Audra's 9th Birthday

NINE...

 

9...

 

How is it possible my sweet tiny girl is nine years old ?!

 

This is the fourth birthday she has celebrated at home with us, her very own family.

Her first 5 birthdays were spent in an orphanage without balloons, cake, presents and without any extra attention given to a special girl on her special day.

 

But that's not how we do things around here!

 

She has worn this birthday shirt for each of her four birthdays since coming home.

 

She wasn't quite feeling herself this morning...

 

But I did manage to get a few quick pictures of her before she was off to school..

 

She perked up at school and enjoyed being the special girl of the day :)

 

After dinner was her favorite time...

 

CAKE!!

 

She tried...

 

and tried to blow her candles out...

 

she may have had a little help from an unnamed brother and sister...

But she was happy nonetheless !

 

Happy last year of single digits to my teeny, tiny princess.

I keep telling her once she is double digits she will be too old for me to pick her up and carry her around....will this be the last 365 days of holding my girl on my hip?

I'm still trying to make up for her first 5 1/2 years that we missed.