Evie enters the double-digits...

I'm not sure how it's possible, but we now have a 10 year old. Wow. I find it really hard to believe that so much time has passed since I woke up in the middle of the night, not sure if we were about to have a baby or not. Evie came barreling into the world at 6:08am after 40 minutes of pushing. My doctor arrived just in time to catch her, as we'd only gotten to the hospital at about 4:30am or so - no pain killers for me that time! Her arrival is clearly burned in my memory, whereas the other 3 sort of blend together - much less drama associated with their arrival all around.

Evie's really turning out to be a great kid - mostly polite and helpful, conscientious about schoolwork, and lots of fun to be around. She talks a lot, and there's so much going on inside her head that she loves to share - the house is definitely much quieter when Evie's not around, there is a noticeable difference in the energy level around here and her absence is obvious.

So LAST YEAR Evie picked out the cake she wanted from the Cake Bible - the Blueberry Swan Lake cake. I think I'm going to throw the Cake Bible away so the other kids don't get any bright ideas. This thing took me most of Sunday afternoon to put together - we were out of the house all day Saturday, and it's just a cake, right? The cake itself went together easily enough - but the frosting was a big disappointment, and the blueberry topping that was supposed to be thick and create a 'lake-like' layer on top never gelled. This is not the first cake I've tried from that book, but it might be the last - I have better luck with recipes I find on the internet. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and Evie was happy, so that's what's important. Moving on!

Evie had made a birthday list right after William's birthday. Then she revised it. Then she revised it again. And after Sarah's birthday, she revised it again. And again, after I told her I was not buying her any more stuffed animals - EVER. She got a few things on her list, and I was able to surprise her with a few things...

My Harry Potter lover now can wear the Gryffindor crest with pride...

And go figure - a latch hook kit doesn't come with a hook! Guess I'll be swinging by the craft store (again) so she can start yet another project. Maybe one of them will get finished some day :)

 

The one thing she was really hoping for was a pair of rollerblades, and Dad picked out the perfect pair for her - I think she's pretty excited :)

Happy Birthday Evie! I can't wait to see what the next 10 years brings your way :)