Annie is 7!

A toy horse and dog from Josh.

So first off, can I just say how much I wished I had prepared for Annie's birthday BEFORE I had a new baby?  8 days after giving birth, planning a birthday for a 7 year old (who is feeling slightly displaced by her new sister)  is not the best idea.

We still managed to have fun- we have a tradition of taking everyone to the store to buy presents for the birthday child.  I was nervous about taking the baby and all the kids out by myself, so we waited until Tim was home.  We had to take two cars (recurring theme- yes, our car seats 8), which I wasn't happy about, but it all worked for the best, since Eliza started crying after 15 minutes or so in the store.  I decided to just go out to the car, ended up eventually with Annie and Ethan, too, and called Tim to tell him we were just going to go home.

Tim was left to make sure all the kids picked out a present (appropriate and within budget), find an FHE treat (this was Monday night), and figure out what to get for Annie for her big present from us.  He is amazing- he didn't forget anything, and Annie LOVES her new bike!

There was a little scare after I was home with 3 kids, when Tim called and said he couldn't fit the bike in his car.  I was ready to drive back to the store again, but they managed to fit the bike in far enough to rig the back of the car closed... and they made it home.

So this was not the most organized birthday ever... but we managed it!

Barbie and a baby from Price and Emma

A whole box of cool stuff from Grandma and Grandpa, who took their dinner out of the oven to come RIGHT NOW so we could open presents before Annie spontaneously combusted.

The traditional pop tarts from Rebekah

Crystal growing kit from Ethan (I noticed later that it says "ages 10 and up".  Oops.

And the bike!  We wrapped a helmet, and she opened it with no clue that there was anything else.  We had to make her go look in the garage.  A few seconds later, she came flying up the stairs, tripped and landed at the top and yelled, "YOU GOT ME A BIKE?"  It was a gratifying response.

Yet another example of my superb preparedness- we didn't have any regular birthday candles.  That's a "3" and a "4", because 3+4=7, right?  Lame!  Also, do you like the chocolate face?  She hadn't even started on the cake yet!

 

We're still not completely done with Annie's birthday- she wants a friend party this year, but I told her she had to wait a week or two.  I think we'll just do it the end of this week and get it over with, though- then maybe she can power down from her super-excited-all-the-time mode!

A few things about Annie at age 7!

1- Annie is super helpful- she is better at most of the cleaning/straightening jobs at our house than her older brothers and sisters are!

2- She is awesome at making friends.  Anytime we are out in public she finds someone to play with- she never has to play alone!

3- She is a great reader!

4- Annie's hair is gorgeous- blonde, thick, and shiny- as long as she hasn't been chewing on it!

5- It hasn't been easy giving up her long-time position as youngest of the family, but Annie is handling Eliza with great grace- and she really loves her.

Happy birthday, Annie!  We're so glad you're in our family!