Chandler's 5th Birthday

Chandler Alexis is 5!!

And to get her birthday started off in the right direction this year, 

Gigie and Aunt Babs came down for a visit!

They brought gifts, hugs, smiles and laughter!

Next up, we took Chandler to the nail salon to do one of her FAVORITE things before her ACTUAL birthday.

She got to sit in the princess chair and have her toenails painted.

On her ACTUAL birthday, we attended a function with our lifegroup from church out at one of their ranches.  The day was spent swimming, grilling out, fishing, and feeding horses.

But they included a special surprise for Chandler a couple of her birthday twins at the end of the day.

They had this cake made for them and we all sang them happy birthday!!

That night, Mimi came in town to help us celebrate.  She got to open her gift from Mimi...

And Mommy and Daddy!

Then the next day was PARTY DAY!!

We got all fixed up in our My Little Pony Attire, complete with My Little Pony colorful "extensions", just in time for our company to arrive.  We put a little make-up on everyone, then headed to Build-A-Bear!!

I feel like it took me a while to "get" this, but Chandler seems to enjoy just having her few little "besties" with her rather than having a huge crowd.  So we made sure to plan a day they were all available.  Right now, Samantha, Ellery and Peyton are her favorite friends in the world!

Aren't they the CUTEST!!

And they were the most well-behaved girly girls that have ever existed.

The host kept trying to get them to be loud and wild and crazy with ZERO success!

They all got to pick out their own "pet" and then went through a series of things to make this new pet extra special and loved.

After they stuffed and groomed their new pets, they got to take them to the "dressing room" to pick out some new clothes for their pet.

Then they all sang to the birthday girl before we left.

And I mean, seriously????  Could they BE any cuter?

After Build-A-Bear, we went to Brooklyn's Pizza for some lunch, presents and cupcakes.

Her friends all know her so well.  Peyton got her some crazy cute new PJs.

Ellery got her a GIANT box of art & craft supplies.

And Samantha got her these awesome fingerpaints and tiny stuffed unicorn.

Again, most calm and well-behaved group ever as they scared down an insane amount of pizza...

And then it was time for the cake!

After we sang Happy Birthday, it was time to head home.  It was a happy birthday indeed!

Oh, Chandler Alexis Nalley!  When you were a baby, I remember describing you as charming, chatty and calm.  Sometimes it's crazy how early a personality can be revealed, because those are EXACTLY the words I would use to describe you today.  Only I would add caring and nurturing.  You make friends so easily, whether we are standing in line at a grocery store or at a summer camp where you don't know a soul.  You are not afraid to walk into an environment where you don't know anyone and I'm never nervous about leaving you because you are very good with your words and will sweetly let an adult know if there is a problem and I know how quickly you make friends!  You love to laugh and tell stories.  You have a vivid imagination and play well with children older than you as well as little ones...like your brother.  And you LOVE babies!  You are an early riser.  I often wake up to a kiss on my cheek and then you will rub my back or pat me until I'm awake enough to talk.  You are very easy-going!  You are happy to switch places, share with others, or do whatever needs to be done to make a situation peaceful.  This has always been your nature and a rare quality to find in a child.  I'm so happy that God made you mine!!

Happy 5th birthday, precious girl!!

Brooklyn's 7th Birthday

Brooklyn's 7th Birthday

A Sweet and Sassy Princess Party

Brooklyn had been planning this party since she turned 6 and could NOT be talked into anything else.

And she LOVED every minute of it.  They did an amazing job on her hair.

(I've tried to duplicate this many times since the party without any luck.)

She loved getting to pick out just the dress that she would wear, loved getting her nails done

getting her make-up done and face painted.

She thought it was so fabulous to have almost all of her besties together with her in one place.

You could tell by the way her eyes were lit up that this was the exact party she had been dreaming of in her head for the past year.

After they were all fixed up, we took a group pic

then got started on a little dance party.

Big fun! 

(And Chan was having way more fun than it looks like in this pic.)

We were NOT prepared for what happened next.  They put a microphone in her hand and played every girl's favorite song...Let it Go.  Brooklyn has struggled so much with self-confidence and so this was a terrifying moment for us both.  It made her so nervous and she looked like she was just about to cry, which totally broke my heart.  No tears at your own party!!

She finally started to sing just a little and all of the parents that were there started clapping and cheering her on.  This child LIVES for praise and immediately started to light back up.

You could just see her gaining confidence right there on the stage and she started singing louder and smiling and having fun.  It was such a moment to behold.  The only tears that flowed after that were mine!  I was so proud of her for keeping it together, facing her fears and fighting through it!

Next was the fashion show.  This was the thing she had been looking forward to most about the party!

And she nailed it!

Thank you to all of these precious friends that came and helped make it so special for her!

Next up, was cake time!!

Again, she had such an opinion about this.  We've done cute homemade cupcakes with homemade butter cream frosting every year in a cupcake stand with cupcake topper.

This year, she just wanted a cookie cake to match her invitation that she had helped pick out.

And it turned out exactly like she wanted. 

And made life SO easy on me! 

 (Well, and my mom that usually makes the cupcakes.)

Such a fun party and here is 1 last shot of Chandler looking stunning...

And the beautiful birthday girl herself!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Brooklyn!!

Brooklyn, you are absolutely one of a kind!  Your pretty blue eyes see things in this world in such a unique, pure and honest way.  I love to hear you describe things, people and events.  You try so hard at everything you do.  You are very athletic, strong (can do 50 push-ups!) and run very fast.  You are so kind to others.  I have NEVER heard you say an unkind thing to a friend...I'm not even sure your capable of it.  You are a ridiculously good speller.  It comes so easy for you.  You are the BEST big sister!  You and Chandler are best of friends and I'm praying you always stay that way.  You 2 play together for HOURS and get along 90% of the time.  And you are so sweet to Gibson.  You are awesome at coming up with things and activities to entertain him.  You are an awesome daughter.  You are such a good helper to me and are so cooperative the majority of the time.  You are such a joy!

You love wearing dresses and getting dressed up; doing cartwheels; Tyson frozen chicken nuggets and Diet Coke; being silly; watching American Ninja Warrior and attempting obstacle courses; riding your bike; going to see movies; snuggling; laughing; riding in other's cars; babies.  You are an excellent swimmer and like to do front flips into the water.  You are a bit of a daredevil.  You are also good at soccer and dance.  God has really gotten ahold of your heart and you have so many questions about what it means to become a Christian.  It is evident that he is working in your life.

It has been an honor to get to spend these past 6 years with you and we look forward to seeing what all age 7 has in store for us.  We love you!