Birthday Eve..

Today is Ally's birthday eve.  :-)  Like I said on Facebook... we celebrate birthdays for a week or more at our house!  You have "birthday week"... which sometimes bleeds into a two week span of time.  In Ally's case, it does... at least this year anyway!

She had her birthday slumber party last Friday (I really am going to get on the pics and post about that soon - promise!).  The Daddy/Daughter dance at Queens was Saturday. Yesterday, I took her shopping to spend some birthday money she got from her Grandma Kathy.  And today is birthday eve of course. ;-)  She wanted Thai for her birthday dinner, but it's too hard to make for a large group and we are having some extended family for dinner tomorrow, so she gets Thai today.

Tomorrow's meal is yet to be decided as all Ally can think of is bacon. That's right folks - just bacon.  ;-)  We will have Nana, Papa, Aunt Jane, Uncle Adam, Gracie and the babies over tomorrow (poor Jilli and Lyla - they always get referred to as one entity!).  I am making cupcakes for her classroom tomorrow...and she is looking forward to being in charge of the class treat.

Then... this weekend, our friends from Chicago are coming to town to celebrate too.  The party never ends I tell ya.....  :-) There are worse things than making a girl freel special on her birthday week!

Ally has already received so many amazing gifts from her friends and some gifts and money from family.  She recieved an American Girl outfit from her friend Morgan - the new "summer dress" for Kit that she's been drooling over!  She got a robe that she BEGGED me for with peace sign embroidered on it. Yep.. we're at that stage already! And also an adorable piggy bank from her friend Kennedy.  Then... she got all this amazing American Girl scrapbook/photo book/stickers assortment along with some Little Pet Shop toys from Caitee. Also, a new DS game from Delaney, a pillow and diary set from Cara and "Slumber Party" toys from Quinn.  Someone has been spoiled rotten already!  :-)))))  Her friends were more than generous with their gifts and Ally was very gracious as she opened them all. I was proud of how she acted.

Then, yesterday... she sat right down and hand made them all Thank You cards.  They are adorable. We made a collage of pictures from the party and printed them on my handy new photo printer!!! Love this little printer for my Project Life journey!!!  Helps that I got it on kick-ass clearance at Best Buy..... !!! Very happy!!!!

I was very proud of her gratitude.......

Speaking of gratitude... I owe a bit of it to my hubby... who so graciously puts up with my obsessions on a daily basis.  As I am trying to print more pictures (the printer purchase!)... and document our year (Project Life)... I also have been obsessing about getting a better camera for quite some time. But, that obsession hit a fever pitch this past weekend as I really got into printing my pictures and starting my book.  So, I decide to talk seriously about making this major purchase.  Mind you... I did not mean TODAY when I made the following statement:

"Hey babe... I really want to get a DSLR camera" - Me

"Okay, just as long as you take the kids so I can watch football"  - Scott

HAHAHAHA!!!!  OKAY!!!!!!  Luckily, I had done some research and talked to Nicole about what she thought was best......... so off I went, kids in tow and bought myself a new camera!!!!!  WOO HOO!!!  Very exciting.  I know I will never be that great at the artistic side of it all.. but I will at least take better pictures to start with... better quality and I can capture my kids as they MOVE!!!  That is my biggest problem with point and shoot..... you can't capture them in motion very well.  So, I am pretty pumped up about my new purchase.  I am thoroughly enjoying Ally's birthday week!  :-)))))))