The end of vacation...and 2007!

Matthew was giving me a BIG "Happy Birthday Aunt Katy" smile!!

Mary let me borrow her "Princess" candle to blow out. David Oates had gone to get donuts for my birthday breakfast that morning - the kids thought it was a GREAT idea!!!

Reading my cards from the kids...they were precious.
Josiah, Luke and John sequestered themselves in here for probably 30 minutes - they were busy making my birthday cards. I sent my sister in to take a picture for me!!
Don't Matthew and Callie look adorable in their red, Christmas sleepers?
Here's the story with these two pictures. Callie, by this point in the vacation, was a little bit of a mess. She hadn't had her normal naps in her bed in about 5 days (for real). With all of the excitement of all the family around, Disney, and the travel, she was a bit at the end of her rope. For whatever reason, her "stranger anxiety" seemed to go into high gear around David Oates - I think my sisters look enough like me or sound like me, that she was fine with them. But she would freak out with David. He tried everything - finally on the morning of my birthday, she let him pick her up and he gave her some glazed donut. Now she completely adores him!!! :) Oh the things I will only let an uncle do!!!

Monday was our last hoorah!! Kelli, Scott, and Kristen had to drive back to West Palm Beach on Sunday night so they could go back to real life and work the next morning. We were able to spend Monday morning with just Kim & her family before we had to hit the road. We had some donuts for breakfast, and had lunch with them before packing up the van and heading back north. It was such a phenomenal week - so many wonderful memories with all of my sisters and my mom. The kids had a great time everywhere and were such troopers. They did fantastically well with the LONG car drive, and we were so blessed to be able to do it. We totally missed Dick Clark and the ball dropping, but the trip was worth it!!!!