Raine didn’t just have a birth-DAY this year, she had an entire WEEKEND of celebration!

It started Friday, the 20th, at school. Carter and I joined her for lunch. Mrs. Boegner stood her on a chair and all the kids in the cafeteria sang happy birthday.

Then she handed out the cupcakes we brought to her classmates.

Raine and Addison.

That evening we had our family celebration at Chuck E Cheese. The kids had a blast!

I couldn’t believe that both of them wanted to stand by Chuck E — especially Carter, he is usually terrified of characters like that.

Raine had so much fun playing the games. She even won a 100-ticket jackpot on one of them, that was the highlight for her!

Saturday was Raine’s real birthday so she opened her presents that morning.

First order of business: put on fairy wings . . .

. . . and fly around the house until very hot and sweaty!

Mom and Dad spent most of Saturday at the Bishops and Wives Conference — seven hours to be exact. Fortunately, we have some fantastic families in our ward and one of them watched the kids while we were gone, making sure they had ample fun without us.

Raine had been planning her birthday for at least a year. About a week ago, she described in intricate detail what her cake was going to look like. Under the influence of extreme guilt — knowing that we weren’t going to be home for her birthday — I agreed to do my best to recreate the image in her mind.

I searched the internet for hours before I found a Rapunzel cake that was within my limited cake-making abilities, yet still met the approval of the Cake Boss. It wasn’t the most glamorous cake in the world, but Raine was thrilled with it!

We invited a few friends over to help us eat the cake Sunday night.

Raine is a great girl. She is obedient and kind. She is creative and imaginative. She is smart and funny. Raine is a social butterfly who loves to be around people. She loves to make new friends and is happy playing with anyone who is willing. She loves to play make-believe and to fight off evil villains. Raine loves school (except P.E. — sorry Grandma Anderson, somehow the athletic gene missed her) and she is excelling in every aspect of Kindergarten. She taught herself to read and write before she started school and is now honing her skills nicely. Raine’s favorite thing to do is to make crafts. She always makes them with someone else in mind and has brightened the day of countless people with her creations. Raine is a fantastic big sister. She watches out for Carter and encourages him. The two of them can’t wait to get home from school so they can play together. Raine is a very special girl and we love her dearly!