7 years

I'm a day late because yesterday was jam-packed full of birthday fun!!! It's not very often that the kids' birthdays fall on a Saturday. I used to think it was so great when we'd get to do their party on their actual birthday. But now, I think it's kind of a rip! lol Usually, we do their party on the Saturday before or after (or somewhere near) their actual bday. Then on the actual birthday, we eat all their favorite foods and do something extra special. But when the party falls on the actual birthday, it all gets crammed together. Natalie didn't care or notice though, it's just my own belly-aching lol. I just love birthdays and like to milk them for all their worth!



The day started with a birthday breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and eggs - including a candle in the birthday girl's pancake! Then we just kind of hung out and got things ready to head over to the party - at Chuck E. Cheese. It was the first party we'd done at Chuck E. Cheese and I was very impressed with how down-pat they have their parties. Everything went really smoothly, even with some last minute changes. Natalie had so much fun playing with her friends. I was so excited to see so many of her friends come to the party. Last year was hard because we hadn't been attending our church for very long, and she didn't really know very many people. This year though, she had lots of friends and it was so great to see her surrounded by so many of them on her birthday! Another really fun thing was seeing how excited they were to give her her presents. You could tell the kids had each very carefully picked out something special for Natalie. After 2 hours of controlled chaos, we headed home. My family and one of my friends and her kids came over and we had more cake and presents and the kids just ran themselves silly all evening. After dinner, we tallied up Natalie's birthday money and giftcards and headed to Target to let her spend it. She ended up getting a new Wii game (Mario Kart), some board games (Monopoly, checkers/chess/backgamon set, and Dominoes), another Webkinz (she'd gotten one as a gift from a friend at the party too), and some soccer clothes. She was pretty proud of her loot! I'd say it was a pretty awesome day. Too bad I left my camera battery at home and didn't get pics of any of it!!! >:(



I can't say enough about how proud I am of Natalie. She is so smart, driven, sweet, and friendly. She is so determined to get things right. She will keep at something until she has it down. At the beginning of our school year, she was still just sounding out short words. Now, she is reading chapter books on a 3rd and 4th grade level. I remember when we couldn't even get her to say "hi" on the phone, and now she initiates calls to family members all on her own. She is an AWESOME hula-hooper. She is a very good mix of tomboy and girly girl. She is just an amazing person all around. I love that girl so much. She makes me so proud to be a mom!



Natalie, you have grown into such a beautiful young lady. I can't believe how fast you are growing right before my eyes. It's been 7 years since you set foot on this earth, and nothing has been the same since. You've impacted us all in a huge way, and for that I am so grateful. I love you little lady!