Emily, Noelle, Anna Kate, Landon, Payton, Malia, Avery, Rose, Julia, and Brylee came to get in on the fun at Anna Kate’s “hotel” birthday!

Anna Kate was all about Belle this year, and this was the perfect cake for her!

Here’s Emily, Noelle, and Anna Kate waiting on everyone to arrive (Mike and Rose had to go get the ice cream)!

The table was set…

First up, pin the tail on the donkey!

 

After everyone took a turn, Emily ended up being the winner!  The kids had fun with that!

 

Noelle and Brylee had matching cover-ups on, and Brylee gave Anna Kate a blue one for summer!  Anna Kate was so excited to see Malia!

I love this picture of Malia telling Mike a story and all the kids having fun!

We opened presents next… so thankful for our sweet and thoughtful friends!

Especially one who is so thoughtful, she puts heart and soul into each little gift in her bag (big sissy Noelle)!  Noelle’s giving spirit is incredible!  She didn’t feel like she had enough to give Anna Kate the night before the party, so she begged me to take her shopping.  She let Anna Kate pick out two things that she really wanted (at the Dollar Tree).  They were both so excited about it!

 

Leave it to Jon to keep the excitement going!

Malia gave Anna Kate Doctor Drill ‘N Fill, the best play doh game ever!  Anna Kate has played with it for the past year at Malia’s house.  It’s always the first toy she goes to and begs to play with, so Susie was thoughtful enough to get Anna Kate her own Drill ‘N Fill!

Hi Rose!  She was looking so I had to put this one in too!  🙂

 

Anna Kate is always the most thankful and honored birthday girl!  She sees the good in the world when we sing “Happy Birthday” to her.  It’s like God comes down and just radiates her soul in a way I can’t describe.  I never want to forget her happiness and sense of wonder!

Sisterly love and pure happiness for each other!

 

Happy 4th Birthday, Anna Kate!  I hope all your hopes and dreams come true… even ones you haven’t thought up yet!

 

Avery and the Pond girls loving their cake and ice cream (chocolate chip per Anna Kate’s request)!

I love that Mike wore a yellow shirt for Princess Belle!  That really touched me that he thought to wear that for Anna Kate!  (By the way, the front of the shirt says, “Hello Everyone, I am Here” and the back says, “Bye bye friends, I am gone!”  Pretty funny.  Jon and Logan were good sports to hang out with all the girls! 

Before the party, the girls got to go check out their room (which included jumping on the beds and talking on the phones) and eat pizza!

Noelle, Emily, and the birthday girl, Anna Kate arriving at the hotel!

 

 

I took all the party gear up to the hotel during nap time and then came back to the house to wake up the girls.  When I got home, there was a note on the island that said, “Remember to get the cake!  Love, Noelle”  She is our party planner; love her little spirit and how she always tries to take care of everybody!  Anna Kate and crew were beyond excited getting ready to go to the hotel.  The anticipation was building from the last year of dreaming of her “hotel birthday!”

Just uploaded this picture and had to share right away!  Love this kid!!!

  

Our little princess wanted a Belle birthday this year at “the hotel”!  This was her year to have a family birthday, but just having had Rose’s big birthday, I didn’t want Anna Kate to be disappointed, as she is still too little to understand.  So… our family + Emily headed to spend the night at a local hotel (which Anna Kate has been requesting every time we drive by it for over a year now).  We went last spring after her dance class one day to tour it and make sure it is what she was expecting, and she loved it way back when!  I let her invite a few friends to come have cake and swim with her in the indoor heated pool.  We kept it really small and super low key, as it was a little tricky having it at a hotel!  Anna Kate is so creative… she had this in her head, and I had to help her make it happen!  Her Belle dress was her cover-up, of course… this birthday was ALL Anna Kate and her super fun ideas! 

After a storm last week, I found Rose in Anna Kate’s room, laying in what is going to be her big girl bed… looks like sooner than later!

Last weekend, we got to celebrate Noemi turning 1 at Kay Kay and Grand Papa’s new house!  It was so special!

Here’s the precious birthday girl with her Mommy, Susana, and her Daddy (Mike’s brother), Stephen.  They are the cutest little family!

I LOVE this picture Mike snapped of Noemi enjoying her first birthday cake!  Look at those big blue eyes! (Noelle wrote that part, ahhh)

 

Kay Kay and GPP bought this awesome teddy for the girls to snuggle.  I bet you’ll see him lots throughout the years when the girls visit their grandparents!  Here’s sweet Kay Kay with her two littlest grandbabies, Noemi and Rose.

Another click of magic by Mike!  This smile (and dance in her eyes) has me captivated!

Rose had a blast playing the balloon game with Grand Papa!

  

More fun party pics!

Kiss the birthday girl!

Rose had a front row seat for present time!

Here’s Kay Kay and Grand Papa with all their grandbaby girls!!!  They had two boys for all those years, and now they have four grand girls… God is so cool!

I love the “kicked-back Rose look!”  I wish she’d sport it more often, ha!  Love each one as if they were the only one… every moment of every day!

Happy 1st Birthday, sweet Noemi!  We love having cousin time with you!  You are so gentle, cute, inquisitive and sweet!  So happy you are here!!!

“It doesn’t make sense to call ourselves ugly, because we don’t really see ourselves. We don’t watch ourselves sleeping in bed, curled up and silent with our chest rising and falling with our own rhythm. We don’t see ourselves reading a book, eyes fluttering and glowing. We don’t see ourselves looking at someone with love and care inside our hearts. There’s no mirror in the way when we’re laughing and smiling and happiness is leaking out of us. You would know exactly how bright and beautiful you are if you saw yourself in the moments where you truly are yourself.” Author Unknown

We love you to the moon and back, Anna Kate!  You are so CUTE in every single way and make us laugh every single day!  XOXO, Mom and Dad

 

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Paula made this awesome bird seed table for the kids to experiment with last week during play time in her back yard! 

 

 

 

I love the pictures Mrs. Paula gets of the animals.  Our girls enjoy seeing them on the blog; I hope you do too!

This egg is in Mrs. Paula’s back yard.  She told us, “It is 12 days since the black swallowtail butterfly laid her eggs, now this one has a dent in it! Will it hatch? When?! We keep looking at it each day.”  She amazes me with her creativity and her love for learning and experimenting too!