Nine!

This morning I sat on the couch with this girl and told her that nine years ago she was brand new and about "this big."  She also was mad as can be. 

Thankfully she got over the mad part.  But she still isn't very big.

We were taking pictures of her with the cake--and she has a very obnoxious photo bomber. 

She wasn't too upset by the whole deal. 

This girl of ours is amazing.  She is smart, kind, generous, determined, creative, considerate and a whole host of other really great things packed into a small and very enthusiastic package.

I think one of her defining moments of the year was when she got a horse of her very own. 

These two have already spent an extraordinary amount of time together.  I have a feeling they will be doing an extraordinary amount of learning from one another. 

I had to laugh at the vet when we took Lucy to get her teeth floated.  The tech asked if the horse was a Christmas present.  I just shook my head and told her that I didn't want to set the bar that high. 

Knitting is also something Calla has really been enjoying.  And she designs stuff.  Like this:

A pencil cup.  Why?  Because she is learning to make socks and has to practice to get the gauge right.  Why waste the effort?  So she decreased, lined it with paper and filled it with beans.  Ta-DA!  A pencil cup!

This girl is thriving.  She loves life.  She loves her family.  She loves learning. She works hard.  She has a huge heart. 

She is our Calla.  And we love her.  Happy birthday to our favorite nine-year-old!

(Note that she designed her banner and painted the flowers.  Love this kid!)