Birthday Party

Our little girl turns 8 next week!  I can't believe how big she's getting!!!  Please tell me there's some magical way to slow things down?!  (But, at the same time, I'm in awe at how beautifully she's maturing, and super grateful that she'll be the best big sister ever to her new sister arriving this spring!)

Yesterday Nicole got to have a birthday party, and we let her invite three friends.  Ryan was working, so I was in charge, and I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to handle even that small group of girls…but things turned out great!  The girls all had fun, and only started to get grumpy with each other during the last 15 minutes or so (of a 2-hour-long party).  :)

For her cake, Nicole wanted blueberries…so we did blueberry mini-muffins and frosted them with blue frosting to look like cupcakes.  :)  And I was pleasantly surprised at how inexpensive it was to have her birthday party at a nearby pizza place!  We'll definitely be going back there!  :)

One of the gifts Nicole got (from her best cousin, Kaybrie) was a kit to make bead pets (keychains).  So, after the party, Cole and I sat down and made some geckos together - we had a blast! ;)

The one on the left we made for Ryan - his name is fire lizard.  The one in the middle is Nicole's - her name is Rebecca. ;)  And the one on the right is mine - his name is Randy.  :)