Lily's 11th Birthday

Lily turned 11 while we were at the beach on Fall Break.  I can't believe it!

After breakfast, we thought we heard a sound coming from her balcony.  Lily went to check it out.  She was in for quite the surprise.  An owl had delivered her acceptance letter to Hogwarts!  Our family is a pretty big fan of Harry Potter, so this was an awesome way to turn 11!

 

 Lily opened presents from family, and we had a great day together.  Of course, no birthday is complete without blowing out some candles to "happy birthday to you!"

We waited until after fall break to have Lily's party.  We invited all the girls in Lily's class, plus our dear friend Eliza, and Mia of course, to join in the fun.  We were happily surprised when everyone could come!  Since we were having the party after school, Ryan and I decided the easiest way to transport 12 girls was to rent a 15 passenger van.  So, after school the girls changed clothes, we had a snack and some fun playtime on the playground, and then we all piled the van!

 Lily was so excited to have her party at Young Chef's Academy.  She loves to cook, and she wanted to share this with her friends.  She chose a pasta party, so everyone was ready to learn to make their own spaghetti from scratch along with a garlic herb butter sauce.

 About to start the cooking!

 First up is making the dough.  The girls measured out the flour, cracked in the eggs, and then learned to slowly mix it together.

 Next up was chopping the garlic and herbs.  Three girls each chopped garlic, sage, thyme, and rosemary.  It was really starting to smell so good in here!

  When they finished chopping, each girl scraped her board into the melted butter on the stove top so it could all come together.

 Now the really fun part...learning how to roll out and cut the pasta.  Emory was floored by this!

 Chef Ariel asked Lily to choose three people to work with, so she selected (and gave me her reasons why) Emory (she's my best friend), Camille (because we work really well together), and Eliza (because she's just awesome).  Each set of four girls worked together and rotated roles.  One person divided the dough and flattened it, one girl fed it into the machine, one turned the crank, and one caught it as it came through the roller.

 Mia, Avery, Alyssa, and Amara worked together as a team.

 Danae, Elizabeth, Isaiah Grace, and Raegan worked together as well.

 As they cut their pasta, Chef Ariel came around to collect them and put the fresh noodles in the boiling water.  A few minutes later, and they were ready.  Finally after smelling it all cook, it was time to enjoy!

 Safe to say Lily loved it!

 Such sweet friends having fun together.

Last but not least, we broke out a cookie cake for dessert.  Lily loved the little cookie chef design!

 This smile can only be the result of pure joy!

Lily thanked us multiple times for this party, and said it was absolutely perfect.  I love seeing the happiness on her face when she's spending time doing something she loves with the people she loves.  This was such a wonderful way to celebrate our precious Lily!