Being Nine is So Very Fine!

I honestly can't believe that it has been nine years since my sweet little Allie came into this world. She is a bright spot in every day and she has an enthusiasm for life that most people only dream of. She feels things very deeply. She can be very sensitive. She is too attentive for her own good. She is a darn good reader and makes a mean baby bottle! Here are nine things about Allie that I love and want to share:

1. When she's excited, she literally shakes.

2. She NEVER forgets anything.... if she tells you she did, she's lying.

3. She is my most helpful child. Reason works on this one.

4. She was a beautiful baby. I can't tell you how many times we got stopped and told this fact.

5. She has a "woman" singing voice and can sing any soprano under the table on "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

6. She is very modest. I love listening to her as she looks through magazines and calls people "unmodest."

7. She loves infomercials, and would probably buy anything she saw advertised on TV.

8. She loves Subway and eating out in general, but who doesn't?

9. She is, and always has been, my happiest child.

I am so glad this little girl is in my life. She keeps me honest, never fails to let me know when I'm falling down on the job, but always remembers to be grateful for everything she gets. She will do anything if you do it with her and always tries her best to be a good girl.

And, now, a recap of the birthday festivities......

My little princess loves to be pampered. She is always asking to have a pedicure. So for her birthday, Grandma Homer and I made her wish come true. The girls and I met my mom and out we went for an afternoon of pampering. Check out our beautiful toes. Actually, looking at this photo is interesting because Allie totally has my feet, and Erin, sadly has her dads flat feet. But at least you can see all of Erin's toes.

After dinner, we went to one of Allie's favorite restaurants.... Famous Dave's. She loves ribs, a fact I didn't know until recently. I guess they serve them in school lunch now???? Anyway, we had dinner and Allie got the oft-requested birthday dessert. She was so excited.

On her actual birthday, I went to school and told her class all about her. Allie's teacher is smart in that she has the kids make a "share shirt" at the first of the year that has all of the info that they find pertinent or interesting about themselves. It makes it easy on the moms, because she just pulls that out during the child's spotlight week, and voila, no extra work for parents. After school on her birthday, she had a few friends over for a party. My good friend Melinda came and put foil extensions in the girls hair.... we ate pizza for dinner and watched Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure. It was the easiest birthday party I have ever done and Allie loved it.

Boo ya!

Sadly, the only photo that's not totally blurry is the one of Allie sticking her tongue out. They're cutie pies, nonetheless.

Last night, we had a BBQ at my mom's house with all the family. Nothing says summer is here like hamburgers and watermelon, and we were finally lucky enough to get some good weather. Allie got some great presents from friends and can now breathe easy that she too, will be seeing the Taylor Swift concert in September. She also has beds now for her American girl dolls and a brand-spankin' new ukulele to show us her mad skills on. It is bright yellow.... very fitting for our little ray of sunshine.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the party last night.

Most of the pictures are pretty self-explanatory, but I love the one of Matt's mom feeding Will because she is such a great grandma. She is always so willing to help out with the little ones and loves to take the time to feed or hold the baby when I'm running around crazy. Thanks a ton, Grandma!

My mom and my aunts are going to kill me for posting this picture of them, but I'm glad with all the craziness lately, they got a chance to chill out and chat for a bit.

Finally, the picture of Grandpa Pierce with Uncle Dave.... does this look like a man who had 10 inches of his colon removed two weeks ago? He looks great! He says he feels better too. We'll just keep our fingers crossed for the oncologist visit at the end of the month.

One last picture that deserves its own shout out.... the cake that Shanna made for Allie. She said that she wanted a mermaid cake, but was very emphatic that it not be a "Little Mermaid" cake. I think she did a great job.

Happy Birthday Allie Bear! Make the most of life.... you won't regret it!