Happy Birthday Mia!

This is Mia's first Birthday at home!

(She chose a gumball machine).

We were unable to celebrate it in our traditional way sooooo...

 we got creative!

And visited a local pottery painting store!

This is one of the many perks of homeschooling!

All of the children picked out a bank to paint!

Melissa has a tiara!

Ava has a donut!

And Sam has a monster truck!

Abby has a crown!

And Sarah has an ice cream sundae!

Ellie chose a hamburger!

Luke has a motorcycle!

And Anna has a traditional piggy bank... that happened to play in the mud!

When they were all done we placed them on a center table...

it was my job to make sure no one broke any of them!

Success!

They were all intact when we left!

They will be glazed and ready for pick up in 2 weeks!

We ate lunch out and hung around home...

until Daddy got home 

with...

Mia's Birthday gift!

She was so thrilled!

 I am thankful to have gotten these pics!

She was truly surprised and very happy to have her first(very own) bicycle!

Our dear children have no idea how to accept a gift and then how to treat it once they have received it.

Sadly, they feel undeserving...

I remember everything we gave Sarah she gave to someone else.

They have no idea how to appropriately thank someone for a gift. 

And they do not know how to use it or take care of it once they have received it.

We actually role played how to say "thank you".

She did a good job throughout the day saying thank you but after her birthday forgot that she even had a bike.

In the evening we went to our very favorite restaurant!

Once we adopted more than 4 kiddos we stopped going here- so for most of them, this was a new experience! 

It was Japanese food cooked on the habachi grill!

It was quite the show and very funny!

Happy Birthday Mia!

We are so very happy to be your parents!

So sorry, big kids... we forgot to tell you we were going to your favorite restaurant!

We'll do it another time ;-) !