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Eight is Great! A Birthday Recap

I’m not sure how we got here so quickly, but last week we celebrated Emma’s eighth birthday.  Wow!  It surprised me how emotional it was for me.  I mean, eight seems so much less little kid, and more young lady to me.



We had a lot of fun surprises planned for Emma for her birthday, the first of which was Matt taking the day off from work.  


Several weeks ago we realized a big birthday party would not be in the cards this year.  Instead, I thought that it would be a lot of fun if we created a little scavenger hunt for Emma to go on.  We would write clues and she could follow them to each new surprise throughout the day.


Little did I know how excited the kids would be about a scavenger hunt.  You can watch our video here – 




The first big surprise was going out to breakfast.  My mom also surprised Emma at the restaurant with balloons, and came in with all the wait staff singing happy birthday.  I had a hard time not tearing up at this point – Emma was so happy!



From breakfast we went to the pool at a local spa.  The kids had a great time, and I was happy that no one was in the pool – benefits of going in the middle of the week while school is still in session!  After the pool, I took Emma to get her first pedicure.  She has been talking about it for months, and it was really special for me to be able to have some one on one time with her while she had her toes painted.



We returned home for Lucy to take a nap and to have cake and ice cream as well as open a couple presents.  Her final search for a clue led her down the street to my mom’s, where she found out we would be taking her to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  The main purpose was that she wanted to sit on the saddle – we had never been, but she had heard about it from her friends.

Overall, it was an amazing birthday!  We all had a great time, and were exhausted by the end of the day.  In fact, that continued into the next day, where Emma took a nap.  She hasn’t taken a nap in quite a while, so it was fun to see that I really wore her out the day before.

We did end up having some of Emma and Jack’s friends over on Saturday, but the kids mainly played outside, we had PB&J for lunch, and then Matt took them to the park to run off their energy.  It was a perfect few days!

What is your favorite childhood birthday memory?  Did you always have a party?  

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  1. Wow Di says

    May 19, 2016 at 9:54 pm

    Sounds like a fun birthday! Love that it was all a surprise and a fun scavenger hunt! SOunds like it was full of everything she really wanted.

    Reply
  2. Eileen Kelly says

    May 19, 2016 at 3:30 am

    Happy Birthday to your beautiful daughter. What a wonderful day you all had together. When my youngest turned 10, was the most emotional for me. I cried, 🙂 loved having her small. She just turned 12, was worse for me than 10. I love that you had a pedicure together such fun

    Reply
  3. Elizabeth says

    May 18, 2016 at 7:45 pm

    What a memorable birthday! Loved reading of all the great surprises and the ways she truly was made to feel so special. I can't believe she's 8 either though! Time flies and she's growing into such an incredible little lady. I have great memories of beauty shop time with my mama, so I can imagine that pedicure was a fun experience 🙂

    Reply
  4. Lauren G says

    May 18, 2016 at 4:21 pm

    What a wonderful birthday! I live doing scavenger hunts, hope she had fun 🙂

    Reply
  5. Cara W says

    May 18, 2016 at 4:05 pm

    Aww she is adorable! Looks like she had a really busy 8th birthday! I remember my gift to my daughter is a digitally created scrapbook from first to eighth of her years. The book was pretty big (over 400 pages) but I really enjoyed putting it together.

    Reply
  6. the girl in the red shoes says

    May 18, 2016 at 1:09 pm

    Awww happy birthday! What a special day for your sweet girl!

    Reply
  7. Kiwi says

    May 18, 2016 at 7:39 am

    Aw she will always remember this celebration! I love the pedi day too!

    Reply
  8. Kirsten says

    May 18, 2016 at 5:22 am

    I think that birthdays like these mean so much more than a party ever will. Spending time with those you love and making the day special is what it is all about. I only ever had a few parties, but what I remember most is being with those I love. Such fun ideas! Thanks!

    Reply
  9. Louise Bishop says

    May 18, 2016 at 2:48 am

    My birthday is the day after Christmas so I only had one birthday party when I was a child and we had it in May. My children, however, have made birthday celebrations a big deal even now that they are grown. It's a great way to show them how special they are.

    Reply
  10. tiarastantrums says

    May 18, 2016 at 12:26 am

    I really didn't get to celebrate birthdays when I was growing up – my parents did believe in the hoopla of birthday parties. BUT, I totally do it up for my own kiddos!

    Reply
  11. Rachel Langer says

    May 17, 2016 at 11:48 pm

    We stopped doing large 'friend parties' after like our 3rd one. So expensive and so much work and honestly – days like you had are appreciated so much more by the kids! This looks like it was the best day ever!!!

    Reply
  12. Wendy says

    May 17, 2016 at 11:40 pm

    Looks like a perfect birthday! I can't wait until my daughter is big enough for a pedicure.

    Reply
  13. Tanya @ Moms Small Victories says

    May 17, 2016 at 11:16 pm

    Aw, I am more amazed everyday at how quickly time has passed since I became a mom. My middle son is about your daughters age. How sweet your mom came to surprise her! A memorable birthday indeed!

    Reply
  14. Tanya @ Moms Small Victories says

    May 17, 2016 at 11:14 pm

    Aw, I am more amazed everyday at how quickly time has passed since I became a mom. My middle son is about your daughters age. How sweet your mom came to surprise her! A memorable birthday indeed!

    Reply
  15. ana de jesus says

    May 17, 2016 at 10:31 pm

    Aw happy 8th birthday Emma. Glad you had a good day and was pampered by having a pedicure!

    Reply
  16. Jessica @ Barefoot by the Sea says

    May 17, 2016 at 9:27 pm

    I LOVED seeing her excitement and joy! Looked like a fantastic birthday! Very special!

    Reply
  17. A Busy Bees Life says

    May 17, 2016 at 8:50 pm

    This is so cute, a first pedicure – nice! Looks like she had a great birthday!

    Reply
  18. Kait says

    May 17, 2016 at 6:44 pm

    How sweet! I love the scavenger hunt idea — and that your mom showed up with balloons is just adorable 🙂 Happy Birthday Emma!

    Reply
  19. Vicky @ Mess For Less says

    May 17, 2016 at 5:15 pm

    My twins turn 8 this summer. Glad it looks like so much fun. I bet she loved the pampering!

    Reply
  20. Masshole Mommy says

    May 17, 2016 at 4:15 pm

    It sure sounds like she had a lovely birthday! My youngest is 8 and I absolutely adore this age!

    Reply

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