7 year old Baby Girl

Time just keeps flying by. I have a 7 year old now and am in disbelief that next year she will be getting baptized. Whoa...

Chloe turned 7 on December 2nd.

She started off her birthday morning with a 7:00 a.m. dentist appointment. And she didn't complain at all. What a trooper.

After the appointment, we still had plenty of time to kill before school started, so I took the birthday girl (and her siblings) out for breakfast at Starbucks for hot chocolate and donuts. (I always feel weird going into Starbucks since it is famously known for their coffee, not their hot chocolate, and we don't drink coffee. Just feels strange to be holding a coffee cup as a non-coffee drinker).

Don't know if you can tell from this picture, but my "baby" is wearing 2 retainers! She started orthodontics a few weeks ago on a recommendation from our dentist after noticing Chloe had a terrible cross bite. She got her retainers just 2 days before her birthday and she was so excited about them. And after just 24 hours of wearing them, her teeth had already moved significantly and she no longer cross bites. Amazing. Money well spent.

The kids loved it!

For dinner, we headed to Red Robin to celebrate. We love Red Robin, especially since they give free meals to everyone on their birthday and our dentist and orthodontist give free kids meals as well. We fed the entire family that night for $10 with all our free stuff.

Back home to open gifts.

Chloe has been wanting a watch for a long time.

I love her excited reaction upon opening a pair of "Ugg" boots (they are not Ugg brand, but that's what she calls them and has been begging for some for months).

She has also been wanting an umbrella for months. Thanks Grandma and Papa for making her day!

The twins were very anxious to help open gifts and Chloe let them help on the last present.

Hooray- a new coat! Chloe outgrew her old coat about a year ago. It's been freezing cold here lately, so it will be put to good use.

All her new loot. The cute little pink and purple box in front was a jewelry making kit from Nana and Papa. She made a bracelet and necklace that very night. A dream come true- she loves jewelry.

Birthday girl with her favorite pals. Mitch was not happy about getting his picture taken (he was sick that day).

We had such a busy week that I was not up for making a cake. When I asked Chloe would kind of cake she wanted me to buy, she shocked me when she said she wanted a strawberry cheesecake from Costco. Our kids are not big cheesecake fans, at all. Chloe will try just about anything one time, and when we have cheesecake she nibbles on a piece, but it is not her favorite. Ben and I would give our right arms for cheesecake, so we weren't about to argue with her decision. She later told me, "Mom, I picked cheesecake because I know you and Dad love it." What a sweetheart.

We let the birthday girl stay up late on her birthday since there was no school the next day. She put on her pajamas and her new boots and stayed in them until going to bed.

This past weekend, we took some 7 year photos of our big girl.

Ben's favorite

My favorite.

What a sweet girl we have. Our favorite things about this girl:

She loves to read. At her most recent parent/teacher conference, we were told she is reading at almost a second grade level. She can now read to herself and loves to read to her younger siblings, but still loves to be read to.

She loves to learn. She is at the head of her class and excels at almost everything (science is currently the only subject she has any trouble with). Her teacher said that Chloe really needs to push herself to continue to excel because everything at school comes very easy to her and she is above grade level.

She loves to draw, color and create. We find piles and piles of art work all over the house from our little Picasso.

She is a great friend. Her teacher recently reported how sweet and helpful she is with so many kids in her class. She has been recognized many times at school for her kindness and going out of her way to help and befriend others.

She is always anxious and eager to help at home. She loves setting the table, helping with dinner, vacuuming, and can pick up and tidy an entire room in minutes.

She is a great little piano player and can memorize a song after just playing it a few times.

She has always been our best eater. Even if she doesn't love something, she will always try it and is the only child we have that can be talked into finishing an item she doesn't love. She eats and loves almost every single vegetable. Her favorite veggie is green beans, with a close second being corn. Her favorite food is homemade baking powder biscuits. She requests them on a weekly basis.

She loves being outside and enjoys camping, riding her bike and playing with friends.

She loves to talk and is very curious. She likes to know what we are doing, where we are going and why something is happening. She sometimes has to be reminded that certain things are not her business. :)

Although strong willed and loud at times, she is our peace maker and is very sweet to help out when she senses we are stressed or busy. She loves to compliment me and Ben, and has become very good at thanking us for gifts, special privileges and fun activities she gets to do.

Happy Birthday, Chloe girl. May your next year be as great as this one was!