Happy Birthday to Hannah!

My oldest turned eight today!  That means I have been a mother for eight years (more if you count in utero,) and I cannot believe it!  She is growing up too fast, as they all are.  I enjoy her company so much.  She went with me to Joann's the other day alone and we just had the greatest time together doing nothing too important, just being together.  

Today started off with Isaac and Genna making her a birthday hat to wear while she opened her gifts.  

 Genna helped me pick out her gifts from the siblings.  She chose a set of dangly earrings, a tube of glow sticks, a peanut butter and chocolate dip for apples, and some honey (because she asked for a container of honey that was her very own.)  Genna also picked out a "Fat" notebook to write in which Hannah has designated it to be used to write her sins in since she is preparing for her First Reconciliation in February.  I named it her "Fat Sin" book. That got some giggles.

She loved the honey!  It is so nice to have easy to please children...cheap to please too.

She got a Perfume Laboratory Set from us.  (I got it from the Rainbow Resource Center.)  She has been into mixing random liquids lately, and I thought this would go along with that theme.  She loved it and made a whole set of perfumes and some scented potpourri crystals this afternoon while the table-climbing monster Drew was napping.

Can't get enough of this girl and her smile.

The eight year old girl birthday privilege in our house is wearing dangly earrings.  Her Mimi got her these and gave them to her last week while she was here.  I expected Hannie to ask to wear them right away and I was going to let her.  However, she showed them to me and said that she would think about it and decide which of the two pairs she would wear on her actual birthday.  So I didn't say anything.  I love her rule following tendencies, and I certainly don't want to squelch them!

We went to Red Robin because birthday girl requested chicken tenders and fries and because when I told Brian we were going to Ruby Tuesday's he didn't really listen and drove us halfway to Red Robin before I realized it.  Hannah was very obliging since they have chicken tenders too!  It was a very peaceful dinner and Han loved the lime light when they sang to her and brought her a free dessert.  She's definitely not all me because I always hated that!  I'm embarrassed to say it gave me a stomach ache even thinking about the possibility when I was young.  I am glad I am not so weird anymore.

Her party is still to come!  So stay tuned for the ice cream party of the century.  Maybe that is setting expectations a little too high.  I do have four children to educate, feed, and generally keep alive, not in that order, of course.  So adjust expectations accordingly.