Happy Birthday, Avery!

  We have a lot of summer birthday's here at the Ferguson house.  Destiny is July 17, Avery & I share August 1 and Paxton is August 17th.  Being home this year, in the summer, Avery begged for a sleepover with her new camp friends for her special day.

 We planned it a weekend early, on a quieter weekend than most, and hoped for the best.  Most of the girls could come, miracle of miracles, so on we went.

 Avery is quite the planner and had decor, a clipboard to do list and a to buy snack list for us to accomplish in short order.
  
  The girls would be coming over after church to eat cake, hang out and would be sleeping in the RV like their own little apartment for the night!

 Little did she know, I had ordered her a cake and some crafts to make it a REAL BIRTHDAY PARTY.  She was blown away!

  Avery didn't know she was getting a cake, so she made her usual, Watermelon Bombe' ice cream dessert.  It's so fresh and yummy!

 You just saran wrap a large bowl and start layering soft lime, pineapple and raspberry sorbet.  Invert bowl, let ice cream come out, cut in watermelon wedges and press mini chocolate chips into the raspberry part.  
 
​ SO CUTE!

  One of the girls attending had an ACTUAL birthday on the day we celebrated, so we were sure to add her name to the cake and sing to her too.  I am so glad her parents still shared her with us! :)

  The girls enjoyed their dessert and dug right into the bracelet making project we had planned.  I have never tied so many bracelets in my life! Hahah but it was super fun and they did such a great job.

  We had snack supper all laid out and the girls spent the evening playing games, doing makeovers, watching a movie and getting all snuggled into bed for talk time.

  They must have slept ok because they were up at a nice time and enjoying the hammocks and trampoline before it got too hot.

  We fed them a nice big breakfast and then it was time to pry them away from each other and start running girlies home.  They played wonderfully together and I think they would've continued the rest of the day but alas, Monday must go on.

  Thursday came quickly and with it, Avery and my official shared birthday!  We had already celebrated Avery's day and I was planning to go on a date with Dale Sunday, so we were going to lay low and just hang at home.

 Nana had other ideas! She invited us to lunch at our favorite Sushi place and then go see the Lion King!  How FUN!

  When we got home, daddy made us a nice dinner and had us put our feet up.  Being the birthday girls can be so exhausting! ;)
 
 He made us Tijuana Torte and for dessert, my favorite, angel food cake, fresh strawberries and homemade vanilla whipped cream.  YUM!

Tijauna Torte Recipe is found HERE

  Just a few small things to open, party was the main gift.  Press on nails from the salon and a new big girl Bible!

  Happiest of birthdays to my BEST birthday gift EVER, Miss Avery Lyn!

  Avery, you rocked our world with a giant 10+ pound entrance, on the evening of my birthday date with your daddy. He made the nurses get another scale, because he was sure it was broken.

  You couldn't fit in any of the tiny cute newborn clothes I packed you, and your 3 day old photo looks like a 5 month old. What a giant personality you had from the get go!

  It wasn't long, before you threw your first fit at 6 months old and went limp as a noodle in protest of the highchair I was attempting to place you in.

  You shocked us to the core of this thing called parenting we thought we had all figured out....You were sweet as peach tea one moment and as spicy as a red hot chili pepper the next.
It wasn't long until you earned the name lil' Peanut for your tiny stature. 

​  You brought so much sunny happy/stormy clouds into each and every day, and continually kept us rolling with your teeny tiny voice and antics.

  Like the day you sashayed through the kitchen as a toddler, butt naked, while I was making lunch...... I must have looked at you in complete shock.
  "What?" you said, still walking by. And with a shrug, proclaimed in your tiny little high voice - "I need to be naked!"

  Or the time you told us, "I not a baby, momma. I am a toddler who pees her pants!"

  Your very favorite day was planning your "Birfday Pouty!" And I think it still is.....

  Walking around with a clipboard list. Making decor to hang around the house and grocery lists galore for some kind of homemade goodies.

  Sister, you are quite the party planner!

  I love how you love to be in the kitchen! Your kind, sweet spirit and helpful heart blesses me every day. I love how you do life big and sparkly and with such vibrance!
​
  Jesus shines through the twinkle in your eyes and I am so glad and so excited to see all He has in store for His small but MIGHTY lil' Peanut.

  Hope your birthday was as special as you are!
xoxo Mommy