The Birthday Belle

Our Kalli just turned 9! She was so excited--9 must be a wonderful age!

She told me before her birthday, that she knew it was going to be the BEST birthday ever....because every birthday is! I love her outlook on life because it is so much like mine! Life is such a wonderful gift!Kalli loves to read.She loves to spend time outdoors with her fruit. She had asked for a raspberry bush for her birthday, so was THRILLED when we moved in here and found raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries!Every day, her chores include checking for and picking fruit, taking out the trash and three times a week gathering up the laundry for me. She does this all willingly and without being told (usually).We always allow the kids to choose a birthday theme and menu. Kalli asked for Blueberry Lemon Cake. I had never made it before, but it was good! She also wanted green beans, sweet potatoes, and rolls! Here her sisters were helping her get ready for her party. She chose a "Princess Belle" party and wanted her hair combed like Belle. We tried. She was very pleased with how her cake turned out. She appreciates pretty things and thought it was beautiful. She loves looking at recipe books and helping in the kitchen.Her friends/sisters had to hold her hair back because it was falling in the candles.To drink, she requested Raspberry Lemonade. We used raspberries from her bushes!She loved all of her gifts and expressed her thanks in her exuberant bubbly way.We played "Princess who am I?", "Drop the glass slipper", and "Finding Snow White's Poison Apple". She was disappointed that a few of her friends were on vacation and couldn't make it, but she had a great time and was thrilled to have the friends who came!

Kalli arrived to bless our home with her mouth torn wide open--a sight her daddy will never forget--and has only closed it briefly since. We love her to pieces though and love her bubby chatter as well.