SEVEN!

Elsa is now seven.  This year she has learned to read, can easily add up double and triple digits, and can sing most of the periodic table.  She loves all bugs (and is still curious about why I will pick up a shiny June bug in the parking lot for her but I won't let her keep cockroaches) and reptiles, and will listen to Daddy's funny British accent read any book from the Rainbow Magic Fairy series whenever she gets the chance.  (I think the books are complete twaddle, but they have inspired her to illustrate and write her own fairy adventure stories so I've stopped complaining about them!).  

I loved working with her to plan her Chameleon birthday last year, and we had so much fun planning her Rainbow Magic Fairy party this year.  It ended up being a bit of a production, but almost everything we used was stuff we already had or could make together.  She did much of the decorating herself:

These are not generic fairies and goblins - each one has a name and designation: e.g. Georgia the Guinea Pig Fairy and Ally the Dolphin Fairy:

We made rock candy to be the Fairy Wand party favors so of course I was sneaky and turned this into a bit of a science activity since we had just studied and grown crystals earlier in the year.  We had several big flops until we found a successful method, but the ones that did turn out were so pretty I kept taking pictures of them!

We helped each guest turn into a fairy (or gobin, in the case of our friend Sam) when they arrived with facepaint, various wings, and a few fancy face masks.  King Oberon and Queen Titania (my father and mother) were also in attendance, much to the delight of all the little fairies!

Of course, Jack Frost couldn't help but poke his nose into the fun and disrupt the party...

He was jealous so he hid the rainbow key to the cupcakes!

The girls had to find the pieces of the rainbow while Jack Frost and his goblin sidekick played freeze tag with them.

He also hid the party favors and the Fairy Wands!  Thankfully King Oberon had scroll with a riddle full of clues that led them to the gift bag high up in a tree...

Which also had another scroll that led them to the Fairy wands!  The final scroll explained that goblins hate the "Happy Birthday" song, so they all sang really loud to Elsa, which caused the goblins to run off shrieking,

leaving the the box of rock candy wands behind!

We had so much fun, and it was especially neat to celebrate with the new friends we've made this year.  Even Nora had a good time, though I'm learning that she prefers simpler, quieter parties for herself (she remarked at the end of the day that for her birthday she wanted a "quiet love party at home with just our family").

Queen Titania and the girls:

Seven years!  She's growing and changing everyday and we work hard to keep up with her and stay connected.  I am thankful that for now she still is not too self-conscience that she still enjoys dancing among the trees and singing to herself.