A Very Merry Un-Birthday!

She's fourteen and feeling keen!

(I wish I'd taken a better picture of the cake.  It was simple but very pretty.)

Growing up, I had a babysitter with a Christmas birthday.  When he was old enough, his parents let him choose any other day to celebrate.  He chose St. Patrick's Day which sounded fun to me.  When Ella was born the day after Christmas 2007, she was the third Doyle baby with a birthday that week and the idea of choosing another date to celebrate started sounding really good to me.  Madeleine was all for the idea and chose February 28 as her un-birthday.  This year, she's had the never-ending birthday.  I couldn't let her real day pass without a little something so we gave a her a small gift.  She's having a big pool party for all of her classmates in May and Saturday night, we hosted her family party.  Madeleine wanted to invite a couple of the families we know and of course, her grandparents.  We had a great time.  My mother-in-law especially enjoyed reminiscing about growing up in Louisiana with the other Louisiana natives at the table.  Like Barbara, I was a tomboy growing up but my escapades were tame compared to hers and our friend Michael's.  I don't remember any encounters with explosives but the two of them obviously did and were in a "you think that's cool, listen to what I did" kind of contest.

Madeleine was so grateful for the party and all of the presents.  It was sweet.  I'm glad she feels well-loved because we do love her tons and truly aren't ready for her to grow up.  When she put on a dress instead of play clothes for her party, I thought Chris was going to cry.  She's his baseball buddy.  When it turned out she had shorts on under the dress and planned to play, all was well in our world!

We somehow squeezed all the kids into the kitchen.

"Elllllaaaa..."

Madeleine starts the un-wrap the package/hot potato game

Sophie loves parties

Almost there...

Gifts.  A heart/cross necklace from Sophie and Ella/Mommy

One of her best gifts came from Grandpa Doyle.  He gave her a signed plaque of Hunter Pence. Very sweet.  I may be stealing it.

Grace wants Madeleine to open her gift next

From Grace.  It says "Most Likely to Become a Celebrity".  On the package, I wrote, "takes one to know one,  Love, Grace".   Madeleine and Grace have a few things in common.

Doyle "Mum" and pup

I think Grandma wants to eat Ella.  I don't blame her.

Harriet came to the party too!