Molly's 10th birthday

Molly turned the big TEN on Thursday, September 15th.  We love this girl so much and had a great time celebrating her double digit birthday!

She took Little Debbie brownies to share with her class at school.  For breakfast she wanted rice pudding and a store-bought Lunchable for lunch.

It was an off year for a friend party (yay!) so she got to choose any activity that she wanted for our family to do.  She picked to go to HangTime down in Orem.  We picked the kids up from school and played for a couple of hours there.  Everyone had so much fun!

Molly playing dodgeball against some older teenage boys.  She was awesome.

She had requested to have French Toast for dinner but we stayed longer at HangTime than we were planning on.  She was okay with a pizza and we had french toast the next day.  She was also so patient and waited until the very end of the day to open her presents.  Justin, Stockton, and Brynn made her a scavenger hunt and she got her favorite treats (skittles, whoppers-in place of sixlets which are her favorites but Justin couldn't find at the store, and taffy), the illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, some earrings, and a comfy reading chair for her room.

 

We also gave her two tickets to the upcoming USA Women's vs. Switzerland soccer game that was being held at Rio Tinto stadium in October.  That was a total extra and was almost as much for me as it was for her.  We probably would have went regardless, it was just convenient that the tickets went on sale a couple of weeks before her birthday.  It was a fun surprise for her.

And then, even though it was super late, we still had to do birthday cake.  She had requested chocolate layer cake with chocolate frosting and wanted a "Matilda-style" chocolate cake (if you've seen the movie, you'll know what I mean).  Well, it wasn't quite as large or as rich as the one from the movie but it was still good and she was happy.

Two days after her birthday, on Saturday, we traveled down to Sandy for a soccer game.  Gene and April met us there to watch the game and then after we went up in the canyon for dinner and more birthday celebration.  April had made all the food and even a birthday cake.  The kids loved being in the mountains and exploring with Justin, Brett, and Grandpa.  Stockton got hit in the head with a loose rock as he was coming down the mountain.  It bled a lot but the actual cut was quite small so other than a bit of a headache, he was okay.

with Uncle Brett

 

This looks like a picture of some mountain scenery but don't be fooled...it is a picture of Justin and three of my kids.  You can see a tiny speck of white at the top of that tree.  That would be my family.

 
Molly opened a few presents from Grandma and Grandpa-her 10-year-old statue/doll, a beanie boo, and a fancy nightgown, which is what she had told April she wanted.

tried on at home...had to show grandma that it fit

My kids have some of the best grandparents around.  I am so grateful for the love and care they show for each one of my kids.

With the weekend over, there was one last small celebration to be done.  My mom and dad drove up and picked Molly up from school the following Monday and took her shopping in Park City.  When they were done we met up at Cafe Zupas (Molly's choice) for dinner and to see what she got.  She picked out some clothes that are just her style...a hoodie sweatshirt, some comfy "work-out" clothes, a dress for church, and pink tennis shoes.

They also gave her a new bedspread, some throw pillows for her bed, and a lamp for her room.  Her old bedspread was outdated and little girly and she was due for something new.

Molly did pick this out-we thought gray would be a nice neutral to tone down that bright green wall that she picked for her room.

 

Here is Molly's birthday interview.  Given December 15, 2016: 

 Favorite color: orange 
Favorite movie: Harry Potter 
Favorite breakfast: bagels 
Favorite dinner: mashed potatoes 
Best friend: Faith or Roxy 
Favorite TV show: Liv and Maddie 
Favorite scripture story: the Rameumpton 
Favorite book: Harry Potter 
Favorite game: Yahtzee and hide and seek 
Favorite story: stories from around the world 
Other kids think that I am: cool and nice 
What do you like about your Mom? she makes us dinner and she stays home to take care of us 
What do you like about your Dad? sometimes he can be competitive and so we play games and it's really fun 
What do you like about Stockton? He's really funny and fun to play with 
What do you like about Brynn? when she's in a good mood, she's really lovey and I can play with her 
What do you like about Ivy? she makes me laugh and she will let me hold her 
What do you like about yourself? I like that I can play soccer and read and run and see and hear 
When I grow up I want to be: an architect and a soccer player 
I like learning about: things from other places and adding and times tables 
I want to go to: Hawaii and Disneyworld to see Harry Potter land 
If I had one wish it would be: that I could control the weather 
Favorite thing to do: draw and read and play soccer and play outside with my siblings 
Favorite song: Soldier