liza turns 7!

 as with allllll holidays....liza had been counting down the day till her birthday for months! it was finally here! yippee! on Friday, Jason and I went and ate lunch with her at school and I went to her class to help her pass out white books for all of her class mates. they are these blank books that everyone can make their own story in. she loves them and I had them growing up so my mom bought them for her class! she felt so special passing them out to everyone! :)
i had been in a meeting in dallas all week so Claire and karis had done very special birthday festivities with her everyday so she was feeling extra loved already! :)
sat we woke up and it was extra rainy so NO SOCCER! this was music to my ears! liza opened some gifts..she got the playmobil she wanted and then she opened a letter from mickey saying they were going to Disney! i don't think they REALLY understood. hahaha.

this child. her heart is enormous. I think about the things that identify her at 7. it is funny because it is so much of the same stuff that she was at 12months, two, three, four, five and six. how can that be. I am amazed at human life and how these little souls and people are built and grow. I am blessed and I am grateful. they all three teach me things everyday. they are teachers, these little souls.
so this one teaches me about emotions and giving and loving and celebrating life everyday.
she still LOVES grasshoppers and bugs and butterflies. we can't walk around the block without her jumping off her scooter and grabbing a cricket with as much gusto as a wild animal hunter.
she loves all animals and adores dogs. if any of our neighbor friends are out with their dogs she immediately runs to pet, wrestle, and love on every inch of them. she loves lula even though lula isn't the nicest to her and doesn't want the attention liza is offering. ;)
she is still obsessed with ALL of her stuffed animals. she sleeps with about 100 every night. they all talk to each other or get their hair brushed.
she thinks of others.
she adores her friendships and always thinks about them with a kind heart.
she is funny. really funny.
she remembers everything you've ever said and listens to every word we say so we have to be careful with our words. she is soaking it all in.
she still has trouble sleeping so she comes in our bed a lot.
I think I did that too when I was her age.
my 7 year old self needs to remind me to give her slack on this.
sometimes you just need someone next to you.
she is imaginative and is constantly writing stories on any paper she can find.
if I go in her room in the morning I am usually finding notebooks she has hidden in her bed with elaborate stories drawn with characters and dialogue.
she dreams out the details. she knows how she wants her birthday to look or how the pumpkins will be decorated.
she hugs. she is one of the best huggers I know.
she has no reservations and will run and give anyone a big tight bear hug whether you are 6 ft tall or 3 ft tall.
there is not one day that I know of that she has not opened her eyes in the morning with excitement and content with her day.
"it's a beautiful day, coco!"
she will always share her heart. that is my dream for her. 

 we headed to sarah Wesley's bday party then chloe came over to play and to stay the night! our first ever spin the night guest. liza was soooo excited! we went to cucke cheese for dinner then came home to play!

the next day coco and cricket came in town to celebrate! we went over for brunch and presents and then they helped with the bday party!

liza always has very specific ideas for what she has in mind for her bday party.
she wanted it at Nadine baum studios. they had not done a party before so we worked with them on what to do..liza very specifically wanted dog clay sculptures that would be fired in the kiln.
so that is what we did!
they said it would have to be a small group so we just did girls from dance and class and they were so good during the art!

 we had a lil hiccup with the cake on the way there.
a little history on the cake:
liza had originally wanted a cookie cake and then the day before i left for dallas changed her mind to a "2 story" cake. she begged and pleaded and said this was her dream cake and only thing she wanted.
she described for hours how she wanted it to look..
paint splatters but not splattered, paint drips but nt dripping...specifically paint splats. and specific colors.
so we went to pick it up on sat and she screamed with delight! just what she wanted!!!!!
it was chaotic as usual packing the car to get to the party.

i got in and asked Jason where the cake was because i was going to carry it on my lap.
J: it is in the trunk
k: are you sure it is secure? i was just going to carry it
j: yesssssssssss kate. it is secure
we back out of the driveway.
k: are you sure? because i would hate for it to fall over, i can just get it and hold it. that way we know.
j: kate, it is fine.
we drive down the road.
K: are you sure. i mean totally sure it is secure. because liza has thought so much about this cake i just don't want it messed up for her.. you would feel AWFUL if it dumped over so if you have no doubt in your mind that it is secure then keep driving but if you have the slightest doubt then pull over so i can get it that way you won't feel like CRAP if it gets messed up.
J: well ok, now you are making me doubt it
k: pull over.
i opened the trunk to find it completely tipped over on its side because he had set it sitting ON THE CAKE STAND in the trunk of the car.
JASONNNNNNNNNNNNN!
so liza starts crying and saying i can't believe you ruined my cake dadddddddddddddddddddddddd!
i had to roll the window down and do a lot of not talking so i could choose my words wisely.
laughable now but TOTALLY annoying at the moment
hahahaha.

 coco and cricket came to the rescue. they drove down for the day to love on us and celebrate liza!.
they always know when we need help the most!
I am certain my love language would be having help with my children. there is no better way to tell me you love me! haha!
i think i might have done a tight hold on Jason's neck if they wouldn't have been there that day! hahaha (just kidding Jason ;) )
i think i was on my 5th consecutive night of not sleeping from being out of town and sick and kiddos so i was exhausted. my parents took the kiddos and helped me set up and fed us brunch and made dinner for us to have that night. stocked our fridge with fruit and loved on us and showered the kids with love and made McCoy feel special on liza's day.
i hope and pray that i am that in tuned to my children and grandchildren and give them my time and attention and love. it is so valuable and i am incredibly grateful for it. they took care of each one of us that day alone in our own special ways that we needed it the most!!!!!