Raising Shepherds: Teda is 6!


Our precious 6 year old

It's hard for me to believe it, but Teda turned six at the end of February. She had the best party, put together by the best event planner- my sister Sarah. :) And then my other sister Julie helped out too, and it was just beautiful. There is no way I could've put together something as stunning as that. It was a "heart party"- hearts everywhere. Teda really wanted to play pet shops together with her friends, so there was a "pet shop" station, there was an "art shop" station for crafts, and there was a "nail shop" station where we painted the girls fingers and toes with scented nail polish and gave them cute flip flops to wear. To eat, they had finger sandwiches, pink lemonade with adorable straws that made it even more fun to drink, funfetti cupcakes with beautiful edible glittery fondant hearts on top (Sarah was so proud- she made the hearts herself- SO talented and creative she is!), sweetie pies (little heart shaped apple pies on a stick), chips, fruit, and even handmade gumball necklaces for each guest Oh, and we can't forget the cutest pinata one has ever seen. A cupcake pinata! Then fun goodie bags with special encouraging notes that Teda made for each guest.

We did something a little different for gifts this year- all of her family got her presents, but from her friends we asked that they bring a pair of shoes to donate to help put shoes on the feet of homeless children. We chose an organization, UMOM, that we will be bringing the shoes to as a family. We want to start showing our kids that there is true need out there, and we thought this could be a really neat way to help Teda to see that. And to see that she truly can make a difference, and be Jesus' hands and feet. That there are kids out there who are praying that God would meet their needs, and that God wants to use her to do that. She is looking forward to bringing the shoes to UMOM. I'm really looking forward to it too- pictures will be posted from that too.

She had a blast, and I'm so thankful for the help of Sarah, Julie and my mom! It was truly a success, and she anticipated it for months in advance. My mom kept saying, "It's about the journey", and she was so right. Each tiny step in the planning process was truly enjoyed by Teda. My mom took her to get the things to go in the goodie bags, and that may have been the best part for her. We (me, Zach, Teda, and Deklan) also spent the night at Sarah and Trevor's house the night before to help set up, and that was another great memory created.

I can't believe she's 6! And this is the truth- the day she turned 6, she started talking about "when I turn 7"... I told her that's a year away! And she said, that's not that long... she's right. Before I know it I'll be blogging about her 7 year old birthday. :)