Is it Friday yet?

What a week of excitement. Tuesday was the first day of school. This is beginning to be old hat for the girls. No anxiety, just back to business.





Then, of course, yesterday was Kennedy's birthday. How can I be old enough to have a 9 year old fourth grader? My first baby is now the eldest of five and wears deodorant. Kennedy has always been eager to please and a bit of a perfectionist. She is a fantastic big sister, helping me out in lots of ways. She's always running off to retrieve a younger sibling who is trying to run away. She isn't always thrilled to have to do it-AGAIN-but she does it anyway. And sometimes she just does it happily. I'm so grateful to be blessed with such a sweet, beautiful child.

Kennedy's birthday dinner request- penne pasta with roasted red pepper alfredo (from a jar- easy!), canned corn (easy!), grape soda, and homemade bread.

For her cake, Kennedy just wanted chocolate chocolate chocolate. So we used a recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, Best-Ever Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting. Very yummy and definitely chocolaty.



Kennedy has been asking for a guitar for her birthday and Christmas for several years now. We figured it was time to get one for her.



My pictures are pretty dark. My camera survived the fall in the brook but the flash died in the tragedy. A moment of silence.