Kate is EIGHT!

I am super slow on this one, but a couple weeks ago KATE turned EIGHT! Unfortunately her birthday coincided with the week of our move, and so it got eclipsed just a little bit. But since it was her last chance to see her friends before leaving, we made sure to throw her a big bash! Uh, at the pool and not at our house, if-you-know-what-I-mean. We went for (get ready for this super creative theme) a beach party theme! Yay! I can't find the pictures of the invitations, but they were flip flops, and they said "Kate the Great is turning EIGHT!" Yes I've been waiting 8 years to use that one.

This summer Kate learned to swim (I mean actually swim!) AND ride a bicycle! She is growing up into such a young lady - and so quickly! I mean, kindly old ladies at the supermarket tell me that every day, but wow you can't really put it into perspective until you're really there! I remember the early days of this blog when she looked like this:

*Sigh* Wow was it really so long ago?

What a sweetheart.

So the party. The weather was perfect - actually a little chilly for late July, which was not so conducive to swimming but was great for those of us who sat outside on the deck! Of course the girls swam anyway. I will say what a HUGE difference it is throwing a party with a husband on board! Last time (Brooklyn's 6th) I was flying solo and the results were seriously underwhelming. I put Travis in charge of the pinata, and he went to town. Get it? It's a jellyfish! You really had to see it move...

Okay, so like many things, this cake looked much better on Pinterest! HA!

I had to write and re-write the message in the sand so many times it's totally illegible. Also I originally misspelled "birthday" and had to fix it. (It was very late.) But whatever - you get the idea. Plus Kate liked it so, the end.

And the humidity made these cookies totally inedible, but whatever, again. The effect is there.

I made this banner for her 3rd birthday, which incidentally was also a pool party. (That's what comes of having a birthday in July!) But look, I can reuse the pool-party-themed banner! Sorry you can't really see it.

Oh goodness, her lips are blue! Poor little thing! She was having too much fun to realize she was freezing.

We also decorated flip flops. This was an ambitious undertaking that involved me bringing a hot glue gun and thousands of little tiny beads to a swimming pool and letting a gaggle of girls loose with the craft supplies. Because I am crazy. (These are Brookie's little feet)

Kate's actual birthday was two days later. We made crepes for breakfast - her favorite!

We went to a movie, and pretty much played all day long. That's the advantage of having a husband and whole family at home and nothing at all to do! Summer birthdays are awesome.

I love that impish little girl!

I had to include this because it was so Kate. Trav and I went out to a little party (which will be featured here later) and had found a new babysitter for the kids. We were just going down the street and had Nolan with us, so I didn't worry much about the particulars. Our relaxed attitude apparently didn't sit well with orderly little Kate, however, who took it upon herself to write up a babysitter instruction sheet for the new sitter.

Special Instructions: I (Kate) will help 

Enough said.

I sure do love my little birthday girl! Who, at 8 years old, is hardly so little anymore!