Birthday #8

So here's the face on a brand new 8 year old that got everything she wanted for her birthday--new glasses and a hamster!

It is hard to believe that Amelia is 8!  It has been a really crazy last few weeks with First Communion, End of School and now her birthday.  Luckily, she seemed to be a little burned out on crazy partying too. 

We picked up her birthday gift a couple days early at the pet store.  We wanted her to be able to pick out exactly what she wanted.  We went in thinking it we would probably be leaving with a fish, but a hamster won out in the end.  Her name is "Emily", in case you were wondering.

 On her actual birthday,  she wanted to start the day with monkey bread for breakfast (and a math problem to boot).  Please don't ask me why she's naked--it is how we sleep around here in the summer.  Sheesh.

Her only other request for the day was to visit the American Girl doll store to drop some money that had been burning a hole in her pocket.  Literally, this girl had been saving for like a year to get a new doll and she was ready to spend it!  A rather pushy sales associate practically made Amelia pose with the doll of the year, Isabella.  Can you tell how uncomfortable she is?  I had to get that documented with a picture.

 

In the end, she surprised and impressed me by ditching the AG store and heading to Claire's for a new pair of (fake) glasses.  (Although I'm not supposed to tell you they are fake).  So, instead of spending roughly $120 on a new doll, we got out with $4.99 glasses instead.

For her birthday celebration this year, we spent a lot of time thinking of how to do something special with a few close friends.  In the end, we decided on a trip to the drive in movies with 4 of her closest friends followed by a sleepover.

It was perfection!  She requested a make-your-own-nachos bar (at which every single girl other than Amelia chose chips and cheese) and then we had cake, opened presents, and changed into PJs.  Jason burned a little birthday CD that we enjoyed on the long ride to IL.  For many of the girls it was the first time they had been to the drive in. I'm not sure how much of How to Train Your Dragon II they really saw, but it was fun nonetheless.

It was really a blast and the girls got all junked up on goodies.  A few even fell asleep on the way home.  We fed them some breakfast in the morning and then everyone was on their way home! Not a bad way to party!