We let Vinny open her birthday presents a day early. She knew what Mom & Dad were getting her and was anxious to give it a try. It was an early morning since we had to get ready for church. That is why the kids look a little sleepy.
Opening our gift.
Not a great shot. We got her a hair straightener. Not just any straightener, the top rated one!
Her Uncle Sam bought her an Artists Model.
The boys and Maddy gave her a beautiful lace shirt.
The next day, she had a very early morning surprise...
She was still asleep and not very happy to have someone jump on her at 8:00 am.
Until she realized it was her best friend Allison who now lives in Charleston. When Allison found out the night before that she would be able to spend the day with us, she thought it would be fun to plan a surprise party for Vinny. We started planning at 6:00 pm on Sunday night.
The next day, Vinny, Allison and I made sugar cookies. Allison and I knew that at 1 her friends would arrive and we would decorate them. Vinny was clueless.
The girls had fun with flour. Did I mention we made these cookies from scratch? I found the recipe on Pinterest, my new favorite website. When the cookies were finished, we "realized" we forgot something at the store. This gave her friends a chance to arrive and hide.
She was totally surprised! All six girls we invited were able to make it.
We had around 3 dozen cookies. I was surprised when the kids each decorated only one cookie, at it and then decided they were done.
I wanted to get a good picture of the group before it got to cold or rainy so we went out to our photo tree.
Vinny, Allie, Katherine, Heather, Abigayle, Allison and Raven.
Then it was present time.
I told the girls not to worry about presents since the party was such short notice. They did not listen.
Excited about some money. She also received candy, a book mark, and a gift card.
Then they went upstairs to shoot some pool.
Her favorite present arrived Monday night.
Anna is home for Christmas break from Marquette University and our sweet Leah brought her over.
Later that evening, we had some cake.
Making a wish! It was a great day and a fabulous birthday! I feel old. I no longer have any children who are not teenagers. In five months I will have a 20 year old.
Merry Christmas to my few readers! I hope you have a wonderful holiday!
You are so creative, Shaun. I'm impressed with how involved you are with seeing that your teens expand their lives and enjoy it to the fullest. Nice!
Posted by: Anna Paddock | December 23, 2011 at 07:30 AM