Abigail's 9th birthday

I can not believe that my baby girl has turned nine.  Where did the years go?!

Abigail got quite the birthday celebration this year...first she got to celebrate early in Florida, then when we got home, her grandparents McKee came to help us celebrate.

On Friday evening, her friends arrived for her first sleepover birthday party!  She forewarned us that there would be lots of squealing...and there was. :)  All of the girls got along great and we had a really fun time.

We had a purple horse theme for the party.

 

 Celebrating!

 I made her a sleeping bag for her American Girl doll (the tutorial I used is here) and we gave it to her early so that her doll could use it for the sleepover.  Abigail was totally surprised and quite speechless!

Birthday breakfast

After her grandparents and friends left on her birthday afternoon, she opened presents from us.  Here she is with her sundress and matching doll dress (a birthday tradition).

A study in unbridled glee: below is Abigail jumping up and down when she realized that with her American Girl gift cards from us and her great-grandparents, along with birthday money from aunts and uncles and the money she has been saving over the last year, she had enough money to buy her long-awaited new doll!

We headed off to the AG store to get her new friend.  Meet Angela Rachel -- complete with hearing aids and earrings, just like Abigail!

We came home in time for birthday dinner.  This year Abigail requested steak and shrimp (apparently we have moved on from the macaroni and cheese stage...nothing like moving from the basement to the penthouse in one leap!), collard greens, broccoli, and strawberries.

Then it was on to her birthday cake.  She soooo wanted to blow out all candles in one blow.

She did it!

Our family

(My head is oddly warped in this one because my camera does that to anyone who is too close to the edges of the lens.  It's very frustrating when a picture is otherwise a great one.)

We are so very thankful for our sweet, sunny, bright, sparkly, never-give-up girlie-girl!

We love you, Abigail Rose!

Happy 9th birthday!