Birthday Mania!

Why is Dec-Feb so chalk full of birthdays in this family?!  We just finished up our seemingly nonstop celebratory fun streak with Jake's birthday on the 1st and Livy's on the 5th.  There are so many aunt/uncle/cousin birthdays in a 2 week stretch that we got a little sick of partying with the same group and decided to just take Jake's grandparents out to dinner for his birthday.  We always have a wonderful time visiting with them, and I'm so grateful that my kids get to know 'Grandma & Grandpa Great' so well. 

For Livy's party, we tried out the new season passes we bought for the family for Trafalga/Seven Peaks.  We figured we'd pretty much be spending every birthday there for the rest of the year!  The kids had a blast playing laser tag, riding the hopper and the pirate ship, playing in the tunnels, and Nathan and Livy even tried out the rock climbing wall.  It was pretty crowded since we were there on a Friday night, and I pretty much hung out in the gated off toddler area with Elle, JD, and Gavin - so I didn't have many picture opportunities.  Bummer.  Jake did snap a few with his camera, though, so they aren't great, but its what we have. 

We're thinking it will probably be a lot more fun when it warms up a little and we can drive the go-carts and bumper boats, ride the roller coasters, and play mini golf outside.  We still had a great time though, especially when Uncle Andrew, Aunt Sophie, and Kennedy joined us there and then came along with us for Livy's birthday dinner.

So, in honor of her 9th birthday - here's 9 things you always wanted to know about Livy:

1. She is an excellent student and a great reader.  I never have to worry about her forgetting homework or putting off book reports or big projects until the last minute - as soon as she is given an assignment, she starts on it right away!  She scores at the top of her class in all subjects (besides math of course, but she is, after all, my kid.) and truly enjoys school. 

2. She has great fashion sense.  She got some new clothes for her birthday and was super excited to show off her new threads to her friends.  She likes to accessorize with belts, scarves, jewelry, and hair things. 

3. At first glance, she may seem all girl, but there is definitely a competitive streak inside her that she gets from her dad.  You should see her race her mountain bike!  I laugh to myself when I hear her post-race re-cap with Jake (she got her winning strategy from him) and I hear her says things like, "I focused on the racer ahead of me, started to reel him in, and then picked the rest of them off one by one."  She has always been one to prove that she can do anything - especially if you tell her its something she can't! 

4. She is very independent.  She loves to hang out with friends, but she is perfectly happy alone in her room with a book.  She isn't timid at all and sometimes I worry about the fast approaching teenage years when that independent streak may not be so endearing, but I am proud that she is a strong girl and can really stick up for herself when she needs to.

5.  She is an awesome big sister.  Elle really looks up to her and JD is totally in love with her.  When he is mad at me, he will go crying off to Livy to make things better.  I rely on her a lot to help out - maybe a little too much.

6. She loves to experiment in the kitchen.  She would really enjoy a cooking or baking class - and always offers to help with dinner.  Having Grandma here over Christmas was like a dream come true with all the time they spent creating delicious things together.  

7. She is really creative.  She likes to color and draw and is always making cute cards and pictures for everyone.  She is also trying desperately to learn to knit, but her lessons have been limited to when Grandma is around and I feel badly that I am no help in that department.  

8. She loves to sing!  And she's not shy.  She will perform any time you ask her to, no fear.

9. She is an all around great kid and we love having her in our family!