6 Years, 6 Birthdays, 1 Beautiful Girl

Kiahna has been dreaming about turning 6 years old FOREVER! At some point she decided that she wanted to have 6 parties for her 6th birthday.  A "party" consists of a blowing out candles and singing the 'Happy Birthday' song.  So, we will start with...

Party #1

We brought cupcakes to Kiahna's Bible quiz class.  Everyone got to have their own candle, and of course, we sang the birthday song.

Party #2

This party was THE BIG PARTY because it was on her actual birthday.  Breakfast rolls with candles, and the birthday song...what a great way to start the day!

After breakfast, we headed to the Edmond Historical Museum.  Inside the museum is a little town built just for kids!  They spent the morning playing and pretending, but of course...it was all REAL.

We ate lunch at the playground park by the museum.  We were having fun, and we could have stayed there the rest of the day, but the birthday celebrations required that we continue on to SNIP-ITS.

Kiahna was pampered with a hair WASH, and also a cut with a style.  The cousins got to join in and also have a hair makeover.

Right by SNIP-ITS was our favorite overpass!  We had to take a stroll up to the top just to see if people would still respond to a bunch of kids hysterically waving on the bridge.  They did.

Then it was off to the park to have Kiahna's 6 yr birthday photos taken.  Is it just me, or does she get more beautiful every year?!!

But the biggest surprise was still to come! TJ had arranged to pick the girls up at the end of his limo bus run. They got to ride all the way back to the shop IN THE LIMO BUS! We danced to some music, threw some shout-outs on the microphone, and had a special drink from the cooler. The fun was just getting BIGGER!!!

But the party wasn't over yet.  Closing in on midnight, we still had candles on a cake to blow out...

...toasts and cheers of blessings with the special sparkling drink...

...presents to unwrap and try on...

...and a few rounds of pin the tail on the donkey to play!!!

Party #2 was fabulous...but we still had 4 more to go!

Party #3

We went to Chester's Pumpkin Patch to enjoy this 3rd party.  The kids enjoyed petting the animals...

...riding on the tractor-pull hay ride...

...running through a corn maze...

...playing an old-fashioned game of tug-of-war...

...and riding the ponies.

Party #4

This party was spent with Kiahna's birthday twin.  Since they were both born on the same day 6 years ago...it warrants a special party just for them.

We celebrated by going to the zoo and seeing the new baby elephant. Frosted cookies substituted for cake...and of course, we sang the birthday song.

Party #5

We celebrated party #5 with  Nana and Papa.  Kiahna wanted to paint the pumpkins that we got at the pumpkin patch, so that's just what we did.

Of course, we had to have another cake, candles, and the birthday song!

Party #6

We celebrated the FINAL party today.   Kiahna wanted to have a birthday breakfast just like Niah did last year on her birthday, so that's what we did.  Of course, she didn't actually want breakfast--her favorite food right now is macaroni and cheese.  The candles still fit, and the restaurant didn't mind us singing the birthday song one last time.

I wonder what she will dream for her next birthday...

School Bus Cake

Kiahna's school bus cake...it means she is officially starting kindergarten. Why the school bus since we are home-schooled? Well, many years ago, my mom made each of us a school bus cake for our first year of public school (I really did get to ride the bus). The school bus cake became a right-of-passage, and a milestone to look forward to. I thought the tradition was a great one, so I started it with each our kids. Aliya was the only one who did not actually have a school bus on her cake because I couldn't find one, and I wasn't feeling confident enough in my cake decorating skills to create/draw a school bus. She still had a school-themed cake, which is the main point.

Along with the fabulous cake, the prepartory student also gets his/her own official backpack with a few school supplies. Kiahna specifically requested a Bible, so she got two--a "real" one and a picture one. Of course, all the other students also got a back-to-school treat, because when it's a school party, it's a PARTY!!!

This year Niah starts high school--another big milestone. She is looking forward to playing volleyball, and she also wants to learn to play the piano. I am keeping my eyes out for lessons...or maybe I will attempt to teach the piano myself. We have a great year ahead of us! This is the beginning of our 5th year...

Adventures in Reading

Today we had our first Adventures in Reading Book Club presentation. Some of you may remember that Niah participated in a reading club years ago--in fact, that was our during our first year of homeschooling.  We attended one meeting, and then we ended up moving to Arkansas for a few months.  By the time we came back, the club was no longer meeting.

By then, however, I had already fallen in love with the whole concept.  I loved the idea of kids sharing a book that they loved, in front of a group of peers that WERE NOT GOING TO MAKE FUN OF THEM.  I kept the passion for a book club kindled over the years, and this year (thanks to a friend willing to join with me) we let the dream blaze again.

Since I was hosting this first event, I had to get up in front of everyone and speak.  It's not easy.  I felt the kids' pain!  Of course, I thought they each did a great job.  Niah presented like a star.  Aliya stepped right up there despite being nervous.  Kiahna needed a little help, but she did great.  Even Isaiah showed us his favorite book.  It was wonderful, and they all walked away with a little more confidence that they can stand in front of people and survive.

The club meets once a month during each month of the school year except for December.  The kids are nervous, I'm nervous, but we are pressing forward because in the end, it really is fun AND good for us. Let the reading adventures continue...