I make a big deal about my kids' birthdays because I'm celebrating how special they are and how magical the day that they entered this world was for me. It just makes my Momma heart proud to see the excitement on their faces with the decorations and the cake; I guess that somehow I hope that that excitement mirrors the thrill that I had the second that they were placed into my arms at the hospital. Each of the births of my children were special to me and that's why I make sure that their birthday celebrations are special to them.
I started the tradition three years ago that I ALWAYS make their birthday cakes myself. I try to be as creative as I can and Steve understands how important this task is to me. While the girls might now always remember these younger birthdays, they will always have pictures to look back on and know that their momma prided herself on giving them the prettiest cakes that she could!
In honor of the cowgirl birthday party, I made a cowgirl boot cake for Sam. I simply baked a 9x13 cake and then free-hand cut it into the shape of a boot and then decorated it. She loved it!
The "Sweet Saloon:"
The inspiration for the party came from the cowgirl hat and boots that Sam first received from her Daddy a year ago. I framed the original picture of her wearing her cowgirl hat for the first time and used it as one of the decorations.
We invited some friends of ours that have two little girls, Anna and Isabella. Anna is exactly one month younger than Sam, and Isabella is exactly one month younger than Sophia. Weird, huh? For each of the girls (mine included), I fixed up some goodie bags with appropriate cowgirl items like a bandana, some cowgirl stickers, My Little Pony fruit snacks, horse bubbles and a stuffed pony. The girls each got their own cowgirl hat to wear.
My little cowgirls:
Posing with their cowgirl hats:
After a delicious BBQ dinner (Steve made smoked pulled pork for sandwiches and my mom made some fabulous macaroni salad and applesauce), we let Sam open her presents in the living room. She had three little helpers (Anna, Isabella and Sophia) and we didn't mind one bit. They did a wonderful job of helping her ...
The incredible play mat that Aunt Chele got for Sam so that her horses would have a pasture to play on:
In complete awe:
Everyone was in on the action:
Her Snow White doll from Aunt Deb:
Sam's new winter coat from Grammy and Papa:
Belle and her horse, a gift from Uncle Z:
Even Sophia received a couple of gifts to open so that she wouldn't feel left out:
After opening gifts (and after our stomachs had settled from dinner), we migrated to the dining room for cake and ice cream.
The birthday girl:
Her sister was checking things out from her near-by location:
Waiting patiently while we all sang "Happy Birthday" to her:
After cake and ice cream, the girls took turns pulling the strings on a horseshoe pinata. This was something that Samantha requested that she wanted for her birthday party after doing one in her preschool class for Halloween.
The pinata:
Taking turns:
Scooping up their candy:
Even after the pinata event was over, Sophia was still organizing her candy!
We finished the evening off with some fireworks out in the front yard. I'm not a huge fan of them, but Steve and the girls really enjoyed them!
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The birthday festivites will continue around here through Monday. On her actual birthday, Samantha will be taking some treats to school for her friends and then we are planning to go to dinner after Steve gets home from work. We let Sam choose where she wanted to go (even though I was pretty sure that I knew the answer already), and she chose to go to Old Chicago for pizza. After that, we will head back home so that she can open her gifts from Sophia and Steve and me. What a way to celebrate!
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