World's GREATEST Big Sister Turns 11!!

Shall I tell you the story of how Sophia was born?  Shall I tell you how she was admitted to the hospital before I was?  Or how there wasn't even a doctor on the wing of the hospital where I was giving birth to Sophia?  Shall I tell you that I guess I didn't need that epidural after all?

or not.

To celebrate Sophia's birthday this year, Sophia chose to have one of her sweet friends over for a sleepover. They spent time playing together with their dolls, changing clothes, accessorizing, and fixing their hair.   They got to sleep on the big air bed in the family room and stay up late to watch a "chick flick".  Keep in mind that it was a "chick flick" of the eleven year old flavor. 

They had fun eating snacks and having "girl talk".  The next morning, they started all over again with the dolls and had a fun time together.  We enjoyed eating lunch with her friend's family, and then we all had cake together before they had to leave.  Later that evening, we had Sophia's birthday dinner of choice, which was Shepherd's Pie, with all the family here together.   One of Sophie's gifts this year was to have her ears pierced.  She had mentioned getting it done for a while, but wasn't quite sure about the process.  She asked me one day... "If they don't use that gun thing to pierce your ears, then what is another way it can be done?"  I then relayed to her the freeze your ear with an ice cube and use a needle and a potato.  After a sick looking grimace she decided that the "gun thing" didn't sound so bad after all.   The Saturday before her birthday I asked her to go out and "do errands" with me, and much to her surprise, one of the "errands" was taking her to get her ears pierced!!  She was so surprised and thrilled! 

She picked her birthstone as the stud that they used to pierce her ears, the peridot, which is pronounced "pair-ah-doe", by the way.  Just in case you didn't know that.   This year, Sophie chose "dirt cake" as her birthday cake.  I had never made one before, but we sure had fun doing it.  We found these fat, gummy worms called "Splatter-pillars" to use inside the "cake".  They were great!

 Sophia is really the sweetest big sister and oldest daughter that a Mother could hope and pray for.  The "little kids" run to her as their second Mommy and she truly enjoys playing with them and caring for them.  All bias aside, I believe she will be one of the most awesome babysitters in the universe!!  Just ask Titus...he already wants to marry her and he's only five!!  Sweet sibling love.   We thank the Lord for the special girl that he gave us in Sophia and look forward to how he will use her in her life as she seeks to serve Him.