seven

seven.  wow.

The (very cold, windy) Saturday before her birthday we met up with a group of her buddies at a trailhead nearby and hiked the 3/4 mile or so together to the playground, where we had lunch, hot cider, and cupcakes waiting.  The kids ran and played and the adults huddled around with cider and found sunny places to stand while we talked about all sorts of things.  We sang to her as papa presented the tray of cupcakes, but we didn't even try to light candles because of the wind.  That was her birthday party this year.  It was sweet and simple, it got us outdoors on a cold day, and I didn't have to clean my house before or after.

Here is a link to a post about her super sweet tea party from last year, along with some photos from the day she was born.  love, love, love.

A couple mornings later, on her actual birthday, she woke to balloons in her doorway and some simple decorations, flowers, and gifts in the dining room.  There had been a light dusting of snow overnight (there had been a blizzard the night before she was born).  We had a sweet visit with my mom and then, later, she chose to stay home with papa while I worked (mostly so she could watch The BFG) and later that evening we hosted some very close friends for a special birthday dinner.  This time, there were candles.

happy seventh time around the sun, dear sweet girl.