7th Birthday Scavenger Hunt

Recently, our daughter, Tess, turned 7! 

Still can't believe that our little girl is not so little anymore. Seems like yesterday I was holding her in my arms rocking her to sleep her first night home after being born. My how time is flying!

To celebrate 7 beautiful years, we wanted to do something a little bit different than what we've done in the past.  We decided that spending the day as a family would be best. 

Since my husband was out of town the week of Tess' birthday for a work trip, we rescheduled to a weekday when he got back.

I wanted to come up with a fun way to celebrate our girl's big day, so I thought that making a scavenger hunt would be fun. The hunt began at our house and took us across the river. It was a fun day for all (most importantly, the birthday girl)!

Clue #1

    Happy birthday to you!

    Happy birthday to you!

    Let's celebrate this day,

     By opening a gift or two!

Tess began her birthday by opening a few gifts- one of which was a floral dress she wore for her special day.

Clue #2
Let's all go somewhere,
Let's take a drive.
It will be a surprise!
And very soon we'll arrive...
(Where do you think we are going?)

The first destination was a park in our area that we've never been to. We ate lunch by the water with ducks and geese nearby (which was fun for the kids), and let the kids run around together. Even though it was a hot day, water and shade helped and we made some good memories!

 Fun kids' play area!

We made it to the top of the hill! Hooray!

Both girls brought their new purple sunglasses to wear, but for some reason decided to take them off when they were running around. Of course...  ;)  

This girl...she ran up and down these stairs and never tired out! We wouldn't be surprised if she tried out for the track team some day. She's got endurance! 

 

Clue #3

 Why don't you open another gift?

It's something you can wear,

And maybe something colorful too,

Perhaps you will want to share!

Hooray for colorful jeweled shoes! Tess was so excited to wear these with her new dress before heading to our next stop. We also got her a colorful pack of molding clay (but left it at home for her to open so it didn't melt in the car).

We took a little detour to the mall nearby to cool off from the heat...which led us to a pet shop where the kids got to see lots of puppies.

Our little boy was enthralled with these particular puppies in the window. So much in fact that he kept talking to them. :)

Deep conversations...

                                                            

After we were all cooled down, it was time for the next clue.

Clue #4

Do you like cheesecake?

Of course you do, why do I even ask. 
Let's head to your next destination
Where eating will be your task!

Any guesses on where we ate dinner?

The Cheesecake Factory! Yum, yum, yum!!!!

Always creating something with her food...  

Not only did we all enjoy a nice dinner, but we also ordered some delicious cheesecake. We asked our waitress if she could sing to Tessa.  She and a few other servers were glad to do so. 

We ordered the chocolate mousse and birthday celebration cheesecake. So, so good and most importantly, the birthday girl approved!

Time for a group hug!!!

This picture cracks me up! Love the love these 3 have for each other!


I say it every year and this year is no different...happy, happy birthday, sweet girl! We love you so much and are thankful for your kindness and thoughtfulness towards others. Keep loving big!