Callie Turns 8!!

****I published this post a few days ago, but thought that it may interesting to post again on Kelly's Korner: Show Us Your Life.  This week the theme is "Show Us Your Kids' Birthday Parties."  So click on the link and check out Kelly's site if you want some great ideas.********

As you may remember, I was really worried about this birthday party for Callie.  I just wanted her to have a good time and feel loved.  So I prayed, and I asked everyone I knew to pray.  And you know what... it was a GREAT party.  Callie's friends came.  Their moms came.  A couple of my friends came to help out.  And a group of sweet high school girls came to paint faces.

We had asked everyone to come at about 1:00.  So my heart was in my shoes when 1:20 rolled around and still no one had showed up but my friends.  But then, all at once, everyone came.  RELIEF!!

Here is the birthday girl with her cake.  They only specific thing we said to the bakery was to make it pink.  Well, you see how that worked out.  But she didn't care, and in the end it matched the cute napkins that I found so it looked like I had coordinated it.  Plus it tasted pretty good, too!

As soon as the girls had all arrived I went ahead and sat them down to eat.  I served stuffed grape leaves, bulgar salad, mini banana nut muffins, little baked salty cookies, and two kind of our favorite layered pastry.  

One of the little sisters.

Noah's best friend's sisters.   Noah escaped our flat full of girls and went to play at their house.

Face painting

Callie's best friend's little sister, Beyza.

Birthday Girl

This is all of the little girls minus one little sister and one little girl from Callie's class who was afraid to get her face painted.  They are showing off their face paint and glitter tattoos.

Once I got the girls settled, it was time to serve the moms.  They were all so surprised how normal we are and how our flat is set up and decorated just like theirs.

Although they got really nervous when the girls came running in to tell them that they were getting tattoos.  The moms were afraid that the high school girls were going to give real tattoos.  

Really?!?!

I had to assure them that the tattoos would easily come off with soap and water.  The girls all raced out and were so happy that they had permission to get glitter tattoos.

(Maybe next year I'll hire a real tattoo artist! HA!!)

Balloon bouquet.

After the girls had finished their special fun it was time for cake.

Singing Iyiki Doğdun to Filiz (Callie).

Make a wish!

Waiting patiently for cake.

Tastes good!

My friend trying to get Lucy to sit still for a picture.  

Fat chance!!

The girls finished their cake and all ran off to grab their gifts.  I was so busy serving the moms cake and tea that I hardly saw any of this.

I tried to snap a few quick pictures.  Although, the way they tear through the gifts, the opening only lasts a few seconds anyway.

Modeling her new dress from our friends across the street.

EIGHT IS GREAT!!!