Celebrating '7'

In years to come,  I'll think back to Mia and Ava at age 7 and this is what I'll want to remember:

Mia- we love that you are so outgoing and always willing to try new things. You are committed to doing well in school and love to read, write stories and complete art projects.  Your newly acquired interest in all things Pokemon has taken some getting used to, but your enthusiasm makes my confusion worth it (seriously, there is no one who looks more lost than me in the Pokemon aisle of a toy store). 

Ava- we love that you are sensitive and thoughtful.  You are doing great in school and have a real love for animals, random facts and world cultures.  You're often heard exclaiming "Best Day Ever!"  Experiencing life with someone as enthusiastic as you is a joy! 

We usually wait until February to celebrate Mia and Ava's birthday with family, but this year we changed things up a bit.

We spent Christmas night at my in-laws, so we could wake up and have a birthday breakfast there.

 Chocolate cake at 9:00 o'clock in the morning . . . best Baba, ever!!! 

 We took the girls to the Farmpark so they could paint toys in the workshop and see some animals

 This horse was happy to have all our attention

 It was about 7 degrees outside, which was fitting for their 7th birthday

We returned home to find presents that had been set out the day before

 We wrapped up their day with our best friends and ice cream cake . . . it doesn't get better than that!

 Last night, we were able to celebrate their birthday with my side of the family.  We're especially grateful they braved the crazy snow and cold to spend the evening with us!

 We had so much fun playing the plastic wrap ball game and no one got hurt this year, so that's a bonus!

Happy Birthday, Mia and Ava!

While I'd love to say that's a wrap on the birthday celebrations, we're failing at our efforts to swap out a party with school-friends in February for an overnight stay somewhere fun. Either way, we'll be sure to do something special to mark the day they finally came home from the hospital 7 years ago.