On the Occasion of Emma's Twelfth Birthday

Yesterday my little girl turned 12. I was a little sad at first. I wish she weren't growing up so fast but on the other hand, she is growing up so well!

In my mind, birthdays should be special and it is best if there is at least a full day of celebration. Unfortunately for Em, her birthday almost always falls on the day they do standardized testing at school. Luckily for Em, the testing ended at 10am which is the exact time her mommy checked her out of school!

It was a full, and in her words, perfect day. There was a toy store visit, lunch out, snuggling, playing, gifts, dinner out and birthday pie. Also, her first ever white Birthday! She loved her presents including an assortment of thoughtful things from her sister, this bean bag chair and a box of books that made her so happy you'd have thought she won the lottery. It's possible that books are her love language.

I love the girl she is. She is kind hearted, so appreciative of what she has and her life, creative, loving, smart, girly, beautiful and so comfortable with who she is that you can't help but notice and be a wee bit envious. She wears skirts and dresses most every day of her life, has a fashion sense that is all her own, is not interested in makeup, trendy clothes, peer pressure, Justin Bieber, cell phones, boys, the in crowd or growing up too fast. She has an old soul, loves books, nature, new adventures, ballet, playing violin, travel (Paris!), antiquing, has already chosen her college (Butler!), classical and coffee house type music, loves games, her dollhouse, her antique typewriter, her treehouse, her ever-growing book collection, this Village she lives in and her friends, pets and family. This is a girl whose life is so full, she couldn't think of a single thing to wish for as she blew out her candles.

Happiest Birthday Emma Grace! I hope twelve is good to you!


*All photos courtesy of my iphone and a Momma living too in the moment to take the time to grab her real camera!