All 20 baby teeth, present and accounted for...

And sure enough, she got off the bus wearing a look of panic, because her tooth suddenly felt funny…

Such a tiny little thing!

And now there’s something missing!

There's a hole in that grin...and she suddenly looks older!

And now the payoff:

Anna in the leaves.

A shower of leaves!

Leaves in her hair...

Leaves, leaves, everywhere!

Which mummy is mine? The cute one!

Then we dashed home, went for a quick piano lesson, and dashed back home to await pizza and friends for trick-or-treating!  We had a good time walking around the neighborhood with Joey & Nikki, and got much farther than we’ve ever gone by ourselves…which translated to a lot of candy!

Don't all mummies wear pink mary janes?!?

Anna Puppy in the library.

And both girls dressed up for dance class this afternoon.  Since their “real” costumes were either too hot or not done yet, we went simple and cool!

Carolyn was a cute black cat:

Kitty Carolyn. Meow!

And Anna was a ballerina bunny:

Ballerina Bunny hopping on the floor...

Today you are 7!  It’s so hard to believe that – I know I say it every year, but I don’t have the slightest idea where the last year has gone…

Not quite raindrops on roses!

It being Monday, you went to school today.  Of course!  And Anna and I brought cupcakes later for you to share.  You created a fabulous poster of your favorite things to share with the class while you were in the “spotlight” during morning meeting.  One of your teachers played guitar while the class sang “Happy Birthday” in Spanish, and then the “Nursury Rhyme Song”.  What a wonderful way to celebrate at school!

Carolyn in the spotlight!

Having happy birthday sung to her...in Spanish!

After school you had your first piano lesson since school started.  And then it was off to Denny’s for “breakfast for dinner”.  Your choice, of course!

I think she likes the pop-up card!

We wrapped up the evening with presents. Anna gave you a black Webkinz cat, and we gave you your very first musical instrument all your own: a 3/4 size steel string guitar.  You are very excited to start learning how to play!

What could be in here?

Let’s see…little factoids about your life right now…  You still haven’t lost any teeth, but your two bottom middle teeth are so wiggly they can’t possibly hang on for too much longer!  You love Phineas and Ferb, Inspector Gadget, every book you can get your hands on, playing computer, trying out musical instruments (harmonica is a current favorite) and helping cook things.

This finger goes here, that one goes there...

You are growing up and becoming a wonderful person, and I’m so excited to see what this next year brings!

Future rock star?

Love, Mommy

Birthday girl on a bench

We only had to bring the birthday child and a cake.  Or, in this case, cupcakes.

The bowling balls and pins are fondant.

A tower of birthday cupcakes!

I hate writing directly on cakes, the banner is much better!

I was heavily inspired by these twobowling cupcake projects.  And honestly, this was probably the easiest birthday “cake” I’ve ever made.  Cupcakes, piped swirls of icing, and fondant decor.  There was so little work and they turned out so cute!

A souvenier bowling pin for everyone to sign!

Everyone seemed to have a great time!  The fancy shoes on the slippery floor were an especially huge hit.  As were the “lightsaber” battles with the glow stick necklaces we gave out…

Super stylish footwear. With velcro, too!

Neither of my children have bowled very much – actually, this might have been Anna’s very first time.  Luckily, they were far more interested in throwing the ball down the lane than their scores!

Watching the ball...how many pins will fall down?

Three hands are better than two!

I would definitely do a bowling party again.  It’s by far one of the easiest birthday parties we’ve had for either child.  Carolyn was absolutely thrilled with it!

Happy Birthday, Carolyn!

We headed to a local farm market and parked in what must have been the last space available – everyone had the same idea for this drizzly Sunday morning.

Girls sitting amongst the pumpkins.

Pumpkin perfection. Where's the carving knife??

We checked out the pumpkins and walked through the tepees they had set up.  Those were very cool, they were dark inside and there were dozens and dozens of carved jack-o-lanterns lining the walls of the biggest one.

Just a few of the amazing carved pumpkins.

We skipped the hay ride because it was cold and rainy, but it was very popular.  Hopefully next year the weather will be better!

Anna's pumpkin is nearly as big as she is!

Carolyn really liked this little white pumpkin.

When all was said and done, we came home with three pumpkins, a half dozen pumpkin donuts, some cider, a butternut squash and Indian corn to hang on the door.  What a fun way to spend the morning!