Eight Years Already?

Has it really been eight years already? Really? Isn't it annoying when people say that, and yet isn't it true? I think the last five years have flown by and I'd like the next few to slow down, already. I don't feel like I've MISSED anything; I just feel like it should still be 2000.

We celebrated eight years of knowing Abigail Emma today. What a blessing! As per Houseworth tradition, she got the day off from school and Daddy took her out to dinner. She chose her favorite standby - China King Buffet, where she ate loads of crab and shrimp. She requested a red velvet cake with cookie dough ice cream. She is the queen of weird combinations. Yesterday we started the celebration by heading to the pool to swim. Tomorrow we will extend the celebration with an ice-skating outing and hopefully the opening of a gift that must be stuck in Chicago with the weather. :)


Here are Shiloh's pictures from her decorating endeavors this afternoon. She is SO HANDY. And she loves doing it! She took the pictures to document her handiwork. I believe she enlisted Cora's help, but only as slave labor, not as co-decorator. :)

Here is the birthday girl in a new outfit that Daddy helped her pick out with a gift card. Daniel picked the hat, and they found the outfit from there. She looks good in pink!

Um...what happened between yesterday and today? Because yesterday I think I was feeding her plums from a jar and she was smiling big gooey smiles at me.

Abigail asked for a guitar, so that was one of our gifts to her. We'll have our pastor's daughter give her some lessons. :)

Abigail is pretty easy to please with cakes. She's never said, "I want a pony with pink hair" or "I want a snowy owl" like some other people in the house. No, she just says, "Maybe a star? Or two? With sprinkles? And lots of icing?" Okay, then. Easy enough. Shiloh and Cora made Abigail's birthday tiara. Shiloh got the privilege of bringing in the cake.

Of course, I must leave you with an Abigail story at the conclusion of this birthday post. She and Cora had decided to bunk together in the guest room in the basement a couple of nights ago while Shiloh and Adah bunked together in Shiloh's room. I went downstairs to say goodnight to Abigail and she was on the bed with a card game in progress, but Cora was upstairs reading with Daniel. She looked at me excitedly and said, "Mommy, I'm playing with an imaginary person, and...I'm WINNING!" She sounded incredulous that she would actually be winning against an imaginary person. I'm not sure if I should be worried, but she sure does entertain me. :) I love that kid.