AJ's birthday

It may be a few weeks after the fact, but we did indeed celebrate AJ's birthday!  However, I managed to delete all of her birthday pictures from the camera before I had a chance to upload them to the computer.  When I realized what I had done I cried. I mean really cried.  I was so sad that all of the memories captured in those pictures were gone.  Just like that.  But J pointed out that they are still in my head so I will do my best to capture them with words so she will remember that we did celebrate and she had fun!

In the past we have given our kids the option of having a birthday party at home with unlimited friends or going somewhere special and taking one or two friends (depending on the cost of chosen activity).  This year we added the option of doing neither and taking moncy instead (the approximate cost of what option 1 or 2 would have been).  AJ took the money and bought an American Girl look-a-like doll.   She also wanted American Girl themed cake and decorations so I did everything red and blue with lots of stars.  Here is the birthday girl a day after with only a few of the balloons left.

 To celebrate her birthday her best friend Katie came over.  They made mini pizzas out of cheese balls and a two tiered doll-sized cake decorated with edible sugar paper flowers and butterflies.  It turned out really cute.  Then they sat their dolls around it to cut and eat it.  D wanted to be a part of the activity and was getting upset that his baby doll Anna couldn't sit up like the bigger dolls.  So AJ helped him sit Anna on her new doll's lap and had D sit on her lap so he could reach better.  She is such a good big sister and it makes my heart happy every time I see her helping and including D.  She and Katie also had a fun time riding bikes, playing at the park, and watching AJ's favorite movie, Alpha and Omega (a cartoon about two packs of wolves).

Here she is with her doll.  The lighting is terrible, but that's what happens with a broken camera and a very amateur photographer. 

We saved her big cake for Sunday because the Kluges were coming to visit after conference.  She was so excited to see her cousins!  That was probably the highlight of her birthday.  Keeping with the American Girl theme, we decorated the table with a blue tablecloth, red and blue plates and cups, napkins printed with american flags, and red and blue vases with red, white, and blue flowers as the centerpiece.  Her cake was two tiered with white frosting and red sugar sprinkles, red, blue, and green star candles, and glitter red and blue #10 candles (Aiden helped me decorate it).  Her birthday banner had red and blue shiny stars hanging from it. Here are a few of the "undecorations."

AJ loved celebrating with her new doll and I loved celebrating my sweet Janey-doll. I am so grateful to have her in our home!  She adds so much to our family and each of our lives!