brookie's birthday

I can hardly believe that we have a 9 year old in the house!  We let her open her gifts the night before her birthday so she wouldn't have to wait all day on her actual birthday :) Colby gave her a cute Chelsea doll that was dressed like a pilot. 

She was also really excited about the Nail Art kit we gave her. 

Last night as an 8 year old!! She was so excited for her birthday and it shows in that cute face! 

She also loves her nighttime snuggles and I can just picture her as a 3 year old snuggling her daddy.

She requested breakfast in bed (a leftover Einstein's bagel instead of her usual waffle and cream), followed by nail time and tennis by the pool. 

She originally wanted pool time with the Hawkins for the afternoon, but when they stopped by with Crumbl cookies, Brooke quickly changed her mind and wanted a play date instead.  They filled the next few hours with Barbies, American Girls, water balloons on the trampoline, and snow cones.

We threw Brooke a little party a few days after her birthday and she was SUPER involved in every step of the planning.  She wanted to eat pizza, play group games, watch Stargirl while eating popcorn, and finish off the night with cookie cake.  Oh, and she wanted everyone to wear pajamas.  My girl knew just what she wanted and although we tried to dissuade her from the movie part, she told us that the party was "even better than she thought it would be."  So, I'll call that a success. 

Brooke even wrote a message on her chalkboard upstairs :)

She was just SO excited about all the little details and the whole party-planning process.  A girl after my own heart!

One picture of her before her guests started arriving...

And a quick family pic + Emery :)

All the girls: Lyla, Kinley, Marlie, Claire, Zalaya, Brooke, Aubrey, Colby, Madison, and Lily & Emery up front.

I love pizza parties because they are super easy...

Kevin made a great server...

Emery was enjoying that ranch dip :)

We played Pictionary and the Parlor Game, which is a combination of Catch Phrase and Charades.

All snuggled up during the movie.  One friend wasn't into the movie and kept disappearing into Brooke's room, but for the most part, the girls seemed to enjoy it. 

They especially loved getting up to dance during the marching band scenes. 

Then it was time for cookie cake and presents...

Brooke was spoiled rotten, but she was super gracious and made sure to hug and thank each of her friends. 

Brooke is so loved by her friends and it was fun to celebrate with them in our home!

As the girls left, Brooke gave them each a sweet friendship bracelet with a tag that said, "Thanks for being my friend!"