Happy 6th Birthday, Audrey!

'Tis the season of birthdays around our house!  This week Audrey turned six--a big deal for her since it indicates many changes:

1. She is actually physically bigger.  All of a sudden.
2. She has passed the point of being legally required to use a car seat.
3. She has decided to relegate her blankie to bedroom use only.
4. She has been initiated into the world of hair straightening procedures.
5. She had a friend [cousin] spend the night for the first time ever.
6. She has become the first--and only--of our children to have a bounce house for their party.

Her best friend [cousin] has very straight hair, which made Audrey want to turn her very curly hair into very straight hair.  It worked well, although her hair wasn't convinced it should remain straight for too long.  Good thing I took a picture quickly!  It's amazing how much longer her hair looks when it is straight.

Audrey had a barbecue/pool/bounce house birthday party two days before her actual birthday.  What do you think was barbecued?  Ribs, of course!

When I asked Audrey what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday, she knew immediately.  She described the Claim Jumper Seven Layer Cake, but with chocolate dipped strawberries instead of nuts. There was no way on earth I was going to buy a 7-layer cake for $110 that serves 40 people!  So I made a Mel-o-Version instead.  Three layers is plenty, thankyouverymuch.

Blowing out the candles:

Melinda created a couple of games for the kids to play, including her very own tape-the-tail-on-the-donkey.  What a great little hostess Melinda is!

Opening gifts:

What a joy Audrey is to have!  We love you!