Happy 8th Birthday Virginia Grace!

Yesterday was my baby's 8th birthday! She wanted to have a Build-A-Bear birthday party with some of her girlfriends. So, we were thrilled that all the little girls were able to join us for an afternoon of stuffed fun!
Virginia picked out a cuddly bunny that was SO soft! She loves bunnies and it was perfect to hug and cuddle. This girl loves stuffed animals and sleeps with a bed full of them each night. So, this was a perfect party for her.

After the girls had their animals stuffed, they got to bath and fluff them. This is Virginia's favorite part!
Here all the girls show off their freshly fluffed friends. What a pretty group of girls!

Then, they all headed to name their friends. Virginia named her little bunny "Fluffy" and Anli named her adorable Koala..."Koale." She also has a bear named..."Beary." We are very creative around here!

Group Hug!

Here the girls show off their friends dressed and ready to eat CAKE! They had a wonderful time and so did we. These girls were wonderful and were a breeze to handle. We told all the moms to go shop or just get a Starbucks for an hour.

Jay left the shop a few minutes earlier to set up the table so that it was all ready when the girls arrived. He did a great job and it all looked so festive! He's a great daddy!

Virginia asked for a Build-A-Bear cake, so this was the result! I had already ordered all the Build-A-Bear plates, napkins, and cups for the party online. So, we just used that as our inspiration. We just used a 13X9 cake pan and then cut the shape of the head out and then used the hat from the left over cake.

We always make the girls' birthday cakes and we LOVE to take on a challenge...though this one was quite easy. The tough part was frosting the cut edges of the cake. Jay is a huge help and it turned out wonderful! She was completely thrilled with it and that's all that matters!

And then there were the GIFTS! This gift from one of her friends was so big we could hardly see Virginia! Everyone was so kind and she had such a wonderful time! We headed home and she played with her new Build-A-Bear Wii game, her new DS games "Tinkerbell", made a castle with her new Moon Sand, and played with her new Barbie, Littlest Pet Shop, and bunny. Whew...what a wonderful birthday!

Virginia,

You are the most precious girl. You have the kindest heart. You always ask what you can do to help, you love to clean bathrooms, unload the dishwasher, and anything else to help around the house. We hardly ever have to ask you twice to do anything at all!

You are so smart and school is a breeze for you. You are just like your Daddy in the way that you love to be at home, playing video games, watching Star Wars, and having time to yourself. You give the best hugs and have the most precious voice. You are a great listener and are quick to obey. You love to draw and are great a memorizing your Bible verses. You love a challenge and always rise to it! We can't wait to see all that you accomplish...we know whatever it is you will fly!

You are such a gift to our family! We love the way you pray most of all. Keep growing in your love for God each day! We can't wait to see what He has in store for you. We thank God for allowing us to enjoy this life as your parents. You are a rich blessing to us! Happy Birthday precious baby!

Love,

Daddy and Mommy