!  She's awesome!!

 A friend from church.  I won't put their names because of privacy reasons but he is in her CTR 4 class :)

 Todd with his superhero shirt.

 Hudson and Colter...cousins rock!!!

 Little Elaine :)  I LOVE IT!!!

And Elaine again :)

Thank you everyone!

Amanda

Church Day

Today was a nice day.  I mean, yeah, it rained all day, but it was great!  I absolutely love that it's raining because we all know we need to rain.  And it means that Winter is coming and I'm liking that.  We went to church and Grace had an ok time.  During Sacrament she spent most of the time with Daddy and it was cute to see them cuddling with one another and he would rock her to keep her calm.  The second hour was difficult because she did NOT want to go to Primary.  It was more of a power struggle, and finally one of the Primary leaders came right to her, picked her up and off they went.  After church I was told that second hour was a bit tough during Sharing Time, but during third hour she was great.  So that was nice to hear.  After church came lunchtime and then she went down for nap while our Home Teacher came over to visit.  Then we ate (we didn't get a chance to eat before the home teacher came) and Grace didn't wake until almost 6 pm!  But even with that, she went right to bed at 9 pm with no problem.  

Our atmosphere around the house has gotten so nice!  It's the idea that inside the house is warm while it's really cold outside, it's clean and homely, and when you walk in, you have a smell of beef stew in the crock pot, or the Scentsy putting off a delightful smell.  I just love that time of year.  And there are a bit more Halloween decorations up and so that's fun :)

All in all, a good day.  In two days we will wear yellow to support Grace for her Microcephaly awareness day, and her primary teacher said she would as well!  So that's wonderful to hear :)

Amanda

No More Sickness!

I'm so excited that Grace is healthy and well.  But the poor girl doesn't get to go to school until the second week of October because we are now on Harvest Break!  I feel like Grace just got back into school and now she's back out.  But that's ok because we'll get to have some fun at home together.  October is always exciting because of pumpkins, pumpkin pie/cookies, the leaves falling off trees, and what's the best (well, other than pumpkin), PUMPKIN PATCH!!!  We are going to be going to the pumpkin patch soon :)  But anyways.  Yesterday we didn't have much to happen.  Grace still didn't get to go to school but she was healthy at that point.  We played and had fun together.  Today she was definitely feeling better and so I took her with me to a dinner the church had tonight.  I wasn't going to stay for the women's general meeting because I don't think she would have lasted two hours, but she and I had fun with taco salads.  It was so cute because she would grab tight to the back of my skirt and hang on for dear life so she didn't get lost!  She was such a good listener, stayed with me, and did her best to eat.  She just wasn't really into the food, and she didn't even eat the whole brownie!  Then she and I watched a movie together and then she went to bed at 8 pm and went right to sleep!  

Some cute/good things about today:

Daddy and Grace had a great time playing together.  I put out some new activities on Grace's shelf and she and daddy played and played for about an hour.  They played with magnetic dolls and changed their clothes, read books, played with her matching pie (it has fruits in it that are different colors and tweezers to use for fine motor skills), drew on her drawing board, and so much more!  It was adorable to see.

Grace went potty TWO TIMES in the potty!!  Both numbers.  She was so proud of herself and I am so proud as well.  What a good girly.

Amanda

106 Degrees

Grace got to 106 degrees this evening when I went and got her out of bed from her nap at 5 pm.  Daddy gave her a bath and some Motrin while I called the doctor and the nurse I talked to said to take her to the hospital.  So off we went.  By the time we got there and had the nurse checking her out, she was back down to 98 degrees.  Gosh made me look like a liar.  But when the doctor came to check on her he noticed she has strep, so we were able to get a shot of penicillin for her.  That's much better than Grace having to take 4 pills a day for 10 days.  I doubt we could have gotten a shot for her from the pediatrician, so all in all, I guess it's good that we went to the hospital.  Gosh this poor girl.  When she gets sick, she gets SICK.  I'm tired.  This time I was really bothered and saddened because of how sick she was.  Ready for bed and it's only 8:16 pm.

Grace is watching Caillou.  She got some special candy from Daddy for being a brave girl and she got some stickers from the nurse so everything is better now.  She's such a trooper.  

Love you, Grace.  So does Daddy forever.

Amanda

104 Degrees

Grace reached 104 this evening.  Daddy gave her a cool shower/bath and that really helped.  It took her to 102 so we were finally able to put her to bed.  The whole day was sleeping, being lazy and trying to get better.  Some pictures from the day...

Grace found the sun and enjoyed it :)  She would rather lay here than have lunch with us.  She ended up coming to us about 10 minutes later for lunch.  Poor girly!

HOW CUTE, huh?  If only she wasn't laying there because she was sick.

 We went out to eat later because she seemed to be doing better.  It was after nap time so she had energy, but that energy very quickly disappeared.  Quickly came the purple lips, mottled skin (which we've seen all day) and...

tiredness.  She wasn't asleep but anyone that knows Grace knows that she would NOT lay down like this for any reason!!!  So we quickly ate and headed home.  She had maybe 5 french fries and a couple bites of ice cream before she denied any more food.  I hope this passes quickly.

Amanda

Sick, oh Man :(

Poor little girly is sick.  She went to school perfectly fine, and then when I went to pick her up she was pretty hot.  I thought she was just hot because she had her snow jacket on, so we headed to gymnastics.  That's when I realized it was more sickness than just her being hot.  She wasn't wanting to be involved, would sit a lot, zoned off, and just wanted to be held on my lap and cuddled.  Her face was a bit pale and her eyelids were a very soft purple, which is our way of knowing she's tired.  So we headed home, had lunch...well, 2 bites of her grilled cheese sandwich, and then she was off to bed.  She played for a little while and then slept until close to 5 pm.  She was tired!  This is how today went as well, except we didn't go anywhere.  We were home all day, went on a walk this morning around the block, she slept her normal nap time (until 3:30 pm), and then she got to hang out with Daddy while I was in school.  We had dinner when I got home from class (chicken spaghetti) and then went on another walk.  Mama likes getting out.  Grace was so cranky and tired that I pushed her in the stroller so she wasn't too whiny on the walk.  And she had a tough rest of the evening but we waited until 7:30 pm to put her to bed, and she went right to sleep.  Poor girly.  It is always so tough on her when she is sick.  I hate seeing her sick, and I hate that it takes such a toll on her as well.  Daddy is getting over a bug and mommy is getting sick (I have a scratchy throat and have felt gross this whole day), so we are all sick buddies together!

Now is just a waiting game to see if this is "hand foot mouth," which is going through her school now.  Yuck.

Amanda

A Fast Week Again

I know, I know...I missed a ton of days.  These days have seriously been flying by and I can't believe it!  It's already Saturday, and it's not just Saturday, but 9:30 pm!  We've had some issues with behavior with Grace, some exciting moments with her (playing at the park all the time!), and mommy and daddy had a date night last night while Grace had a friend over (the babysitter) to play with her while we were out.  Learning how to deal with Odin and his chewing, biting, humping, chasing and jumping has been interesting.  And through it all, Grace has smiled, giggled, laughed and at times, she's had some attitude and fought back!  Showing us her spunk.  Oh boy little girly.  Mommy has started school and is definitely starting to see the stress of time management but Grace is starting to understand that Mommy needs specific time to do homework.  Baby Levi has been growing insanely and Grace has been more focused on my stomach and the idea of a baby in there.  In about 2 weeks I'll probably start carrying around a baby doll so she gets used to sharing me, or maybe I'll wait until November to do this.  She's been pushing my buttons a TON as I strive to get her to be more independent and I think she can see this and is stepping back and saying "WOAH."  But she's such a sweet girl, she absolutely loves that we go on walks every night, and we love playing in the sun!  That's because when we're walking by the white fencing, she and I play with our shadows :)  We are getting back into the school routine so that is good, and she seems to be picking up the idea of days of the week.  For instance, she'll ask for gymnastics and I'll tell her, "On Wednesday...2 days."  It seems to be clicking that things don't happen when she wants it to.  It's awesome to see this happening.  And she's starting to understand what comes when in terms of activities.  She knows that when we go to school, she goes to gymnastics afterwards, and when we go to therapy, she is there to see three different people.  It's so wonderful to see her picking up on this.  We are also working on time and clocks, and so whenever I give her a countdown "Ok you have 3 minutes,"  I also add "my watch says (this specific time and then I show her), and when it says (this), then that is 3 minutes and it will be time to be done."  She is SO interested in looking at the watch and the clock, which makes me so proud!!

All in all, there is progress, but there are also digressions...pottying.  Oh boy.  She fights tooth and nail sitting on the toilet, but I push right through even though you aren't supposed to force the child to sit on the toilet.  I really feel like this is a power control fight rather than a real dislike or being scared of the toilet, and so I just keep going.  We have a picture chart for getting up and ready for the day and I made it very specific...so far as to say we are getting dressed (the picture is a shirt and pants).  The next picture is a pair of socks, and the next picture is a pair of shoes.  And then a picture of winter jacket/hat, etc.  And then is a picture of a girl brushing her hair, then another of her brushing her teeth, and then having breakfast.  This REALLY helps because she always fights me with things we need to do unless I have this chart, and then it just seems to click for her, and is ok.  So I'll just keep what works!

Sweet girl didn't go to sleep today for nap.  Ug.  I kept her in there a while because I knew it was the power struggle but it got to the point where I didn't care anymore.  I had told her that if she had slept, then we could go to a party the city was having for the BYU-I students and then play at the park, but because she never slept, we were stuck here being bored at home.  I really hope she understands the cause and effect of us being home instead of having fun.  We'll see tomorrow!

Amanda

School Day!

Today is Monday, and that means school day :)  It was a bit hard for me to get out of bed today because it was just so cold in the bedroom and I was so comfortable!  But I heard the little girly in the monitor so it was time to get going.  We had our morning routine, she went potty in the toilet (both of them), we had some breakfast and then it was off to school.  She tried going potty again at school with no luck.  It's so nice that we are trying but for whatever reason, she's fighting it SO much.  I just can't tell if she's pushing this idea away because of the fact that she wants to be lazy and still go potty in a diaper, or because she's really not ready.  It's hard.  It's like, does she fight dressing herself because she's being lazy and knows that I will do it if she takes too long?  Is she doing the 5 year old "You've done it for this long, so keep doing it mom."  Or is it because she's genuinely having some emotional issues?  Hm...I have no idea.  Anyways, she was happy to be at school so that's great!  Here's girly :)

She ended up at the dolls but it was only for a minute or two...she realized there was water in the sensory table and off she went to play in there!  And probably for the whole preschool time as well.  Silly girl.  We've got a busy day ahead of us...after school is gymnastics, and then grocery shopping, and then nap time for her while I clean the house and then make some freezer meals.  What I should be doing is homework but the program is SO packed with people that it isn't even loading!!  

Anyways, that's our day so far :)  Daddy comes home from the cabin today so Grace will be happy.

Amanda

Park Day Yesterday!

It's been three days in a row that we've gone to the park!  She just enjoys it so much and it was such a beautiful day, so it works out for both of us.  Here's our girly on her favorite thing at the park...

I will admit, we weren't headed there :)  We were headed to Broulims...yes, on a Sunday...because I wanted to get a bunch of freezer meals made since I'm back in school full time now, and two days I'm on campus right before dinner.  But they were closed...because it was Sunday.  Naughty mommy!  Anyways, we headed to the park and Grace had a great time!  Of course I did as well because when she's happy, I'm happy.  She probably swung for 45 minutes.  I swear this girl loves the swing.  But I definitely had to take a break from swinging her, so we went for a walk around the park one time.  There was a cute older couple that complemented Grace's beautiful dress, and we just so happened to be wearing matching outfits (color wise).  They were so cute!  After playing at the park we headed home and her little friends were out playing, so we headed down there to play.  She had a great time running around and chasing them, and I was happy because she was getting so much more tired, which is something I love!  It's amazing because she got up at 6 pm and she still went to bed at 8 pm and fell right to sleep after I shut the door!  Silly girl :)

Amanda

Fun Day

I think it was a pretty fun day today.  Grace was such a sleepyhead today and slept in until 9 am!!  It was so weird :)  Grace is my alarm clock on Saturday and it was just so weird to be waking up that late!  So of course nap time wasn't at 12.  We spent the morning cleaning house...

 and then WOW, the time few and it was already noon.  We had spaghetti and meatballs for lunch and I put her to bed at about 1:45 pm, but 4 pm came and she was still in there singing the happy birthday song, talking to her friend Bucky, and just being random.  So I decided to take her to the park.  Why not?  I had fun with Grace and swinging her because she has started liking when I push her "crazy" and make her go here and there, twist and turn and so she asked for this.  I don't think she breathed because she was laughing so much.  I wish I would have recorded her laugh because it was the most beautiful sound in the world to hear.  I enjoyed hearing her laugh so of course I kept up the crazy pushing :)  It was a great day.

After pushing her for what seemed like forever (20 minutes), I noticed a bunch of flags all around the park with plaques talking about the Twin Towers, so I decided it would be nice to go on a walk around the park and read all the plaques.  

She could feel the importance of what I was sharing, and was so somber and respectful with the story I shared. There were about 30 flags, if not more. We probably talked about this for 30 minutes or so.

And then there was some more swinging of course.  We played for probably another 45 minutes but I was just so hot and had to potty that it was time to go home!!

The rest of the evening was just playing and having fun.  I cleaned house here and there a bit more and I let Grace play play dough that she got from her cousins, but of course she fed some to the dog so that was that.  We went outside and Grace played around while I pulled out the dead plants that froze a few days ago.  After that I picked raspberries and handed some off to Grace here and there.  I also got to pick some HUGE strawberries and then Grace and I sat on the rocker, talked about ducks and Grace pointed out an airplane and we just enjoyed each other's company while eating strawberries and raspberries.  The weather was perfect, Grace was super cuddly, the fruit was sweet, and my heart was full.  I absolutely, 1 million percent, incredibly LOVE my daughter, and I am so so so thankful that Heavenly Father chose us to be Grace's parents.  Gosh I am just so happy :)

Well, it was bath time because Miss Grace stepped in some yucky stuff that Odin left behind, so she and Odin both got a bath.  I wiped her foot off with a wipe so she didn't track it into the house and let her help me with Odin's bath first.  She had the BEST time ever!  Laughing, giggling, scrubbed his head and neck, and was just so happy.  After we were done bathing him and he took off like a shot down the hallway, the two of them ran back and forth together with Odin chasing Grace, and then Grace chasing Odin.  Then it was Grace's shower time.  Poor girl broke out from something outside (probably the grass) and so she had to get a dose of Benadryl and some gentle Bert's Bees body was with Melaleuca cream after.  Then she went a bit downhill after that.  She was just so darn tired, and when Grace hits that point, she starts to go over the top with trying to keep herself awake.  So off to bed she went, and I don't think I shut the door before she was asleep!

Oh, I had realized last night that I didn't read much with Grace, so we spent time reading together.  I liked it because I was right in the middle of cleaning her room and REALLY just wanted to keep going, but she said, "Mom, you want to read with me?"  What am I going to say to that???  NO??  Absolutely not.  What a beautiful question to hear and so we read 3 books together, but then of course...mommy had to potty.  More reading to come, that's for sure.  She just sucks it in and enjoys it so much.

Amanda

Time Flies!

I just can't believe how fast the time is going.  Oh my gosh!! I really need to do better about keeping up!  So here are some quick updates.

Grace started school on Wednesday.  We are potty training and it has been really hard, but we're going to try it out as long as we can go.  She is wearing pull-ups but they are constantly wet like diapers.  But we'll try our best.  She is so excited to be back at school!  Oh, and gymnastics came as well.  It's every Wednesday after school :)

In the beginning of class time :)  I like that they gave them hoops to keep the kids within boundaries.  That was a great idea!

 It's so much fun!!  They had taken a break to get a drink and this is how they go from one are of the gym to another.  See Grace?  She is JUST about to walk behind a little boy, and her friend is in the black 2 kids back!  CUTE!

 Aw, there they are :)  Waiting to swing on the rings and then jump all the way down the trampoline.

 And now they're standing together while playing with the parachute.  In a few minutes after this picture, we had a major meltdown :(  It's ok though, it wasn't a bad attitude one.  The parents had lifted the parachute up high and there were about 24 kids under the parachute (including her) and I could see the time bomb about to go..and then it did.  She broke down, her hands splayed open and she screamed.  She grabbed her ears and then pulled her hair as she wiggled in place.  It's like she's trying to keep her feet off the ground because it's burning.  And then she screamed and ran off and you could tell she had totally lost control.  She didn't know where to go, what to do, and was so out of it.  Her support worker chased her and touched her shoulder which only set Grace off more, but she was good because she could tell.  So she was hands off and she said "It's ok Grace, calm down.  Let's sit down.  What happened?"  Grace finally calmed down enough to focus on what her helper was saying and I told the helper it wasn't out of disobedience, but overstimulation and that it was ok.  I was really testing her helper to see how she would handle this since it's the first meltdown she's seen, and she did great!  She didn't touch her again, went over to a mat and pat it as she sat down and said "Grace, you don't have to play.  Would you like to sit and watch?"  That was all Grace needed to calm down.  She was given an out and she didn't have to worry about the noise, crowd, color or anything else and she went to sit down.  Her helper was able to pat her on the back without her pulling away and that was a blessing.  Shew.  I was actually really comfortable through the whole thing.  I didn't feel like I had to run in and step in...which is really crazy.  Usually I really want to step in and make everything ok, but I was unusually calm through the whole ordeal.  I think it's because I could see it coming and knew the whole situation.  Regardless, she got out of the meltdown great and had a good rest of the time!

Thursday was therapy day and that was good.  She's getting more aggressive and so it was good for me to be able to talk to her therapists, let them know what's going on, and then give them a three hour chunk of time to work with her.

She loves the ball pit.  If I could afford it, I would have one put in at home.  She's so calm in it and I think it's something that comforts her when she's stressed.  

Oh, we've had a little puppy here with us named Odin.  I really want to keep him but I just don't know what's going to happen.  He has been using Grace as his girlfriend and trying to show dominance to her constantly, and I'm NOT okay with that.  She doesn't have the understanding to tell him no so it would continue if we weren't around to stop it.  He also hides from me as if I've beat him (which I've never done...I haven't even spanked him or anything).  He won't come when I call and will blatantly go the other way and I really just don't need that.  I mean, I don't want him to be my best friend but there needs to be some respect and there's not.  Here are some pictures of him.

He's got tonight and tomorrow until 12:45 pm to show me that he's going to respect me.  I don't want perfection.  But if I reach for him on the bed to put him down, I really don't want him to cower as if I've hit him when I"m just trying to help him down.  And if he's going to be disrespectful to Grace, then it's not going to work.  Darnit.  We fostered him to see if it would work out so we'll see.

Birthday presents!!

Grace got a birthday present Larene, Blaine, Haley, Emmalee and Russell (group gift) and then another one from Aaron, Janelle, Gabe, Tyson and Taylin (group gift).  She was SO excited to see that she had more presents from her birthday!!  Thank you to our wonderful family!

I would have to say, by far, the favorite was the lipstick!  She sees mommy always putting on chapstick and always asks for some.."Mama, lips please."  So this is so great for her, and it's big enough that she can put it on by herself without losing the lid.  Oh I am so thankful for all these wonderful gifts, and she can't wait to play with Playdough tomorrow after school!

All in all, doing well.  Baby boy likes to worry me with pains and pressure but I just keep pulling through :)  Grace keeps asking to see baby brother so that's really good.  I'm excited that she's so excited.  I can't wait to see her big brother in her arms.

I'll try to keep up but with school starting next week, I'll be putting that above this because it's my lass class semester.  Then comes my internship and then I'm going to graduate.  Hurray!

Amanda

She Said the Prayer!!!

Today was the first time ever that Grace has gotten to go up in Primary and talk, and she did such a great job!!  I got a call this morning about her saying the opening prayer, and boy did she.  I had Brad go with her because she does better with Daddy on things like this while I tend to give up quickly.  So here and there she talked into the microphone and did a fabulous job!  And then she got to put a sticker on a board in the Primary room.  But I skipped the morning!

She was up at 6:30 am.  Oh boy.  I have been leaving her door open so that she can come into our room in the morning, and at first she was doing well with this and wouldn't come in until about 7:30, but it's been getting earlier and earlier, so I might need to start keeping her door shut again.  I like that she can come in but boy is that early.  So we'll see what happens.  I guess one school starts it won't be as big of an issue because that will give us enough time for her to wear her patch for an hour, take her laxative and hope things get moving before school and so forth :)

After church we ate lunch and then it was nap time for girly.  Of course she had to stay up and play for awhile and so she ended up sleeping in front of the door, silly girl.  We let her wake up at 6 pm only because of how late she'd fallen asleep, and she woke up just in time to see and thunder/lightening/rainstorm.  She was pretty scared of it but that's because she'd just woken, and also when she wakes up late, she's a bit crabby.  But after the storm was over we sat outside and had popsicles while Daddy trimmed some bushes, we went for a walk, and now Grace is watching a mouse ballerina movie while she eats dinner.  She was getting WAY out of hand and movies make it easy for her to calm down and relax.

All in all, a good day.  I had a friend bring over a meal for the freezer from when I was on bed rest so we had that for dinner.  It was chicken philly sandwiches, and it was really good!  Grace even liked it :)  

I am so proud of Grace.  She is amazing and makes me so happy.

I love you Grace!

Mommy

Art Present

Today Grace got a present in the mail from a friend in California!  It is a 3 color sidewalk chalk paint set.  It just so happened that Grace had a friend over playing today, and he was still over when the present came in the mail.  So I figured it would be fun if they played with it together!  Oh boy was it fun :)  That's the fastest we've received a gift (an art one) and it's been completely used up.  Pictures!

It was so cute to see them laying on Grace's trampoline and listening to this card.  This card is from Grandma and Grandpa Hildreth and it sings a song from the Tangled Movie.  They would lay there giggling at one another and it lasted for a few minutes!

 And then the gift came in the mail and both kids were SO excited to open it!!

I asked Grace to show me her present because I wanted a picture and her friend said, "I want to be in the picture."  So of course I let him!  Thank you to Keri and Jonathan for the present.  Grace loved it, as you'll see below.

Off we go to paint.  She shared with her little friend that had been over and then his sister came over, so she painted with them as well.

 And then it got boring just painting the ground, so of course she had to paint her face, arms and legs as well!

 And here is the beautiful artwork.  See how far it goes down the sidewalk?  She chased her friend and they painted that far down.  It was pretty cute :)

 And here's a close up of mainly her work.  All the long, straight lines are her friends, whereas hers are the clumped up parts where she enjoyed sitting and painting rather than always up and moving like him.

All in all, a wonderful present.  This girly absolutely loves art and I really enjoy appealing to her senses by getting her art supplies.  There are lots of parents that would freak out about their child getting so messy or always needing messy sensory play, but I'm not that mama.  I LOVE that she makes messes, gets dirty, and does' freak out about being dirty like I know other kids do.

Love you, Grace!!  And thank you again Keri and Jonathan!

Mommy

5 YEAR OLD BIRTHDAY!!!

Well, I finally have rested up enough to put up a post about Grace's wonderful birthday.  I had an absolutely fun time, and of course she did as well.  Ok, time to just post a ton of pictures!!

We had a little friend come over to play today.  Grace loved him and was so soft with him.

And then we went to Dairy Queen for a birthday lunch!  She was really excited for the ice cream.

 YUM!  It was really hard for her to eat the corn dog because she was SO interested in the soda.  Usually I'm pretty strict with the pop just because she'll guzzle the whole thing, but this time I figured since it was her birthday, I'd cut her some slack :)

YUMMY!!  Cookie dough blizzard.  Of course by the time she got to here, she was full of french fries and soda, but we took it home and saved it for later.

Her birthday party was actually the day after.  It was fun and I'm glad I had a party for her.  Daddy did a great job at decorating and doing all the hard work for me since I had to be laying down a lot.

These are the stationary we used for her birthday!!  So super cute :)

 Daddy is hanging up the stars for Grace's birthday :)  This was definitely my most favorite part of the decorations.  I don't know why, but they were.

 Here's a photo of more friends for her birthday.

 And more friends playing.

 Decorations in the dining room.

And the buffet setup.  

 Grace's super cute birthday cake!  Grace got to one of the pieces and had it walk around on the cake before I could stop her.

She had a lot more friends than you see right here :)  Julie and her sons Robert and Jordan, Amanda and Martin and their children Seriah and Dallin, my friend Aubree and her kids Samantha, Jed and Abe, Skyler, Mariah and Ryan.  And of COURSE daddy and mommy!!  It was a lot of fun.  We had lasagna, fruit cocktail, breadsticks that Julie made, and chocolate cake!!

And we opened presents in the evening.  I didn't want to do it with the kids here because I knew they'd take over, and so I wanted a calm evening with just us. 

All in all, it was a wonderful birthday.  I'll definitely be having a family birthday next year because having 6 kids under 5 there was INSANE.  She had a great time but...family birthday's are so much better in my eyes!

Amanda