EVE MARIE is 7 !!!!!

I cannot believe that I've been a mother for 7 years already!!!   It seems like just yesterday that Eve came into our lives and brightened our days from the start!!!   It has been 7 years of fun and lots of adventures!   We are looking forward to a million more years with our sweet seven year old -  Eve Marie!

So - here's how she spent her birthday.  Since her actual birthday was on a Wednesday, I made cupcakes (with grammy's help) and we brought them to Eve and her classmates for lunch at school.  She was a hit!!!  (But, of course she was playing shy in front of her friends, so, no pictures of her at school.  :-(  )

And, when you're military, how often is it that you live in a place where it's warm on January 25th??  Warm enough to play on the beach??  So, after school, we scooped up her friend, Lauren, and went to the beach here on base.  Blake mulled around in the sand with me, while all 3 girls splashed in the waves and even "swam" a little bit.  :-)    It was only for about 30 minutes -- but Eve was THRILLED!!

I'm only posting this pic because you can't "really" tell who this is ..... and she does not like her picture up on the internet.  Ssshhhhh.......... if you know who she is, don't tell anyone.  :-)    (We LOVED your visit that week, you nameless, wonderful lady, whomever you are.  :-)  :-)

GIFTS!!!   Thank you to all of our friends and family for sending wonderful birthday cards, gifts and money (which will be going straight into her savings account) !!!   You are all so very thoughtful!   Eve has enjoyed all of the presents she received and continues to use them all of the time --- while sharing very nicely with her sister!!  :-)

Ok --- Eve's 7th birthday party............

Thanks to Vivian - her best friend in Germany - Eve has quite an affection for horses.  So.... a horse themed party it is!!   Eve helped me to find a cake pan in the shape of a horse's face.   So, step one --- coat the pan --- ooopppssss, mommy already messed up.  The cake came out in pieces and all crumbled up.  YIKES!!

 

Luckily, Eve had expressed interest in putting a "corral" around  a grassy area on her cake -- hence the green frosting - grass.  Part of a place mat cut up for the "fence".

Then, we would strategically place 7 horses/ponies on top of the cake in their corral.  (One of which had to be her new, but favorite, unicorn.) 

All I can say is ---- GOD BLESS  seven year olds who love me for my talents OTHER then cake baking.  Amy, Farrah, where were you when I needed you??   HA :-)

Anna --- prepped in her cowgirl boots and ready for a great party!!!  

 (LOVE the pose -- Anna thought of it herself -- such a dancer already.)

Here's the birthday girl!!

Great cowgirl outfit...... borrowed hat from our neighbor completed her style. 

(Thanks Jack!!)

We had 10 little friends come over to play horse games.   We started off with some horse drawings and pictures.  All of the girls are so sweet and enjoyed showing their creativity to each other!!

Love the poses!!

(Gotcha Denise!!!   THANKS so much for all of your help for the party!!)

The girls played a game of tossing the hat onto the horse.  It was actually harder than I thought it would be -- but, hey, it made the time pass.  They also had to throw some horses into a tire.   Another game was played while "riding horses" and dropping sugar cubes into buckets -- so fun to see 10 little girls galloping down the driveway and cheering each other on to victory.

Action shot

Emma -- THANK YOU for letting us use your horse.  So cute!!

 Then, we tied black balloons to our ankles (flies following the horses around) -- and had to stomp on each other's balloons to see who was left with theirs on.... Emma won.   So much fun that we did it twice!!
                                     

Eve got to open her gifts while sitting on a cowgirl's true throne!!

And, to finish off the party -- a "monkey" pinata!!  I know, I know, it was a horse themed party -- but, hey when a friend gives you a pinata to use -- you don't ask questions!!  And the kids' enjoyed it!!   (Who's the SMART mom who thought to hang it on the plant hanger??  I'm brilliant :-)

What a wonderful, wonderful birthday for my dear sweet EVE-AKINS!!!   I love her to pieces and know that she will continue to make our lives so happy and so full!!!

I'll leave you with a picture of my "Boo Boo" at 3 weeks old.   What a sweet pea!!!

                               
                           
                                Stay tuned for a birthday blog for my sweet Anna - coming in March.
                                                         Love to you all.   Diane