First Daughter is 11!

A few months ago, First Daughter turned 11. She was sick the night before her birthday, but recovered very quickly. We spent her birthday morning playing games while the others were at church. We had lunch at a restaurant with Grammy and Paw Paw and then had frozen custard. For dinner she requested chicken enchiladas. We only had candy for dessert (her request).

We delayed her pancake-as-big-as-your-head birthday breakfast until the day after her birthday since she wasn't feeling well on her birthday morning. She ate the whole thing!

Her birthday party was on her baptismal anniversary, so angel food cake was perfect. (It also has the benefit of being dairy free for her best friend.)

It was a pretty simple party; mostly she wanted to watch Moana with her friends and have popcorn and lots of sugary snacks. That night, for her baptismal anniversary dinner, we had chicken noodle soup.

Favorite foods: chicken noodle soup, enchiladas, potstickers, dumplings.

Favorite candy: fruit sour balls from a local candy shop.

And the obligatory baptismal anniversary squirt of spray whipped cream in the mouth. I'm not sure how this tradition started, but I'm pretty sure First Daughter was the instigator.

She is now in fifth grade and more than any of the others actually enjoys her lessons.

Reading is one of her favorite things to do. She breezes through most of her lessons.

Favorite books: The Ranger's Apprentice series, Little Lord Fauntleroy, The Hidden Treasure of Glaston. (These are pretty much the most recent books she's read; she likes just about anything as long as it's not too sad.)

Favorite lessons: history, people and places, maps.

Least favorite lesson: (It took her a long time to think of one) The Story of Inventions. She thinks the chapters are too long. (I'll probably write a post on this later; it's not my favorite, either.)

Once a week, First Daughter has to go into town for an allergy shot. She's just passed the half-way point for the weekly shots and we're all looking forward to being done with the weekly appointments. The good news is that we've combined her trip into town with being a mother's helper for a family from our parish. This is her second year as a mother's helper (with a second family) and she absolutely loves it. She cleans, she bakes, she cooks, she plays with the little ones, she organizes, she tackles projects, whatever! It's different every week. She learns a lot by spending time with another family and (I hope!) is helpful to a young mom with lots of little ones.

She competed in her first taekwondo tournament the weekend of her birthday. She placed first in both her form and her sparring and was very pleased! She also tested in October and is now a blue belt red tip and more than halfway to a black belt.

watching the solar eclipse

She loves hiking with her dad and big brother. They do the long hikes together while I keep the younger ones with me.

Favorite games: Snake Oil, Apples to Apples Jr, Taboo.

She cares profoundly for justice. We joke that she should be a lawyer and work for non-profits and the downtrodden because she cannot stand by when a sibling is being unfair to another sibling.

As always, First Daughter took swimming lessons last summer. She's learning to dive quite well.

First Daughter loves to cook and bake. She's taken over the daily bread-making (in our bread machine) and is usually the one to make muffins for our snacks. She would make cakes or cookies every day, too, but Kansas Dad and I have to set limits or we'd all be eating way too much dessert.

First Daughter continues with her piano lessons. She loves to play and practices more than anyone else in the family. This year, she also joined the homeschool band and is learning to play the saxophone (like her dad). She has improved tremendously in just a few months and recently performed in her first concert.

She loves people. She loves to be out and about, chatting and laughing. She loves to write letters and writes at least one a week even if she doesn't receive any.

Happy birthday, First Daughter, and may you have a blessed 12th year!