six years ago...

Our calm and peaceful life was interrupted by this.

No, but seriously...Kela was born on July 9th 2004 and truly, our lives haven't been the same since!

Six years and 3 (and a half!) kids later...
Here's the birthday girl!
I can't believe I have a 1st grader!

We got together with the cousins, per usual.
I thought about doing a big birthday party for her...but in the end, all she really wanted was a party with her cousins.
Which, if you look at how many she has, is no small party, really.
And, since her cousin Luke and sister Jolee have birthdays so close (the 6th and 19th of July, respectively) we threw all them together in the mix and had a big bash.



The cupcakes.
Can you even read the letters underneath all those sprinkles?

Jolee...apparently likes to be called "Princess Jolee" from now on.
(She already acts the part!)

The candles...that I think everyone BUT the birthday kids blew out.

Luke.

Who turned 2 on July 6th.

He kept trying to sneak in front of the camera and pose like this.

He LOVES the camera.

(like father, like son?)

And here's Jolee.

Give her ice cream, and she'll be your best friend for life!

Anna.

This one would be happy with frosting only.

We force her to eat the cake if she wants more frosting.

And, strangely, she'd rather have this than ice cream.

Once again, I'm convinced she must be a Seavey, and not a Sakuma.

And the birthday girl herself.

I'm probably the hardest on her...and maybe expect too much from such a young thing. But, she's surprisingly mature for her age, and loves to read-by herself and to her sisters. She can be a bit bossy, but is great at cleaning up her rooms and doing what we ask. She has the memory of an elephant, and is quick with compliments.

We love her to pieces and have been blessed from the moment she came into our lives!

Happy birthday, Kela!