Kynadi's 4th Birthday

Kynadi was so anxious to have her birthday this year. She has been able to go to a few birthday parties this past year and so she was so excited to have her very own. We had been to a few princess parties already so I was trying to have her decide on something else. She finally liked the idea of a water party. My girls have played outside in the water a ton this summer so it seemed fitting. Well, the planning went better than the party. We found goggles, water guns, little toy squirters, and splash balls to give to all the guests. I also found a slip 'n slide, a cool beach ball sprinkler, and our old pool to set up for the party. I found a great cake to make online (and it actually turned out decent), and the invites turned out pretty good too. Kynadi was excited about it all. Her party felt like a flop though. It wasn't terribly cold, but the wind was blowing enough that the kids were getting cold when they got wet and didn't want to play in the water. I felt disorganized, and no one seemed interested in the water games. So I just let them do what they wanted and we BBQ'd some hot dogs and then opened gifts. That part was ok, I just wish everyone would have had more fun. Oh well, what do you do? Kynadi was just excited that it had finally come and she was finally 4!

After her party, when John got off work that evening , we invited Grandma and Grandpa over and we did our traditional scavenger hunt for her gifts and had cake with them. That was pretty fun. She finally got her V-tech gaming system that she has seen sitting in the closet since Thanksgiving. I felt bad that she knew what her main gift was, but I surprised her with some Fancy Nancy books, and a Tinkerbell hat, as well as Tinkerbell dishes to match Brooklyn's Dora ones. Grandma got her a hula hoop, play dough and a kite. I think I could always just buy play dough and that would be good enough to keep my kids happy.

The kids all got their own cupcake with a bear in a tube on it.

The kids watching Kynadi open presents.


Here's the cake...not too bad considering I'm far from a pro

Anyway, I love my little Bean so much. She doesn't seem like a four year old. She says and does things that seem much older. She is soooo helpful to me and just has the sweetest little spirit in her. She is so eager to learn and asks many questions, as well as catches on to everything. Here's a cute example of that. John had been talking about going camping and I was complaining about not wanting to go and get eaten by a bear. Kynadi, who was listening to every word, pipes in to let me know it is ok. She said, "no you'll be ok mom, remember you even said in primary you just have to pray and you will be safe from the bears" She was sooo right, the last time I had done sharing time I had read a story about some kids who had been approached by a bear but they prayed and were not hurt by the bear and knew how to get away. I couldn't believe she remembered it. It made my day to know that not only had a child remembered my sharing time, but it was my own child and she had learned about prayer. She has a tremendous desire to do good. I love to watch Kynadi with other kids. She is such a leader at times, this probably has to do with being the oldest, it can turn into bossiness, but I know her heart is in the right place. I have watched her in primary tell other kids they have to stop "messing around" and in fact today she was so excited to be the reverence child and be the example to all the kids. She's so cute and I love her to death!!! Happy 4th Birthday Kynadi Bean.

The start of the scavenger hunt...Kynadi loves it