There was a time when I thought I might be sad when the kids started growing up. There has been such a long season of our hands being full of many small children that I'm not sure it even crossed my mind that the y wouldn't stay small forever. When you're in the thick of something it's hard to see anywhere but right where you are.
My turned eleven in the bank of an eye. And as I've pondered her little life this week, I have found myself so grateful for this season with her. She was for certain one of the most precious little girls on the planet, but this growing up thing looks stunning on her just the same. She's mature and nurturing, tender-hearted, and wise for her years. She loves the Lord in the way that she lives and that just might be my favorite thing about her. She's eleven and somedays I'm certain that she knows how to pour into the souls of her siblings better than I do. She's filled to the brim with the fruits of the Holy Spirit and it's this daily, beautiful testimony to me of the Lord's patience and compassion.
This past weekend we had a tie-dye party for her with a few of her favorite friends. According to her sister, it was epic. :)
Not all the girls knew each other very well so we played a round of Two Truths & A Lie to help them get to know one another a bit.
I found a lady on Pinterest who had a bunch of brilliant ideas to help our tie-dye portion of the party run smoothly. Hal and I did a test run on a shirt earlier in the week. The directions said to let the shirts sit for 6-8 hours but we clearly didn't have that much time we only let them sit for 25 minutes. They turned out fine, but I think if I did it again, I would put the wet shirts in a plastic bag and let the girls take them home and let them sit so that the colors would remain bright and the designs more pronounced. I was also SUPER grateful for that most of the moms stayed for the party. It was a HUGE help having extra adult hands to help the girls with their designs.
A tie-dye party wouldn't be complete without a few rounds of Twister.
Hal wanted pineapple and Canadian bacon pizza, Caesar Salad, Shirley Temples, and an Oreo Cookie Ice Cream Cake.
Us Mamas forgot to wear our gloves...
We had the party in our One Room Schoolhouse. And outside, it was a winter wonderland. At the end of the party the girls went sledding and the Papa took them for a ride on his rhino through the falling snow. It was beautiful!
I'm not sure when it started, but I am certain that it has now become tradition... On the morning of their actual birthdays, we have a birthday breakfast for the birthday kid. The kids get to pick the meal and Gramps and Nana come over and we open presents, light candles, and sing Happy Birthday. It's one of my favorite things about birthdays. This year Aunt Meg and her boys were able to join us.
I have loved the little years with this girl of mine, but I must confess that I am really looking forward to these growing up years, to the privilege of witnessing my girl growing into a stunningly beautiful woman after God's own heart.
Happy 11th sweet girl!
