Parrot Pandemonium (Happy Birthday, Annie!)

Annika is so many things.  While animal lover tops the list, artist runs a close second.  For weeks she was obsessed with drawing and coloring her "parrot army."

When I asked about these creatures below, she explained that they were animals for her parrots to ride.  I thought the blue thing to the right might be a lobster, but no, apparently it is a parrot submarine.

Just don't be a parrot hunter.  In Annika's world, they most always meet a grisly death.

When I lined up Annika's parrots, I was surprised to discover that they each had a unique name written on the back.  This parrot pandemonium includes Tiny, Lightning, Thunder, Flame, Splash, Fruit Bat, Ice, Icicle, Burn, Julia, Mango, Anemone, Fire, Nezerite, Sunny, Glacier, Seashell, Pineapple, Snowfluff, and Molly.  Also, the orange thing at the end is a fire submarine for the fire parrots.  Not quite sure how that's supposed to work, but okay.

Unsurprisingly, Annika requested a Parrot Party for her birthday.  I was pretty thrilled when I discovered this guy at DI.  I enjoy a good bargain and Annika hates pollution, so I figure cutting down on consumer waste by shopping at thrift stores is a win for us both.

While Annika would have loved a big birthday party, omicron was surging in late January.  Instead, she got to invite a friend to come with us to SeaQuest aquarium.  She invited Jack since he loves parrots as well.

Jack gave Annika this bat-eared fox stuffy for her birthday.  Talk about a happy gal!

Here we are, meeting the turtles at SeaQuest.  One of them really liked Eli.  It seemed like it wanted to crawl right into his arms!

The koi fish were Jack's favorite.

As for Annika, she loved the parakeets.

The garra rufa fish are always a hit as they suck the dead skin off your hands.  

Last but not least, parrots!

Trying out the squid hats in the gift shop after.

As an extra special treat, we let Jack and Annie (hello Magic Tree House) each pick out a new stuffy to take home.  Not that we really need more, but at this point it's a lost cause.

 

For her birthday, Annika requested a Parrot Carrot cake.  Instead of decorating it for her, I bought some fondant, found a YouTube tutorial, and set Annika and Eli to work making the cake toppers.

Pretty cute!

We brought our parrot carrot cake over to the home of our friends, the Blackhams.  They had generously invited a few families in the neighborhood over so that we all could get to know one another.  One of these families, the Breinholdts, will be moving in down the street soon.  We are so excited to have more families in the neighborhood.

The Blackhams were kind enough to even decorate for Annika's birthday.  She felt so special!

Other fun birthday news: Aunt Callie and Uncle Adam sent this amazing axolotl shirt for our axolotl lovin' gal.

Likewise in tune with Annika's obsessions, Grandma Susie and Grandpa Charles gave Annika an axolotl alebrije.  This special axolotl came from their recent trip to Mexico, where it was purchased in Arrozola, a small town just outside of Oaxaca that is famous for its authentic alebrijes.

Here's Grandma Susie showing some pictures of the axolotl's birthplace.

The next morning Annika set right to work painting her axolotl.  The bright colors are adorable!

More birthday spoils--our neighbor Elaine Clark gave Annika the most BEAUTIFUL book about animals.

And last but not least, a nine year-old birthday meat pie.

Annika, we love you!  Your spunk, creativity, and fierce passion for all of God's creature make every day an adventure.  Your strength of spirit is matched by your beautiful heart.  Happy Birthday!