Zephaniah is nine! My, that happened so fast. Each year, it feels this way because the kids are growing so quickly. It’s bittersweet.

I feel incredibly blessed that God has given me the gift of celebrating my children’s birthdays, but I also can’t help but feel a little weepy that my babies are growing up!

Zaya (6), Zechariah (11), and Zhen (13) helped me make Zephaniah’s birthday cake—a homemade chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting.

We made a diy dinosaur theme for the cake (because Zephaniah loves dinosaurs 🦕) using chocolate cupcakes for a volcano and food coloring gel for the orange-red lava and green grass.

Then, we topped the cake with miniature dinosaur toys.

Zephaniah invited our neighbors to his party, and he was so excited when they arrived. Elijah (26) and Mj (24), our oldest children, also joined us for his birthday celebration.

For party food, we had pizza, chips, and 6-7 chicken nuggets. I saw the 6-7 chicken nuggets at Aldi and thought the kids would find them hilarious. Lol! 😂

The kids had a blast! They played outside for a little bit before coming inside to play Zephaniah’s new video game, Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen.

My mom (aka Nana) mailed him a birthday card with $25 tucked inside. This is a cherished birthday tradition from Nana that the children always look forward to.

Then, we take them to the store of their choice (usually Target, Walmart, or Five Below) so they can go shopping.

Zephaniah said it was the best birthday ever! 😊

💜 XO