Happy Birthday, Kylee J!

On September 9th, we celebrated our oldest daughter's 6th birthday.  Kylee was blessed to have multiple celebrations with friends and family.  She ate it up!  Just like with most everything else she does, Kylee embraced her birthday with gusto, enjoying every moment of being surrounded by those she loves.

Grandma Carlson came for an early birthday celebration and brought with her birthday treasures from she and Grandpa Carlson.  Grandpa and Grandma gave Kylee a fuzzy robe with her name on it and a very cool magic set, which both she and Connor have enjoyed performing "tricks". Grandma also treated us to a special birthday dinner at Red Robin.  Kylee was very adamant that she did NOT want anyone to sing Happy Birthday to her under ANY circumstance.  We forgot to pass this memo along to the waitstaff at Red Robin, who not only sang to her, but rigged up a special balloon headpiece for Kylee that they had her wear while they sang.  We all watched, waiting for the meltdown, but Kylee persevered.  Maybe the prospect of the hot fudge Sunday with lots of whipped cream was worth the humiliation.

Part of our family birthday ritual is allowing the birthday kid (or adult) to pick wherever they would like to eat on their birthday.  Kylee chose blueberry muffins for her birthday breakfast and Taco Bell for her birthday dinner.  As a part of this celebration, Kylee opened a Nintendo DS and a couple games from Daddy, Mommy, Connor, and Hadley. 

 Kylee also got to celebrate with other family and friends.  Grandpa and Grandma Lori, Aunt Sarah, and Great Grandpa and Granny McKinney came for a party.  Great Grandpa and Granny were here all the way from California!  Aunt Sarah gave Kylee a ladybug pillow pet, which was number one on Kylee's birthday list.  We must confess that we do not miss her frequent pre-birthday reminders about the pillow pet being the ultimate gift: "Mom and Dad, you know I REALLY want a ladybug pillow pet, right?"  Thanks, Aunt Sarah!

Along with our biological family, we also got to celebrate with the group of kids that our kids have grown up playing with.  Hailey, Claire, Spencer, Georgia, and Lizzy, along with their parents, have been adopted into our family circle.  It isn't a birthday without them and we are so grateful that they have been on hand to celebrate ALL our kids' milestones throughout the years.

We ended the birthday madness with a trip to Build-A-Bear workshop, where Kylee celebrated with her friends from preschool.  All the girls got to pick out a stuffed animal and go through the process of stuffing and accessorizing their new friend.  We ended with birthday cake and some playtime at Zona Rosa.  It was a blast!

The girls with their special creations

The "silly pose" in the play area.

Make a Wish!

It was so much fun to celebrate with Kylee.  She brings so much color to our world each and every day.  Her passion for life, friends, and laughter is a true inspiration to us.  The way that she views the world is unique and insightful and the unabashed joy that she does everything with is such a blessing.  Her persistence, intelligence, and zest for life is something that we are so grateful for.  We love you, Miss J!