Happy 11th Birthday Spice!

Yes, that's right, ELEVEN.  One more year and she'll graduate from primary and move on to the Young Women program.  Ugh.  I guess it's an exiting time of life, but I just sometimes wish there was a pause button so that I could catch my breath first.

Would it be bragging to say that I am often in awe of my little girl?  If so, too bad, because that is what birthday posts are for.  (I don't think it's bragging on my part, though, because it's her choices that make her so amazing, not mine).

Here is a little glimpse of a typical day for Spice:
She gets up early and takes her dog on a walk (yes, every day - even in the cold rain and wind, I sometimes try to talk her into just letting him out in the back yard for a little bit instead of going out in that weather, but she insists that he needs his walk!)  When she comes home, she does her morning list and then reads her scriptures and writes in her journal - for quite a long time.  Sometimes she'll share what she writes with me - it's often some nice insight that she got from her scripture reading.  I often think of this scripture:

And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned. -Alma 32:23

After this, she often plays the piano while she waits for others to be ready and then does her part in the family work.  We'll do our usual morning routine (devotional, breakfast, clean-up) and then she'll have her free time in which she often plays the piano some more, sews something, writes in her journal some more, writes a poem, reads from a book or plays dolls with her sister.

Before dinner, she feeds her dog and takes him on another walk.  Then she'll eat, help clean up, play with her brothers and sisters and her dad, and gets ready for bed.  Then we have our evening devotional and she writes in her journal again (she always writes for a long time - I don't know how she can think of so much to write multiple times a day!) and then she draws as I read to them from a classic (currently Hans Brinker).  Then she goes right to bed (she hasn't read in bed for a long time - she's too tired at the end of the day!  I need to get them in bed earlier - we sometimes take too long reading as a family). 

I am especially impressed with her kindness and her desire to do what is right.  Often, before she goes to bed, she'll come and apologize to me for something, "Sorry I was kind of grumpy during ____ today" or "Sorry I spoke mean to you during _____"  or "Sorry I didn't help you more with____"  And then she really does try to be better the next day.  I wish I could get that pattern down better!

I was watching her the other day from afar at a primary activity.  I was there to help the Sunbeams, but the kids in her class were being rather rowdy (they were talking during songs, giggling, hitting one another, etc.)  I was happy to see that Spice kept trying to do what was right even though she seemed to be the only one (and no, she didn't know I was watching her - I was very nonchalant about it!) (and no, the kids in her class are not always rowdy - they seemed to be having a particularly hard day that day).  I talked to her a little about it that night as I tucked her in.  I told her I was happy that I saw her following directions and respecting the teachers even though the people around here were not doing so at the time, and that I know that can be hard to do!  She said she didn't really understand why they liked to be mean to each other.  Apparently some of them were gossiping making fun of a couple of people.  She said she tried to remember that they had good hearts and that they probably just hadn't been taught that that was wrong.  What a sweetheart.

No, she is not perfect, she still has her spirited moments sometimes (she has an intense personality and is very sensitive to her environment) and she can get goofy and silly with her siblings and sometimes starts to tease, but she recognizes when she makes mistakes and is quick to repent and try again.  I learn so much from her.

Here she is on her birthday morning, opening presents and reading her cards in bed:

She's old enough now that she's actually exited about practical things.  She got a jacket, a coat, boots, a sweater-dress outfit, and a sewing machine.  Actually, she did want one not-so-practical thing - Silly Bandz.  I really dislike them, but since it's the only thing she mentioned that she would like (besides a sewing machine), I got her some of those as well (and so did her grandma so now she has plenty).

For breakfast she requested German pancakes, for lunch, mac & cheese with salad, and for dinner - IHOP.  During the day, we learned how to use her sewing machine (which was a bit of a time waster since we returned it the next day and bought a better quality one since the thread kept getting tangled up - just as it does on my machine which was the same brand of the machine I originally bought her.  Her new machine hasn't had any problems.  Yipee!  She's nice and says she'll let me borrow it when I need it.)

Anyway, where was I?  During the day we worked on her sewing machine, and I did all her chores for her, which, by the way, took a lot of my time.  She works hard around here!  Then we had an Activity Days activity, then we went to IHOP and then to a play called The Savior of the World put on by a near by stake.  It was impressive.  They they did an amazing job.  A couple of our good friends were in it and we were sure amazed at their talents.

Waiting for the play to start

We were going to have cake and ice cream after the play, but we were too tired by then so we took it to my mom's house the next day instead.

We didn't do a "friend" party this year since she had one last year.  I'm trying to wean off "friend" parties a little and to get them to want to use the money we would spend on one to do something fun that we normally wouldn't go do as a family.   Spice has no problem with this (she's more introverted), but I don't know what Bud will think (he's very extroverted and loves social events).  It's not a very big deal to me either way.  I just want them to be happy on the day we celebrate them coming to our family.  It is a special day indeed!

I think she had a nice birthday.  She came up to me that night and gave me a hug, and in her typical way thanked me for making her day so special.

I would do anything for that little girl!  I hope she knows it.