Happy Birthday Emily!!

Happy Birthday Emily!!! Emily had a pretty great birthday this year. On Sunday, her uncle Austin (who has been back east all summer selling pest control) was able to come over for dinner ~ Austin is leaving in just a few weeks for his mission to Chile and Emily LOVES sharing her birthday week with such a fun uncle. Austin and Emily chat on the phone and are great buddies. Aunt Krystal also has a birthday the same week as Krystal, so we got to celebrate her birthday the same day. What started out as a little birthday dinner for the 3 birthday kids turned into a pretty fun bash when Krystal ended up having a new foster child that weekend and Austin brought along his "friend" Emily. Then Austin ended up finding that a cousin who just returned from his mission was living in Provo and was free for the evening, so what's one more, right? Then Katie and Kevin ended up being able to make it along with Aunt Dasha, so we had a pretty good group. Thanks everyone for coming, it was a blast to have so many of my brothers and sisters around and celebrate 3 birthdays all at once. We love you guys!!!

Lizzy watching all the fun

Poor little Ellie was just trying to get a drink from off of the table, when the cup spilled all over her head. Word of warning - Cherry Coolers stains - skin, clothes and floor. Her face was red for a day and in the bath the next morning her mom found red stains on her tummy.

Monday made for a great birthday, getting to celebrate it for a few minutes at school with her friends. Emily brought mini cupcakes to share with her class and was "crowned" by her teacher for the day.

Grama and Grampa Ryan with baby Jane. Jane is only a few months old and has a full head of hair that is so cute and soft. She looks just like a little cabbage patch baby.

Once she got home we had dinner with Grama and Grampa Ryan, plus Great Grama Ryan! She had her favorite dinner and for FHE we were lucky enough to get Chris' little sisters Mary and Jill with their families for the evening (which of course means MORE cousins - which is a favorite around here). Our FHE was short and sweet since the kids were so excited to play with each other. Emily keeps saying she had the best birthday EVER and that this one was her favorite so far. We are so glad we can be close to so many of our family members for the time being. Thanks for sharing Emily's special day with her, we had so much fun with everyone.

Great Grama Ryan with the birthday girl

Emily has been asking for "A littlest pet shop WITH the petshop" for about a year and a half now. She is SOOO excited about this toy (as are her 2 little sisters) and she has been so good to share with them. The 3 of them spent most of the afternoon yesterday up in Emily's room, figuring it all out. Thanks Grama and Grampa!

Here is a picture of Emily one year ago, wow, she is getting big so fast!!