She is told so often how much she looks like me -- she's my little twin (except for the small detail that she has hair the exact color of her dad's). And she doesn't seem to mind one bit; she takes that comment in stride, beaming from ear to ear. She also has my determination to succeed, especially in her academics. In fact, she is so proud of the fact that she has not yet missed a single spelling word on her weekly tests to date. She is reading at 111 words per minute (and the school system would like the students to be reading at 58 wpm).
She has the kindest heart. And with that, there isn't a single person that isn't her friend. She is a wonderful big sister ... so patient with her younger siblings and so excited to meet her youngest little brother in just a matter of months. I can't wait to see them together.
And so, we made sure to celebrate this special member of our family in a big way on her special day.
We began with the traditional cinnamon rolls and a candle in the morning before school. (Steve had blown up a bunch of balloons before he left for work and left them at her spot at the kitchen bar area).
Sophia, Jack and I sang happy birthday to her and then she blew out her candles.
For her birthday treat at school, I gave her a couple of options and she chose turkey cupcakes. Apparently they were a big hit today!
After school, I had snacks ready for the kids before we needed to pack up and head back up to the elementary school for Samantha's Parent-Teacher Conference at 4:15 pm. The kids were so well-behaved and it wasn't long before we were back in the van and heading to the other side of town to meet Steve for Samantha's birthday dinner.
Earlier in the day, I had asked Samantha where she would like to go for dinner. She chose Red Robin -- as in, a restaurant about 40 minutes from our house. When I questioned if there was any place else that she might like to go, she looked at me with the straightest face and replied, "So, what you're saying is that I don't get to choose where we go for my birthday dinner?" I couldn't argue with that.
So, Steve met us there at 5:00 pm, as it made no sense for him to come home from work first. What a wonderful surprise because he had a table for us, complete with balloons and a small cake.
It was a great time and the kids cheered when the waitresses came out to sing for Samantha ... and brought her an ice cream sundae to go with the cake.
After we arrived home, Samantha was finally able to open her gifts.
Of course, Sophia was right there ... in case Sam needed any help. Ha!
And now ... this weekend, we will be celebrating her birthday again -- twice! On Saturday, we have a lot of friends coming over and then family will be joining us on Sunday. The theme this year? Wizard of Oz ...
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