A Witch Birthday

Rachel decided early on that she wanted a witch birthday for this year.  It was really fun to do a birthday/Halloween party.

For breakfast on her her actual birthday we had our own Bubblin' Brew Restaurant because she loves to play restaurant.  I made a menu complete with food options, coloring, and a maze.   She took over from there and made the French toast.

I made a last minute decision to surprise her and check her out of school for an hour.  I wanted to just take her to a nearby park with her lunch but her lunch hour is early, so we did ice cream instead.  She loved choosing her flavor and all the toppings...mint ice cream with oreos and coconut.

 Her melted witch cake, which she loved

 She got an alarm clock, she has been wanting one for a really long time.

 Some fun gifts from Grandma (I think she's finished all the books too)

For her party we invited 7 of her friends from the neighborhood, school, and church.  Her friends arrived with the witch's brew already brewing.  It was NOT easy to find dry ice, but I'm glad I did.  It was a fun effect and the kids really liked it.

 We did lots of games...scavenger hunts, relay races, pin the tail on the cat, etc. 

The biggest "hit" was the pinata!! (How sad is it that she came without her hat...it was the second time this month that I ordered something online and it showed up wrong)

And of course the treats!  Can't take credit for any of these...they're all pinterest :)

 All the witches

Rachel's big present this year was a trip to the American Girl Store to eat brunch in their Cafe.  She brought her doll "Amy" and was really playful with her and made the whole experience so fun!

We then scooted up to Central Park and let her climb the rocks to her hearts content.  We came upon this fantastic playground.

As she was swinging she was saying, "I love this day...this is the best day ever!!"  Jake and I loved watching her skip around and realizing even though she'd getting older she's still our little girl.  We love her so much!

 On our way home we passed this beautiful site.  Rachel's favorite season is fall.

Rachel is enjoying the school part of second grade (struggling a little bit with a friendship trio).  She is continuing with piano and doing really well.  She has started a lyrical class, which is a mix between jazz and ballet, and seems to be liking that as well.  If she does have free time, outside of activities and homework she is playing outside with her friends, being silly with Tommy, or sitting down at a table with a crayon, pen, or marker to color or write stories or poems.  She loves to read and sometimes comes out of her room relatively late feeling bad because she just couldn't put it down.  She is excited to be baptized in just one year!