Amara turns 9!

 This year, we were in between family reunions on the Wasatch Front when Amara's birthday came around.  She had lots of cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents around for her birthday, and she chose to celebrate it at the Spanish Fork splashpad/ park next to Costco.  We had a ton of fun with all the family that came to celebrate with her!

After everyone played around for awhile, we took a break in the shade of the pavilion and had a picnic of Aunty Mandy's fluff (by Amara's request), Aunty April's chocolate chip cookies (Amara's other request), green salad, macaroni salad, mini hoagies, Costco pizza, rootbeer, and chips.

Then, Amara opened all her fun gifts.

Amara had picked out party favors that she was excited about.  They are the ones that you blow into a little tube and the rolled up paper that is attached at the end unrolls and makes a little crumpled noise.  Is there an official name for what those favors are?  I remember loving them as a kid!

Amara picked out a very special vanilla-mousse filled white bar cake with berries and glaze on top with whip cream frosting.

 Some people ate cake, and then visited and played a little longer before we packed up the party.

 The day didn't end there, though.  We went to a favorite movie house of ours in Pleasant Grove called the Water Gardens, and watched "The BFG" (based on the book by Roald Dahl), and some of our cousins on the Christensen side joined us.

 We went to Grandma Christensen's house after the movie for a few moments and the cousins got together for a drawing fest.

 And we ended the day by taking Amara to the restaurant she chose- Tempanyaki.  She had heard me talking about it one day and how fun it was to watch your food being cooked right at your table by food ninjas.  She wanted to see it for herself.

 Steve didn't order anything.  Amara got noodles, Lily and I got the Chicken teriyaki and veggies.  It was a very yummy and entertaining way to end her special day!

We love you, Amara!  Happy Birthday!

A Little Blip About 9-year-old Amara

Foods she likes: Alfredo pasta, Ramen, Lo Mein noodles, rolls, salted french fries, oatmeal, marshmallows, basically all white food, and Reese's Puff cereal, and desserts and treats of all kinds. She does like cooked salted broccoli as well.

Foods she dislikes: mashed potatoes, deer venison (she did try one bite), cooked cauliflower, potatoes, cooked mushrooms, black pepper, onions, ham, anything that has visible fat, skin, or chewy pieces, and almost anything we are having for dinner on any given night.

Things she likes to do: playing piano, running outside with friends, drawing, movie nighs, tending animals, horseback riding, creating programs on scratch, sledding, putting on plays, gardening, reading books like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Hank the Cowdog, Fairy Godmother Academy, Spiderwick Chronicles.