It's Great to be 8!

Did I really not blog a single thing for the entire month of September?? Ah, well... I'm sure you all survived without me. I don't have much on the news front, other than McKenna turning the magical age of 8! What an exciting time for my girl. In order to fully celebrate this momentous occasion, I confronted my anxiety and threw my daughter her very first, big, friend birthday party. I'm not sure why, but doing stuff like this just about sends me to the nuthouse. Is it really that big of a deal? People throw big birthday parties for their kids all the time, right? Surely I can do it too! So I bought and delivered a little pack of 8 invitations so McKenna could invite her favorite friends over to our house for a lateover. Not familiar with the lateover? It's the newest thing to replace the sleepover, and I must say I'm a fan. I could have never hosted an actual sleepover with 8 squealy girls. I barely stayed sane throughout the lateover, to be honest. I have come to the conclusion that little girls are L-O-U-D. Not to mention dramatic. However, despite a few tears shed by several girls and many deep breaths on my part, the party was a success. I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time for at least part of the night. Though for next time, remind me to cut the party's time down by at least an hour. 6:30 - 10:30 pm was a bit much. Alright, enough whining. Time for pictures!



Seriously... cutest girls ever. Just looking at these pictures makes me feel bad for ever having a moment of wanting them to all go home. We really did have a blast and McKenna was in heaven. I may even be willing to do it again... you know, in a few years or so.

I also was able to carry on the recent tradition of bringing lunch to McKenna at school. Again, my friend Amanda joined us for lunch, as her daughter, Savannah, and McKenna share a birthday. What fun this is! I am looking forward to many, many more birthday lunches with Amanda and these cute girls.



When you're a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, turning 8 has a wonderful and great significance. McKenna is officially old enough to be baptized and confirmed a member of the church. Which also means she's now old enough to be held accountable for her choices. For some reason, saying that makes me get all teary and also makes me feel like I've just aged a great amount in a short time. I can't believe I have a daughter old enough to have to repent when she makes a bad decision. *sniff* Ok... drying my eyes and moving on.

Have I mentioned that having large groups of people at my house scares the living crap out of me? For this reason, I was absolutely terrified for her baptism to come. But the day did indeed come, and you know what? It was wonderful! The preparation, the baptism, the confirmation, the open house... all of it was just wonderful. What an amazing day! And all thanks to my family who deserves a HUGE shout-out for being there for me during the time of my panic. My mom was amazing, helping me buy food, making delicious salads and desserts, and for her and my dad doing just about all of the set up. My brother Lynn and his super-wife, Vicki, and even their older kids stepped up and helped prepare and set out all the food (not to mention the super yummy treats they made). And my Aunt Marie, in addition to also bringing fabulous treats, was busy getting all the food in the kitchen ready while I still stood there with my head spinning trying to figure out what to do first. Lots of love and thanks to all for making the day so special.

As if my amazing family and the friends who shared the experience with us wasn't enough to make the day unforgettable, McKenna was so lucky to share her baptism day with one of her best friends, the previously mentioned Savannah (who has made many, many other appearances on this blog of mine). It was just the two of them and we were able to share the room during all the talks, baptisms, and confirmations. Even though I'm not very familiar with all of the Packers' extended family, I felt I was. The feeling in the room was incredible, and I didn't feel like we were two separate families. Forgive my moment of sappy cheesiness, but I really did feel like we were all just one big family sharing this incredible experience together. I think I got just as choked up watching Savannah be baptized as I did with McKenna. I'm so grateful that, if I had to share this moment with another family, I got to share it with the Packers. Ok, again... I'm done blubbering.

It really is great to be eight! Who knew I could keep a kid alive this long? We love you so much McKenna!