Sierra is 10 years old!!!

She said it was her best birthday ever! She always says that - so apparently every year her birthday gets better, just as she does! She spent it as she usually does. First she had her birthday breakfast (donuts and an egg for protein, which she's requested every year since she was a toddler), we took our annual mother/daughter in our pj’s photos at the moment she was born (8:56AM), she got a birthday morning present and then we went out with her best friend, Elizabeth, to John's Incredible Pizza for an afternoon of fun (and expense!). For dinner she chose takeout Italian and then we had birthday cake (homemade brownies, which I finished as people were eating dinner!), played games and watched a movie (the 1934 A Christmas Carol). For dinner and her birthday brownies we had Elizabeth here as well as Grammy and Grandpa, Auntie Amber and Uncle John and Cousin Logan.

She went to bed way later than she should have but went willingly so she wouldn't take a chance of keeping Santa away. All in all it was a fun day for her and a great way to celebrate turning 10 YEARS OLD!! We cannot believe that our beautiful girl is now 10 years old! We are grateful that our daughter is healthy, happy and so very sweet, loving, thoughtful and always helpful and considerate of us and others. She is not yet interested in anything “preteen” and spends her time playing with her pretend food, her American Girl Stuff, playing pretend (Vet, Pet Shop owner or something to do with animals being her favorite games although Spy isn’t far behind!) and reading (sometimes too much). We are very pleased that she has no interest –yet– in anything “preteeny” and are enjoying being her parents as much as ever. Every day with Sierra I am mindful of how blessed I am to be her mother and how blessed I am to have such a wonderful daughter! The past 10 years have been the most amazing, joyous, fun and fulfilling imaginable and I am looking forward to continuing to watch her grow and mature and to see what a great big sister to Samantha I'm sure she'll be!

Sierra and mommy's first moments together and 10 wonderful years later!!!!



Photos of Sierra as a newborn (in the hospital blankie and in her first Christmas dress, actually her first dress of any kind!)followed by photos of Sierra the day she turned 10!!!

Sierra with her new American Girl doll - Ivy Ling

Sierra just being her cute self and with her birthday brownies