Courtney's Birthday

It's amazing how fast kids grow up.

I remember as a kid, life seemed to drag on forever.

Now as an adult, it flies by way too fast.

It seems like yesterday I was bringing my little 7 pounder home from the hospital.

And today, we are celebrating her 9th birthday.

Birthday Morning Ritual: Reading The Courtney & Chronicle

Her favorite color wrapped all around her presents.

Waiting for everyone to get up so she can open them.

Um . . . Yeah, she was excited to get this.

It's a Sonic DS game.

Magic tricks!  She and Daddy are gonna do this together.

I wish her hair wasn't blocking her expression here.  She LOVED this.

Her posed excited look.  She got a soccer goal.

The kids playing in the goal.

And what's a birthday without Donut Joes??

Hmmm...they all look so good.

She ended up with the red & white one.

I bet they're wishing we would just let them eat instead of posing with the donuts.

Yep, it was as good as it looked.

Another birthday tradition: licking the spatula.

She wanted to help decorate her cake.  She made the little soccer players.

She wanted a soccer cake so bad.  Every time we went to Publix, she'd take me to the cake book to show me the soccer cake.

"Happy birthday to you . . . "

Shoveling

The weather allowed us to go to the zoo today.  She was really excited.  She really wanted to go see the Rhinos.

And we saw them . . .

and saw them again.  In fact we had to go back an hour later and look at them some more.

Rhiney even saw them .  

 

 

And of course we had to get a picture with the picture of a Rhino.

We finally broke away from the Rhinos to see an elephant.

We released some pent up energy on the drums.

Yep, this is as gross as it looks . . . the boys were being dung beetles, while Court was being disgusted.

A train ride - Courtney informed us that it was Rhiney's first ride.

The post train ride-bell ringing tradition

Rhiney got tired of walking

Being silly

A two faced giraffe

Rhiney bored out of his mind waiting for the kids to get done playing.

Frog jump

The snake exhibit was the last one she wanted to see before we left.

On our way to . . .

This was her choice for her birthday lunch.

Yum!

Off to soccer practice

And back home for dinner.  She wanted pizza again.  This time homemade.