Girls sure do age fast!!!

So hard to believe this...

Has become this!

Goodness!  Time has flown by.  It is so hard for me to believe she's already turned 8 and only has one more single-digit birthday to go!  These have been the most precious years of my life, and I am so truly blessed to call Merrilee my daughter.  She is such a joy.

We celebrated her birthday on April 1 at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  The Flower Festival took place that weekend, so we enjoyed walking around looking at the different crafters' booths, and even had time for funnel cake!  I think Katie Mei was most excited about the cake than anything!

We did quite a bit of walking, and usually Katie Mei gets lazy and wants to be carried--it's not a heart issue, it's a four-year old issue!  But she held up quite well and it wasn't until the end that she really started getting tired legs.  She mostly just hung out with Grandpa and Grandma and enjoyed the time she had there.

The azaleas were in full bloom and despite all the booths, there were  a few lovely places to take pictures.  Katie Mei wasn't really in the mood for posing for photo ops, but she did pretty well.  Merrilee is always ready for a photo!

After the festival we stopped for some nachos and iced tea and Katie Mei showed us how tired she really was.  This was way out of character for her, so I knew she was worn out after several days of staying up late, not napping, and then a long walk in the morning.  Poor girl was wiped out!  But we managed to revive her and she ate her share of nachos dipped in cheese.

We went home, and later that day Merrilee enjoyed blowing out the candles on the cake Grandma made for her.  Mom used to make doll cakes for me when I was little and I had told Merrilee about them, but this was her first.  She thought it was awesome!

Then we moved on to opening her gift.  She got a wonderful artist's easel and paint set from Grandma and Grandpa.

We drove home on Saturday and she got to open her presents from Jay and myself that afternoon.  It was a long birthday that covered two states, but it was fun.  Wishing you many more happy birthdays, Merrilee!