Birthday number 8

This year's birthday started in the Wallowas with french toast and whip cream.

And her big present to kick off the day:
Kirsten!

Then we had a long drive home so she kept herself busy writing in her new diary:
"Dear diary,
Today I am eight, I will never be seven again."

We stopped for lunch at Costco, this was actually a big treat for her! I usually do Costco when she's at school so she was super excited to wander the aisles and try the samples like she did in the good ol' days.
This girl always finds the joy in the mundane!

We got home in time for the littles to nap and Ava got ready for her birthday dinner with her cousins Madison and Kayte. She wanted to make the dinner (rosemary chicken ravioli with parmesan sauce) and the cake (confetti in the easy-bake). She picked the dishes and napkins and set it just so:

Then we picked up the movie (Parent Trap...the old school version) and the girls had ourselves a party.
Which I am sick to say got somehow erased from my camera. You have to push at least five different buttons to delete all the pictures on my camera and some little person did just that. So you'll just have to imagine the shot I got of the three little girls in their pjs snuggled on the couch, Ava in the middle with her arm around them both, watching my favorite movie from elementary school.

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The next night we went to Ed's parents' for party number 2.
This one was another casualty of the deleting fiasco. However! The deleting must have happened before I took this one as we were leaving:

(yes, that's Jack in camo shorts and snow boots, his eight year old sister, and one tired baby)

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And finally, a party with her cousins:


Whew!