Around here birthdays are not one day events.   We spread them out and enjoy them in different ways.  The actual birthday… the friend party… the family party… not necessarily in any certain order…

For Tab her friend party came first this year. 

Testing out the frosting…

A couch full of friends…

Lunch of pancakes, fruit, sausage, and birthday punch…

A fruit rainbow (thank you Mrs. M.)

Musical chairs and Tape-the-Ladybug-on-the-Flower…

An Easter-egg hunt… (um, thanks Mrs. M.)

Running for eggs!

A few lovely gifts!  (This is the one she dug into first.)

A pinata in the yard on a GORGEOUS day…

Cupcakes in her favorite colors…

Then came the real birthday…

Blueberry Strata for breakfast… (See outfit #1?)

A moment with Mom (we were just heading out to American Heritage girls.  She’s wearing outfit number two and then changed into her uniform making it outfit #3)…

Hugging her new bear after an outing to Build-A-Bear with Nan as her gift…

Home from American Heritage Girls and back into outfit #2… 

Flowers from DADDY! 

A few gifts from the family… with a little sister learning the ropes.  She got a VeggieTales girls’ devotional…

A “Laura Ingalls dress” with bonnet and pinafore…

Which immediately became outfit #4.  HOWEVER, I predict we will be in outfit number four until I wrestle it off of her…

Some Texas sheet cake with writing (a new presentation around here…)…

I could look at this photo all day.

I got some shots of Tab and Marie (sister buddies) then started to cry because Johanna wasn’t going to have a buddy like all the other kids.  Everyone quickly offered up that Johanna is their sister buddy.  There was no shot to be had… this was the best one.  Oy.

And now off to bed.  Tired… six… happy.

Thank you, God, for my Easter-baby.  She’s the biggest challenge, but boy, she is smart, beautiful, and tenacious.  I pray she uses it all for God’s glory.