Growing up too fast!

As one of our birthday traditions I let the children each choose their favorite dinner for me to make. We usually end up with hot dogs, pizza, or some other kid favorite. Most of my kids switch what they want each year, but I could always count on Cami. For 6 years I've made the same meal for each of Cami's birthdays...broccoli cheese soup. Kind of fun and different from our normal summer fare--I liked it and looked forward to it every year.

But this year she changed her mind. :( She wanted steak and mashed potatoes instead.

Doesn't that sound like such a grown up thing to request?

Well, I wasn't about to deny her her requested meal of steak, but I wasn't quite ready to let go of the broccoli cheese soup quite yet either. So we let her enjoy her new second favorite meal on her birthday eve.

Since Cami's birthday fell on a craft club day, I let her choose the theme and the crafts for the day. So "Beach Day" was born. We made seashell boxes, whale shaped piggy banks, and these cool plaster of paris handprints.


Of course what would a gathering of friends on your birthday be without some good old-fashioned cupcakes to share? We had quite the time trying to create milk-less, egg-less cupcakes to accommodate some food allergies, but I believe her beach umbrella cupcakes turned out quite cute indeed and thankfully did not cause any anaphylactic reactions!



Then, after her new grown-up birthday dinner of steak and potatoes (which was quite delicious, if I do say so myself), we got to indulge in a cookie dough ice cream cake from Coldstone.

Yummmm!

If you're wondering why there are no pictures of her opening any presents, you can refer to her birthday list pictured in the post below.

Kind of a grown-up list too, huh?

So, she's getting a daddy-daughter date and a trip to the mall with me this weekend as her birthday gifts. Not quite as much fun as birthday surprises, but I guess we won't have to take anything back this way!