Emma's 9th Birthday

Emma turned 9 on March 15th. I can't believe she's this old. Where in the world has the time gone? Just like a kid, she's been planning her birthday party for months. I remember telling her in December that we needed to get through Christmas first, then we could talk about her birthday party plans. She changed her mind a bunch of times but finally decided on what she wanted.

And she had it down to every last detail. Made it pretty easy for us!

She wanted a sleepover with two of her best friends here.

Getting Ally ready for the party

Gotta have those nails painted

Jack helped me make a Cinnamon Roll Cake for breakfast the next morning. We don't have refrigerated dough here and I didn't want to wait for dough to rise and all that jazz...so I found this recipe. It's terribly unhealthy, but good. Especially for a slumber party.

Made a sign and put balloons everywhere

She picked out her own birthday plates and napkins

Let's get the party started: Olivia, Ashlyn and Emma

Emma wanted a dinner of Daddy's spaghetti, cucumbers, garlic bread and southern sweet tea. It was a hit! The other two girls are from the north but they loved the tea :)

What's a Costa Rican party without a pinata?

With tons of candy

Cupcakes with pink icing and strawberries on each of them

We gave her a trip to a camp this summer for her birthday present. But Daddy decided to give her something else too. We watched the movie "Ramona and Beezus" a few days before and Emma said she always wanted to squeeze a whole tube of toothpaste into the sink. So, this is her opportunity. Of course she said it was her favorite gift.

Duct tape bracelets. They made them all that night

Haha of course

Olivia gave her a bunch of manicure items and a homemade diary. Emma loved it! And I'm glad she won't be stealing my nail polish anymore.

Toothpaste in the sink. Everything she dreamed it would be.

Making duct tape bracelets and watching Phineas and Ferb. After they got into their pajamas and watched High School Musical 1,2 and 3. They went to bed at about 2am. I think we'll start a new rule of a midnight bedtime. Live and learn with these slumber parties.

Wanted a pic of me and my girl. She said it was an amazing birthday! We had a lot of fun celebrating with her.

Emma has grown so much over this past year. She has really developed into an even more beautiful girl both inside and out. She's very thoughtful and introspective and easily shares her thoughts and feelings. She's always been a logical thinker and it's neat to see her understanding more and more about the world around her. She's kind and friendly and LOVES meeting new people and developing new friendships. I know God has special plans for her and she makes me want to be the best mom I can be. She has such a pure heart and a sincere love for the Lord. We love you so much Emma and are so blessed to call you our daughter. Life just wouldn't be the same without you. Happy 9th Birthday!