Happy Birthday, Mary Jane!

We celebrated Mary Jane's eleventh birthday on August 28, 2012. I can't believe I will be a mother to a teenager in two more years! She was kind of a party-pooper this year and didn't want to do anything but hang out at home. I was secretly hoping she would request going out to eat but, alas, not such luck.

Getting ready to blow out the candles.

I have no idea why she is raising her arms here. To get our attention maybe? This is why you are supposed to blog about it right after the event—you don't forget shit that way.

All the candles were blown out on the first try! I guess she'll get her wish...

Most wished for birthday item: Nintendo 3ds = happy girl!

Ice-cream cake is yummy!

Mary Jane is the oldest and she definitely has some traditional first-born characteristics: high-achiever, reliable, controlling and aggressive. She has a strong sense of what is right and wrong, and keeps tabs on whether or not everyone is getting fair (according to her) treatment. She has a great sense of humor and is wonderfully sarcastic. She loves animals (cheetahs and wolves are her favorites), writing stories, playing World of Warcraft, and play fighting. She and Kaden will still sneak off to her room to pretend play with their ever-growing animal collection (NOT stuffed animals) and, most recently, they love playing "Survivorman." She is smart and beautiful and growing into an all-around lovely young lady.

Here are some more pictures from the party:

Granny

Papa decorated with confetti.

Kaden. Hard to believe, but this was taken before he'd had any sugar.

Eliza thinks birthday parties are the best part of life right now.

I'm including this one because I think her face is hilarious.

Crazy Crochet Lady

I've gone nuts and committed myself to crocheting one of these for all of my nieces (well, except the older girls who think they are too "babyish") and one of my girlfriend's little girls:

Here is Eliza modeling her poncho and hat set. So far I have finished one for Eliza (pictured), Callie Sue (orchid and white), Kimberly (orchid, pink and white), Maddie (same as above) and Taylor (yellow, purple and white). I am currently working on one for Lily (purple, dusty turquoise and cream), immediately followed by the last one, for Kenzie (not sure of the colors for this one yet).

I'm proud of this crochet project because I took a pattern and made it my own. The original pattern did not have a third accent color (the pink pictured above) and it also had roses with leaves instead of the more modern flower I fashioned. I was thinking yesterday that, instead of a white knit bobble in the middle of the flower, a cute over-sized button would be darling. I may try it with the last of the ponchos.