Celebrating September 6

Even though it seems not long ago that our sweet little Alaina looked like this,

she actually turned 11 yesterday!

We are so thankful she is part of our family and love to hear all of her thoughts and ideas, her book reviews and cello practicing (even when it's a little squeaky!), and also her laugh. She adores hamsters and got a new hamster with a much larger cage a week early for her birthday this year. 

She also loves to be cozy in her blankets, is always willing to give a hug, and is a good friend to all three of her siblings. She will be starting middle school in just a few days, and already survived the orientation, complete with mask.

Times being what they are, the Primary from our church organized a "drive-by" celebration, where people decorated their cars and formed a parade that went by our house. 

People honked and threw cards and gifts to Alaina. We'd been to a couple of these events for other kids, and Alaina wasn't sure how she would feel about having one of her own ... but she actually loved it!

She felt very loved and had fun reading the cards and going through all the gifts.

(These flowers were dropped off a day early so they wouldn't have to be thrown out of a car 

window!)  

Afterwards, we went to pick up Grandma to come over for barbecued burgers. (We really missed Grandpa, who normally would have come, too.)

Alaina has been reading The Hunger Games this summer and just finished the third book yesterday. She'd seen a cake on the internet that captured a scene where Peeta is hiding in a pit, camouflaged with mud, sticks and leaves, with only his eyes visible.

She'd asked me to make something like it, but with everything going on, I didn't think I'd have it in me. I suggested a couple of times that she could pick out a bakery cake, but she really wanted me to make one. Finally, she agreed to my plan, but then on Saturday morning the weather was cool enough and I was up early enough to bake her favorite fudgy chocolate cake before we started our day.

Alaina and I went and picked out all the candy, then Sunday morning I put it all together. 

It was different from the Pinterest picture, but we liked it even better :)

We weren't sure what to do about the candles, since blowing on a cake has kind of fallen out of fashion, but in the end we decided to cut the cake and put all 11 candles on Alaina's piece.

Somehow when she tried to blow them out, they all stayed lit--even one that had flickered! It took two more blows to get them all out ... so, we probably made the right call in putting all the candles on her own piece of cake :)

It was a different birthday this year, but Alaina had a happy day and felt lots of extra love from people who reached out with their cards, gifts, and honks. And now she's really 11!