Emma is 7!!

 

In the middle of our visit with our cousins, Emma Grace turned 7!  

It was so fun to have family here to celebrate Emma's special day with us.

The day was all about American Girls, unicorns, cupcakes and cousins!

 Emma wanted to have an "un-slumber" party, so we had to wait aaaaaaallll day for her party to finally start at 7:00 at night.  That was a long time to wait!

 But she was so excited to have some of her best friends over! 

  She was all smiles all day!

After the party started upstairs, we moved downstairs for limbo, karaoke, painting nails, candy galore, a Barbie movie and a glowstick party!

She had a great party!

And since her cousins were here, she decided not to go on her mom-and-dad-birthday-date on her birthday.  "Because being with family is more important than eating pancakes."  So our date is still on a raincheck. 

Oh, Emma Grace, how we love having you in our family!  People occasionally comment on how different Emma's personality is from the other kids, and we are so grateful for that!  Emma is silly and funny and confident and fierce and full of love and life.  We are constantly laughing at her and occasionally scratching our heads at her ideas.

Emma often declares that she has "the BEST parents in the whole wide world!", and that she is the happiest and luckiest girl ever!  

Emma has big ideas and tells lots of TALL tales lately.  There isn't an experience that she hasn't had, it seems.

She loves being with her family, and her friends, and is often seen leading her friends in their games.

Emma likes school, but isn't so sure about starting 1st grade next week.  It is a lot easier to stay at home, she says.

She loves grapes and peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches.

Emma loves her stuffed animals like they are alive.  She snuggles them in rotation, and still sleeps with her two blankies and her mountain of pillows.

She has fabulous hair.  I don't know how it's possible that her hair always looks so good.

Emma's imagination takes her all over.  She doesn't have as much interest in reading other people's stories as she does in creating her own adventures. 

She's a picky eater.  But she's so chatty and cute at the dinner table that we sometimes forget to notice what she has actually eaten. 

This picture sums up a lot of Emma's feelings- the little sister syndrome.  I have it too, so it's easy for me to recognize and sympathize with how she perceives the world.  It's not fair that her big sister is... bigger.  She gets everything first, and nothing is as exciting or fun for Emma as it looks like it must be for Leah.  

I grew up the little sister, so I've tried to explain to Emma that wishing away today in hopes of catching up with Leah's seemingly wonderful grown-up life is no way to live, but she'll have to learn that lesson herself, just like I did.  I just hope she understands how wonderful it is to be 7 years old today, not wishing that she was 11 instead.

Emma is a really fun sister.  She is Leah's wingman, and gives her confidence that she doesn't have without her little sister by her side.  Adam is patient as ever with Emma, and loves her a lot.  Noah mostly loves to play along with her games, although he's less tolerant of being bossed around than he was in years past.

Emma's eyes are as big and as blue as ever, and she believes me when I tell her that she has 72 perfect freckles on her perfect little nose.

She likes to play sweet melodies on the piano, has zero interest in dance or soccer but thinks an art class might be fun to try.  Last year she told me she was mostly interested in "being a kindergartner" and it seems that 1st grade will be mostly the same.  Life is exhausting without adding in a bunch of extras.

 Emma continues to live up to the standard she set for us on the day she was born- she's got plans and ideas for the way things are going to be, and don't anyone try to get in her way- and we love her for it!

Happy birthday Emma Grace!  We love you and our family is so much happier because you are in it!