simply seven

Today our brilliant, funny, generous, sweet, amazing daughter turned '7'. She celebrated each and every minute of it -- in fact, she celebrated several hours yesterday as well! For her birthday this year, Jillian opted not for the traditional party with lots of guests and as many presents . . . but for a special day spent with her very best friend. I was blessed to be included by default - afterall, two 7 year olds can't get to the Mall of America on their own! We stormed Build A Bear, where after much searching Allisen and Jillian found just the right fuzzy buddies to make their very own. Followed by a bit of shopping (Claire's and American Girl Doll of course!), to be topped off with dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. And if that wasn't enough fun, the girls spent many hours playing at home and were even allowed to stay up until Jillian's birthday. They thought it extremely funny that daddy went to bed before they did. True to her generous and caring nature, Miss Jillian included her big sister in all the playtime and even in the sleepover -- making space for her in the bedroom too! It is simply in her heart to make others happy in any way she can!

On the day of her actual birthday, we made a special trip to Buffalo Books for a Raspberry Lemonade frosty and to spend a little of her birthday cash. She has had her eye on 'Ox', the green Ugli doll pictured above/middle. From there, Jillian was given a little salon treatment with a haircut and painted nails! Lunch was her choice - McDonald's. Back home to play and finally to soccer practice, where her team sang "Happy Birthday" and Jillian passed out treats to all. One last hurrah before bed - angel food birthday cake with yellow frosting, sprinkles and star candles!!!