Elsa is Seven

Seven. What? Really? The years between when I turned seven and when I turned fourteen. Seven years is equivalent to my combined time in high school and college in North Carolina. Jarrett and I hit seven years of knowing each other the summer after we got married, that year in 2002. I remember hitting our seven-year wedding anniversary (Elsa was not even yet one!). I feel like there was some slowness, some dragging my feet through time, during those seven-year periods. But these seven years? These seven years have flown by.

Yes, Elsa turned seven yesterday. And what a beautiful seven she is. She is getting older, and she spends more time by herself in "quiet time" now, reading and playing. But she also still relishes in time with Mommy and Daddy, especially if it's one-on-one time. Her times of shyness are more rare these days, and I see her really enjoying the limelight in a lot of cases. The girl will talk to just about anybody, if given the opportunity. Elsa loves books, stuffed animals (oh my, does she love stuffed animals), dolls (but not Barbies!), Legos (she is building more and more amazing structures, just on her own accord), bugs, coloring and drawing, movies, dessert, and friends (and prefers one-on-one time with them as well). And she has the perfect gap in her teeth right now. She just looks like a first grader.

We celebrated her well yesterday. First off, she got the day off of school, with her birthday being on Labor Day. What could be better than that? (And, on Friday, Avie and I visited her at school and had lunch and treats in her classroom.) Jarrett and I decorated the girls' bedroom doorway with streamers and balloons for her to wake up to, and I also drew a big number "7" on her side of the bathroom mirror. For breakfast, we had bacon and gluten-free chocolate doughnuts. And then it was party time. This year, she requested an "Under the Sea" party, and since she invited some boys, I decided to incorporate mermaids and pirates. It turned out splendidly, and I think Elsa had a lot of fun with her friends, which is what she said she was most looking forward to. It takes a lot of time and energy to throw these parties in our home, but it also warms my heart to know that the biggest birthday request from our girls is to do just that. To me, it means that home is where they would most prefer to be on their special day, surrounded by their friends and family. So we typically have treated their parties as their biggest gift. I'll enjoy it while I can. Soon enough, I'm sure there will be a birthday request that doesn't so much include Mom at all.

A bacon "7" for this bacon lover!

So, "Under the Sea" it was. We had jellyfish hanging from the ceiling, mermaid and pirate garb to adorn the children, a fish beanbag toss game, a treasure dig, and lots of sea-themed treats. Her birthday cake request was a vanilla cake with blue frosting. And she wanted to re-use the mermaid topper we used for her fifth (merpig-themed) birthday. I just also added a pirate and some sea creatures.

Don't ask me why I chose such a busy background with which to photograph the cake...

The Pirates' Lair... "Arrrr...!"

Her little friends were very generous with their gifts, and Elsa was thrilled with each and every one of them. Even the Barbie mermaid. (Although, Avie is even more thrilled with that one.)

As we have been doing the past couple of years, I sat down with Elsa and conducted the birthday interview. Here it goes, with her seven-year-old faves:

The Seven-Year Interview

1. What is your favorite color? Purple.
2. What is your favorite toy? Blankie.
3. What is your favorite stuffed animal? Dinky (Rabbit).
4. What is your favorite thing to sleep with? Blankie.
5. What is your favorite fruit? Grapes.
6. What is your favorite cereal? Van's Gluten-Free Cinnamon Heaven
7. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Doughnuts.
8. What is your variety thing to eat for lunch? Peanut butter sandwich.
9. What is your favorite dessert? Frozen yogurt.
10. What is your favorite drink? Grape juice.
11. What do you want to eat for your birthday dinner? Chipotle.
12. What is your favorite animal? Pig.
13. What is your favorite book? Angelina Ballerina.
14. What is your favorite song? "Barges."
15. What is your favorite game? Trouble.
16. What is your favorite TV show? Wild Kratts.
17. What is your favorite movie? The Nut Job.
18. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Jump rope.
19. Who is your best friend? Stella.
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Author/illustrator.

Happy seventh birthday, our sweet one! We love you and wish you the best in this year to come!