#2 turns 9!

Today is Baby Girl #2's birthday.  We kind of celebrated all weekend long with her.  Or more correctly, she's gotten pampered all weekend.  And she has taken full advantage of it!

Friday we went to Chuck E. Cheese.  I'm sure you remember that that is one of my least favorite places to go.  We thought there was another pizza place that had games in it here, but when we looked it up online there were no games.  So Chuck E. Cheese it was.  Fun was had by all the girls.  Although I think #1 is getting why I don't like it.  She told us that she was disappointed because the games there don't give out hardly any tickets.  Exactly! 

This is what $30 in tokens will get you!

 Anyway, after Chuck E. Cheese we took them to get an ice cream cone.  Baskin Robbins has some of the same flavors now that they did when I was a kid.  Anyone else remember the bubble gum ice cream that had actual bubble gum pieces in it?  Seriously, who thought that was a good idea?  The girls enjoy me telling them what flavors I used to get.

For dinner we had nachos, #2's request for the night.  We also had red velvet cupcakes, also the request of #2.  Want to know my Mommy fail moment of the night?  When I went to put candles on one of the cupcakes I realized that I only had 8.  She turned 9.  Kind of defeats the purpose of having candles if you don't have the right amount. My solution?  Hubby held a lit match up next to the cupcake as we walked it out singing.  It counts, right?  I think it is safe to say that we were done with junk food for the rest of the weekend.

Early in the week last week I got online with #2 to have her pick out an 18'' doll.  Why she wants one, I don't know, but she did.  We ended up getting one that was exactly what she wanted on Ebay.  It actually came on Friday, but she didn't know it so she didn't open it up until today.  She loves it!

The biggest moment of today was that she got to get her ears pierced.  #1 got her ears pierced the first time when she was 8.  Turns out her ears are very sensitive and they got infected a couple of times and we had to let them grow back in.  She got them pierced again at 9 and has done much better with them. Unfortunately for #2, that experience taught me that 9 might be a better age to get the ears pierced than 8, so #2 had to wait until this year.  She's been talking about it since her last birthday.  She was excited all day today, but as we got closer to actually getting it done she got more and more nervous.  I took her to dinner with just the two of us first, thinking that after she got it done she wouldn't feel like eating.  In retrospect, I probably should have taken her to eat afterward.  She was so nervous before hand that she could hardly eat anything.  Even when the staff made her a birthday treat, she just couldn't eat.

They made a really cute little palm tree out of bananas and kiwis

 But she did very well getting them done.  She cried a little, which is totally OK.  But now she is feeling fine, and loving her earrings.  She feels so grown up and special. 

Look close, they're there!

 I'm just amazed that it was 9 years ago that she was born.  She was so unexpected and arrived at a difficult time in our lives, but we are truly blessed to have her as our daughter.  She is so much like me in so many ways, which is great for the rest of the world, but it drives me a little nuts.  She has the best laugh and biggest heart.  She loves to think she is so grown up, but she still loves to play with her little sisters.  She creates songs and plays that are beyond impressive.  I can't wait to see what the coming years with her brings.  I don't know what they'll hold, but I can guarantee they'll be a blast!