Happy 12th E!

our firstborn, E, turned 12 today. she is becoming quite the special woman and her father and I are so proud of her.

in our home we celebrate Birthday Week instead of having a big party. each day of the week, we do something fun or special.

her day started with a breakfast treat daddy brought home from work.

E chose to see Raiders of the Lost Ark for her birthday. she had to be 12 to see it and she would not wait until she was 12 and 1 day, so daddy took today off from work and S and E stayed home to watch the movie. B and E went farming with me(they weren't as happy with their end of the deal, but oreos and tea with raw honey sweetened the slight a bit).

E has a favorite saying. in response to most everything she says, "awkward!" i happened to find a tee shirt that has a turtle on its back and awkward printed above it. E also has a real turtle for a pet, so the shirt was made for her. she also received a bunch of books she had requested. 

she picked Chinese for her birthday dinner, so we splurged and got take out. it was nice eating as a family. that only happens about twice a month as daddy works so much. we laughed and teased and stuffed ourselves silly. 

the other thing that made it a special day was making a cake with me. usually the kids come up with crazy cake themes, but this year she asked for an ice cream cake. i guess i could handle that...at least it requires no baking. (most people know i can't bake to save my life)

uhhh, working with ice cream  is harder! try icing a melting mess in the middle of june. all the border stars just slid right off as well as the sides of the icing. my freezer was a mess. at least it is a cake she will never forget.

HEAVENLY FATHER, THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT OF OUR DAUGHTER. SHE IS AN AMAZING GIRL WHO AIMS TO PLEASE BOTH YOU AND HER PARENTS. THANK YOU FOR THE TWELVE YEARS WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED BY THIS SPECIAL SOUL. WE PRAY THAT WE WILL HAVE MANY YEARS TO COME TO LOVE HER. PLEASE SHIELD HER FROM ALL EVIL AND BLESS HER WITH A SERVANT'S HEART SO THAT SHE MAY BE DRAWN EVER CLOSER TO YOU AS SHE GROWS. WE ASK THIS THROUGH THE MERCY OF YOUR SON, JESUS. AMEN.