Puppy Party

 Today Hope celebrated her birthday with friends and we had a puppy party.  It was so much fun!  The girls got to pick a puppy to adopt and then take some food for their puppy.

 They made sparkly collars for their puppies.

 And pinned the tiara on the puppy.  Because every puppy needs a tiara.

 We ate pizza for lunch.

 And lots of pink marbled birthday cake.

 Hope got so many fun presents from her friends.

All her friends got to go home with their puppy, food, food bowl and adoption certificate.  I gotta admit it was one great puppy party.  Happy Birthday, Hope!

Happy Birthday, Hope!

 We celebrated Hope today with her favorites: frozen yogurt and a movie.

 The boys went to a different movie, and I took the girls to Hotel Transylvania 2.

Since she opened her presents earlier this week, she got to celebrate without presents, but we sure had fun.  I'm so grateful for Hope, and I can't believe she is 5.  She loves to do crafts, paint nails, be fancy and sing.  Sure love her.

Frozen

 This afternoon Hope had some of her friends over for her birthday party. 

 We played "Pin the Nose on Olaf."

 We made snowmen out of marshmallows.

 We copied a lot of things from Hope's friend Libby's Frozen party we went to earlier this year.  Her mom Sarah-Jane had this fun snow you can make that doesn't melt.  It was so much fun.  Her snow was outside, though.  I let the girls play with this "fun" snow at the table.  It kind of got out of control and  didn't stay on the table. It was everywhere!! 

 Hope and her Elsa cake.

We sure love our four-year-old! 
Hope at four loves puppies, Disney Junior, and playing with friends.  Her favorite food is anything with sugar.  She wants to be a butterfly fairy when she grows up or do ballet on ice.

Happy Birthday, Hope!

 These are not the best pictures in the world, but just so Hope knows that we did celebrate on her actual birthday, I'll share these beautiful photos.  Since her birthday is on Sunday this year we had a birthday dinner at our house with friends after church.  I made the famous cake that we now call the Annmarie cake since we first made it for her birthday.

 We added two more candles and sang to Faith as well.  I wanted to keep adding candles and sing to Doug but he said no.

Hope and her friends: Phebe, Annalise, Faith and Ella.  Happy Birthday, Hope!!  We love you so.  You are the sweetness our family needs!

Three

Today my baby is three.  She was so excited to get her new bike.  We had big plans to take her to lunch, but after she opened her bike, she just wanted to stay home and ride it.  

 She and Faith got this easel for their birthdays.

 Our friends the Leefes invited us over for dinner tonight and that was the highlight of her birthday.  

 The kids are playing pass the parcel. It is not a big game in America, but it's big here.   Here's the gist of the game.  Wrap a present with many layers of wrapping paper and play some music.  Pass the parcel along and when the music stops, whoever is holding the parcel gets to unwrap one layer.  The Leefes had a lollypop in each layer of the wrapping paper too.

 It ended with Hope and she opened a little gift bag.

 Her birthday cake was a little purse made out of the left-overs from Faith's cake.  We eat a lot of cake in October.

 Opening her present.  How we love our baby Hope!  She is my sunshine.

Happy Birthday, Hope!!

A Very Pink Party

 I think it's funny that all of my kids have birthdays that fall on the school holidays for the Australian school schedule of holidays.  Since most people go out of town for the holidays, we decided to have an early birthday party for Faith and Hope.  I had a big box I ordered from Oriental Trading with all of the wonderful party things and crafts.  Friday night we went to check our mailbox and of course it didn't come in time.  We had to go to the mall the night before the party to try to find things for crafts.  We lucked out and found enough beads that the girls could make bracelets.

 Thank goodness Aldi had this game.

 And the piñata.

 Faith invited Spencer and Jacob from her primary class.  They were more excited to hang out with James and Spencer than to hang out with a bunch of girls.

 We had a picnic lunch on the lawn.

 And decorated sugar cookies.  Plan B after my box didn't show up.

 Cake Time.

 Hope's cake.

 Faith's cake.  

The Mums from Faith's school said they were brilliant. I wouldn't go that far (Australians love to use the word brilliant).

 Spencer and James were in charge of this window.

 Not exactly the picture I was going for of Hope and her cake.  She has a mouth full of pinata candy.

 Present time was interesting. Just one big blur of pink.  It happened so fast I'm still not sure who gave them what.

I think the party was a success!  I'm so glad they can share this day until they get smart enough to realize they want their own party :)