Lia's 8th Birthday!

After Lia's large friend party on Saturday, I was grateful to host a much smaller and simpler family party for her.  However, since her grandparents were flying back from Mexico on her actual birthday, she chose to wait an entire day so that they could join us.  Besides bringing homemade sugar cookies to class on Monday, we did absolutely nothing else on her birthday.  She didn't even get to open a single present!  I was really impressed with Lia's self control and her willingness to postpone all of her birthday fun just so her grandparents could be with us.
Like last year, Lia requested her favorite dinner which is "breakfast for dinner."  Since my parents drove almost an hour to join us, I beefed up her request and made an egg casserole, bacon, and delicious cinnamon rolls.  After dinner, Lia opened up her gifts.  Like Christmas, it was mainly an American Girl Doll birthday.  Besides getting some new clothes and some more Disney zum zums, everything else was American Girl.  She got a few new pieces of furniture for her mega doll house including a beautiful, wooden vanity from her grandma and grandpa and a beautiful, wooden sideboard from her Lola and Papa John.  We also gave her some new Caroline Abbott books and the Kit Kittredge DVD, plus a few items from Grace Thomas' collection (the 2015 Girl of the Year doll).  The big surprise was saved for the very end when I pulled out one last gift which had been hidden in the office:  a Grace Thomas doll!  Although Lia already has a look alike doll, Grace is her true look alike since she has freckles in addition to the fair skin, dark hair, and blue eyes that her look alike has.  Whenever we were visiting the AGD store last year, various employees would tell Lia that she looks like Grace Thomas.  I finally got to the point where I would jokingly tell them to quit saying this!  However, after I got the deal of the decade in December and found Grace for $44 instead of the regular $120, I couldn't resist buying her.  You can imagine Lia's surprise (and accompanying screams) when she opened this last gift!

Eating our breakfast for dinner in the dining room.  Please notice Logan's large, blue gun on the table.  He always adds a touch of class where ever he goes. :-)

Lia opening her first gift:  a parlor desk for her doll house.

Lia smiling for the camera before opening her second gift...

Grace Thomas' pajamas and baking outfit.

Lia pulling out her new clothes.  This shirt has tiny Eiffel Towers on it which she loved!

Lia posing with grandma before opening another one.

Lia showing off her new Frozen themed zum zums.

Logan making a funny face for the camera.

Lia opening up her American Girl Doll.

Grandma and Lia proudly displaying Grace.

Lia giving papa a huge hug to thank him for her new doll!

Grandpa examining Grace up close.

After Lia finished opening gifts, grandma and grandpa had one last surprise for Lia--my old Barbie, dollhouse that I got for Christmas in 1982.  It was custom made and built to look like a house on the canals of Venice.  It has been kicking around my parents' house for years and I finally told my dad (who has been asking me for years) to bring it over to our house.  Now, Lia has a place to put all of my old Barbie furniture and hopefully will spend hours and hours playing in it like I did growing up.  And, yes, Ella is wearing grandma's big shoes in this picture.  Oh, that girl.  She loves wearing other peoples' shoes!

We finished off the evening with cupcakes and ice cream.  Since I now make an elaborate cake for Lia's friend party, I refuse to make a second one for her family party.  Luckily, she is fine with a homemade cupcake.  Here is our big, 8-year old with Grace getting ready to blow out her candle!

Lia and Grace blowing out the candle.

Happy Birthday, Lia!  We sure love you and are so grateful that you joined our family eight years ago!  I can't imagine my life without you!