Helen Grace's 10th Birthday

• Weight: 75.4 pounds (50th percentile)
• Height: 56 inches tall (75th percentile) 
• BMI: 50th percentile

Helen Grace's 10th birthday fell on the Saturday after school let out for summer. For the past several years, she's celebrated with a big joint party with three other classmates, but this year, they were ready for something a little bit different and more individual. She's decided to take a little getaway with a friend in another week or so, so we celebrated the actual occasion with a long strand of little treats and surprises.

I took her lunch to school and Whimsy cookies for her class on the last Monday of the year.

Cressey really got into the card making and present wrapping this year too.

Maddie spent the night the last day of school, and we went to see Aladdin on Friday.

We surprised her with a cake painting on the mirror, with which Cressey was completely enthralled.

John and I took Cressey out to dinner Friday night so that HG could have some alone time to play with Spiffer.

She woke up to a BIG birthday sign in the front yard.

This is what John found the night before. Luckily, he was able to edit it before GH saw it.

We got her a monogrammed blanket for a horse, and at first she thought we were saying we got her a HORSE. NOPE.

She really loved the techy stuff this year- pretty covers for her Mac book and iPad. Also, she got her first Kendra Scott necklace, some Athleta clothes, Birks, and a new suitcase.

Later, we heard a knock on the door, and she found 10 (plus an actual '10') balloons outside.

And a "light blue cake with flowers all over it": that one she threw on me just days before her birthday. Luckily, our friend Hope was up for the challenge!

We got our nails done on Saturday afternoon. Cressey's were a complete disaster, but the nice lady took off the smeared pink fingernail polish and we convinced her the clear polish was actually a really light pink. WHEW.

Party time with grandparents (and Lil and Uncle Charlie) and then a sleepover with Grandma

Can't you just feel the sisterly love here???

What birthday would be complete without a sparkler candle??

Helen Grace, you are a kind, hilarious, creative, free spirit who loves your friends and family fiercely. You love to have fun and be silly, you don't let much bother you, and you look for ways to include others and make them feel special. You listen to coaches/ teachers and apply constructive criticism, and you are tough as nails on the back of a horse (finally cantering over cross rails!!!) or stepping on to a softball field or theater stage (never having done it before) or into a dance classroom (knowing no one). You're counting down the days to a second year at Victory Ranch- no homesickness here!

We've seen a sneak peak of the teen years ahead with some eye rolling and 'tude, but so far, we can usually steer it in the right direction. That being said though, you have conquered some big, hard life lessons lately: learning to share time, attention, love, things with a sister and realizing it will help you later in life; learning how to adjust to a new teacher and their new/ different methods and realizing that once you open yourself up to it, you really do like it/them and have learned from the experience. I can see you growing and learning right in front of our eyes! 

You've stepped up with math and the awful multiplication tables (although they brought out your sassy streak), and now that decimals and fractions have arrived, you've decided you like math again. You are starting to see that your sister might be fun to play with, and I love watching you two start to bond on a more grown up level. You've recently reminisced on how cool it was to see someone else's first words, first steps, etc. and often ask for another brother or sister. You constantly beg for a dog. Or a turtle. Or a chameleon. Such an animal lover!

You've never heard a song that you can't memorize the lyrics to in a hot minute, and you live for the next song that's coming on the radio and ask us to play music constantly. It's as if your life is put to music. You love to read and get into a good book and often have several going at one time. We've let you start texting us and your grandparents from your iPad, and we love to send funny gifs back and forth. 

Here's your annual questionnaire:

• What do you want to be when you grow up? 1st grade teacher
• Favorite subject? Math (“Once you ‘get’ dividing, it’s fun!”)
• BFF? Maddie and Natalia 
• Favorite vacation? Bahamas
• Where do you want to live when you grow up? Memphis because I want to be a teacher at SAA
• Where do you want to go to college? Ole Miss 
• How many kids do you want to have? 3 
• Favorite color? Light blue and starting to like yellow
• Favorite food? Ice cream, spaghetti with meatballs, grilled cheese, Mac and cheese, pizza, 
• Favorite princess? Jasmine
• Favorite toy? Lovey Blankey Henry
• Favorite city? NYC 
• Favorite animal? Horse
• Favorite movie? Aladdin
• Favorite tv show? Any tv show on Animal Planet

I added a few more age specific questions this year...

• Singer- Taylor Swift
• Songs- “Knockin’ Boots” by Blake Shelton, “I Don’t Care” by Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber, “If I Can’t Have You” by Shawn Mendes, “The Bones” by Maren Morris 
• App- Minecraft
• Book- Secret Garden
• Gift- Spiffer’s smell good stuff 
• Field trip- Nashville day trip
• Drink- sweet tea and milk
• Emoji- red heart and the one with cooky eyes and tongue out and confetti blower and the wink
• Thing to do on a Friday night- play on iPad 
• Hobby or activity- riding, softball, dance