I can hardly believe it!

My first-born child...my darling daughter...my Julia is...

...seven years old!

On October 23rd, Julia celebrated her seventh birthday!

You like the shirt she's wearing? We (Julia, Grandma, and I) all made it together the night before. [Which means we got to bed a little later than usual]. She absolutely loved everything about it (the color, the letters, the butterfly)! It was perfect and made her feel special. Thank you Hobby Lobby!

On the night before the "big day," we also made her some very special cupcakes to take to school.

She was very excited to have ice cream cone cupcakes!

Grandma, Liliana, Simon and I took the cupcakes to her classroom. Julia loved getting to pass them out to her friends. They dimmed the lights, put a candle in her cake, and we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Then, the kids danced to "Cotton Eyed Joe" (remember that one?) and other songs while Julia enjoyed cleaning tables and turning the music off for the "freeze game." Don't worry, I think she just enjoyed helping out and doing teacher-like things. She did end up dancing too!

Julia was lucky enough, not only to have Grandma Wright in town on her birthday, but also, to have her day fall on a half day of school! So, we picked her up from school and went straight to her adventure of choice...
The Dallas Museum of Art to see the King Tutankhamen exhibit.

{We couldn't take pictures of anything, but here we are right outside.}

We watched a 3-D film about mummies and Egypt after going through the museum. It was very interesting, but not your typical 3-D experience. I kept waiting for something to jump out at me. No such luck. Well, maybe one, little thing. Sorry if I ruined it for you.

{Yay! I could take pictures again! Phew! That was hard for me!}

After our King Tut afternoon, we came home and I let Julia open one of her presents (a whole boxed set about Ancient Egypt). She LOVED it! Then, Daddy came home and we all went out to eat at her favorite restaurant, Macaroni Grill.

She went out on a limb and ordered something different...
plain shell pasta with butter, salt, and Parmesan cheese. (She usually gets bow tie.)

They brought her dessert and we all sang to her. She enjoyed that.

We all had fun taking pictures together. Especially Liliana. She's such a ham bone. Where does she get that?

After our good times at the Macaroni Grill, we headed back home and Julia got to open the rest of her presents.
She was thrilled by everything. She was WAY excited about her rock tumbler and cheetah pillow.

I thought it was a magical day. I think Julia did too, and that's what it was really all about. Happy 7th birthday, my love!

The Pumpkin Patch

Our first full day having Grandma with us, we ventured to a nearby Pumpkin Patch. It was so much fun! The kids enjoyed the mazes, the character cut-outs (there were A LOT of those), climbing on tractors and the like, sliding, jumping, hay-riding, and, of course, picking out pumpkins!
We had great timing, because it was a beautiful day while we were there. But it turned windy and (right as we were about to leave), cloudy, and (once we were in the car and on the go) rainy.

The kids had such a fantastic time, they both zonked out on the way home!

Julia wasn't able to go to the Pumpkin Patch with us (she was at school). But, thankfully, earlier that week, she got to pick out her own pumpkin and carve it with Daddy (for school). She made hers into a cheetah, of course.

Hooray for Grandma!

We were fortunate enough to have Nate's mom come for a visit last month. She is so much fun and we enjoyed her visit thoroughly. She'll be making "guest appearances" in the next several posts as I highlight the good times we had with her here.

As is typical for Grandmas, she came bearing gifts (always fun for the kids - and grown-ups alike). Liliana got a beautiful princess watch and purse-like case, Simon got a football, and she brought a new Disney Scene It for Julia for her birthday. We all HAD to play it that very night! It was a lot of fun!

Why not have a Girls' Night Out?

I happen to think a birthday is a GREAT reason to get together with friends for a GNO! Thanks to my friends for making my birthday stretch out for more than one day special! We had the best time!
We met at a favorite sushi restaurant, then went to a late showing of "The Secret Life of Bees." (Right after we stopped for some candy to stash in our purses).

I have the best friends! They spoiled me rotten, and made me feel extra special. Thank you all so much! I count myself so fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful people to have as friends (both near and far).

My birthday

I can hardly believe I'm 32. But, alas, it's true. I have to admit it...I think the 30s are great so far! I'm happy with where I am in life. I have a wonderful family, amazing friends and live in a wonderful place! Life is great!

My birthday (back on October 18th) was a memorable day!

It was great from the start! The girls decorated vases for me (Simon was asleep) and put flowers in them. They were presented to me on my tray (with my breakfast in bed). I got muffins from the Snooty Pig! Hey, they're even "low-fat." (It's hard to believe so I always have to quote that!) :)

{I am very brave for even including that just-woke-up picture of me...YIKES!}

For all the girls' birthdays this year, I thought it would be fun to go to Fossil Rim to enjoy celebrating together. We invited our neighbors (their kids rode with us 'til we got there), and hit the rode!

Once we got there, we separated into our own minivans, moved the car seats to the back & let the kids take over the back while we drove around, feeding animals and taking pictures. We all enjoyed the experience!

The ostrich was a bit intimidating, but we didn't let him get too close! All the animals are so used to being hand-fed by humans, that they come right up to the car, eagerly anticipating that handful of kibble.

I think everyone's favorite part was the giraffe. It was incredible to be able to pet and feed such a beautiful, graceful, LARGE animal.

There was a "petting zoo" in the middle of the park where we could get out and see more animals. The kids loved brushing the goats and talking to the birds. I even pet the emu!

On our way out we finally caught up with the zebra. What a beautiful animal!

I just loved the experience. Nate and I thought it a bit reminiscent of our safaris in South Africa (except those animals are wild, and do NOT come up to your car...but, you don't really want them too because that would be way too scary!). Anyway, it made us really want to go back and take our kids someday. Wouldn't that be incredible?

Once we left the park, we were going to stop by my cousin's hamburger joint ("Myrtle's Burger's") on our way back home, but it closed before we got there. So, we ended up eating at Pappa's Burgers, since we were already in the mood (and Pappasito's had an hour and a half wait). We had yummy burgers, enjoyed the company of our neighbors, and watched as our children melted down before our very eyes.

Another highlight? They brought me a birthday cake and sang to me too. I love that sort of thing. :)

It was a birthday I will always remember.



No, you don't get off that easily. I usually don't just celebrate my birthDAY. It's so much more fun when you stretch it out (don't you think?)! More to come on that!

Stay tuned for updates...

I'm currently working on...
birthdays (mine & Julia's)
Fossil Rim
Grandma Wright's visit
trip to Galveston
Halloween
trip to SC for Mom's surprise

AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! I'm so behind!

Bear with me, okay? Thanks! :)