{seven}

our weekend was full of all of the fun stuff a weekend should entail...in my opinion! a weekend is a two day vacation that comes each and every week and even though, in the photography business, my weekends are often scheduled with a shoot or two...it's still a vacation. two days that mean my babies can sleep in and lounge around in their pj's.

hubby will get up before me and i'll pretend not to hear him stir out of bed and softly close the door behind him. i'll hear him gently inform the kids, "mamas still sleeping, shhhh! let mama sleep."

most of the time i'll wait for the plea of my littlest one, becks, "but i want MAAAAAAAMA!"

i'll try to ignore it and roll over on my freshly fluffed pillow, smile plastered to my face as i remind myself how lucky i am to get to stay in bed for these few extra moments. i think the 'not expected' aspect of the extra snoozes make these moments golden. special.

soon after the door closes, i'll hear pots and pans being shuffled and water running. orders being shouted...

"i want mine with only salt, no pepper, daddy!"

"i'll have pancakes, daddy!"

soon, a trickle of guilt will start to display itself to my wanna-be-slumbering brain and i'll get up. i'll get up to a generous showering of goodmorning hugs and kisses. it never gets old and i remember how blessed i am in that moment and i hope that that realization will last throughout the entire day.

peyton has started to divvy her kisses out like a toddler would 'happily' hand out his m&m candy. it's getting annoying.

this weekend however, was different because we celebrated peyton's 7th birthday (a week early) but special and fun just like that girl of ours!

kell, these photos are beautiful! thanks for running around and taking so many! xo

unlike other weekends, i did what any mother does the night before a party, i cleaned, baked, and made miracles happen in record time. i didn't sleep much, but i kept thinking about what would make her smile and that kept me going long after my pregnant body practically begged for a pillow and bed!

but...it was worth the excited voice i heard bright and early the next morning...

"goooooodMORNing everybody!" she sang it and i think my heart skipped a beat. it's no different on christmas morning. it's the not the material gifts, it's the other gifts. the promise of a day that's different from any other day. a day you know will be special no matter what because of the extra people around us. people who love us.

a birthday is concentrated on one person, but we all benefit from it's excitement.

we set the tables with painters cloth that i had from last years party (bought at home depot) and my babysitter and i decided to paint on them in order to save money on buying new themed decor... i love how they turned out and better yet...i can throw them in the wash and they will be a blank canvas all over again!

sarah, thank you for your help sweet girl! you are such an artist.

and all the happiness really begins for the birthday girl when the balloons make their debut!

the little details were not many this year, but they were colorful and made me happy!

we rented a waterslide this year because even though the calendar says it's the middle of october, it feels like the middle of june during the day but saturday was perfect. it was the perfect blend of breeze and sun...

and the friends showed up to help celebrate!

they splashed, waded, and slid.

we watched closely, laughed, and ate! to keep costs down, i came up with a super simple menu of noshes. for the adults i made ina's pumpkin cupcakes because apparently i can't get enough, and neither can peyton and for the kids, i made strawberry cupcakes with pink cream cheese frosting.

the kids ate pizza that i ordered out and the parents ate a fall inspired salad that i pieced together from several different recipes i was looking at for inspiration! the recipe is here and it is SOOOO good! we've been eating it for days now!

fall salad

i used a bunch of romaine and one head of iceberg lettuce. not two of my faves, but it's what i had on hand because i forgot, yup, forgot to purchase items for this salad before the birthday. i call it a pregnancy related accident.

i washed, dried and chopped the salad! i then added to the top, a cup of dried cherries ( cranberries would be perfect),

a cup of toasted and chopped walnuts (throw them in a pan and toast. watch that they do not burn bc they are pricey. i would hate to lose any and i speak from experience;)

and three diced up pears...the pears are the best part!

i served this salad with a side of blue cheese crumbles and dressing on the side! soooo good.

for the dressing:

6 tablespoons of apple-cider vinegar

6 tablespoons of orange juice

2 tablespoons of dijon mustard

3-4 tablespoons grade b pure maple syrup

salt and pepper

2/3 cup olive oil

whisk all ingredients together. dressing.

i had a little trouble with the dressing, so i just started adding an extra bit of this and that. i'm going by memory, so just be sure to try this as you go. i think salad dressing is one of the easiest things to 'fix!'

scurrying around was fun, but loving on the birthday girl, when she would stop long enough to let me, took the cake!

when it was time for everyone to leave, peyton wasn't ready, but she opened her goodies and the excitement began again, but my favorite moment was this because they are not always this nice to one another,

it went something like this:

"peyton, peyton open this one. it's from me. you are gonna be so so surprised. so surprised. i got it for you. i bought it at target! you are going to love it. it's from me. i picked it for you!"

period. the pride on his face and the happiness on hers!

"how did you know i wanted that, beckham?"

"i just did!"

happy birthday to our sweet girl! you have such a beautiful sensitivity about you. you are caring and loving, smart and analytical. we love everything about you and enjoy learning about the person you are and the woman you will one day be.

we feel so lucky to be your mommy and daddy and know that the coming years will be more special because that 'peyton' flair you bring! we love you. we like you. we are always here for you.

xoxoxo

***

and my other baby is kicking me and since i want to put my feet up and relish every flutter, i am off...

to enjoy this little 20 week bundle of love. no, we don't know what we are having because we want to be surprised!

what we do know is that it's healthy and that's all that i needed to hear!

happy fall evenings.

xoxoxo