Happy Birthday Gretchen!

Our sweet Gretchen Ruth turned SEVEN this month!  We adore our beautiful red-head.  She is thoughtful, kind, dramatic, smart, fast, friendly, stubborn, artistic, sensitive, and social.  

When we moved this summer, Gretchen was especially sad to leave her special friend next door.  We talked about the hope of making new friends and prayed, asking God for friends in our new home in time to have a birthday party for her and Rooke (birthday coming up in a couple weeks!).  Goodness, has God answered that prayer above and beyond what we expected!  It was so fun to plan a birthday party for sweet friends to help us celebrate our precious girl.  

Gretchen chose a neapolitan chocolate chip cookie cake.  We served it with neapolitan ice cream! =)

She wanted to do a painting party with her friends and helped get the table just right before everyone arrived.

Playing a fun drawing game called Faces that kept these cute girls giggling!

Ryan got home just in time to help with the painting project.  In the living room.  With ten little girls.  Oh my!

On her actual birthday, a few days after the party, Gretchen requested banana pancakes and bacon for breakfast.  We couldn't wait for her to open her presents, including fun packages from family far away!  Her siblings were especially excited for her to receive a dress they knew she would LOVE!

We had a special birthday lunch (Aunt Pam's chicken and gnocchi recipe), with more neapolitan ice cream, and then headed to the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage for a handbell choir performance!

our birthday girl looking all grown up as we walked down the Hall of Nations.  

Bridgette snuggled with Daddy for the performance.  

We love our seven-year-old Gretchen!