the big {eight}.

i have an 8 year old.

for reals.

i wonder when i'll start to believe it?

i mean, i definitely feel older but not old enough to have an 8 year old little girl.

but i'm afraid it's all true - i'm old {grey hair to prove it}and i have an eight year old .
i'm not exactly sure how we got from birth to 8 years old but yet here we are.

we had a small little birthday party for my daughter a couple of weeks ago and with my

mothers surgery, i didn't have much time to put it all together.

{i used store bought invitations and left over material to embellish the envelopes.

confession: i almost forgot to send out invitations. almost.}

however, as thrown together as it was i'm pretty sure my daughter had a blast.

bless her heart, i think all the fun made up for the fact that i didn't have time to make or buy her a cake. 

cakes are way overrated anyways.

there is one thing i've finally figured out about little girls birthday parties.

they don't really care about games.

they want to hang out with each other

and talk

and eat

and just be goofy little girls.

kinda like how us older girls wanna be with our friends, yes?

there is one thing little girls wanna do though..

they want to make something, anything.

especially if it involves pretty paper, stamps and candy sticks.

{did i tell you how cute little 8 year old girls are?}

i had planned on having the girls make little flower headbands
but it just didn't work out. mostly because i forgot the headbands.
so instead they created book marks out of clothes pins.

i pulled out everything i could
possibly think of from my baking drawer and my craft drawers to serve as
embellishments for the girls.
who knew my cupcake liners would come in handy?

******

dear miss j,

i didn't know how much i was going to love being a mother

until you came along.

it wasn't until then that i discovered what He had created me for.

to be a mother, to be your mother.

you inherited your fathers generous and loving heart

and my witty sense of humor {wink}

as well as my love for earrings and shoes.

i know it's not easy being the oldest of this crazy bunch,
but you do it well.
and you, my darling, make me so very happy.

*****