Happy 14th Birthday Sissy Mom! 2013

Where did the time go?  Fourteen years ago we embarked on the journey of parenthood with Sissy Mom.  Then we blinked and fourteen years flew by!  We couldn't imagine then what a blessing she would be to us these fourteen years.

For her family party Sissy Mom chose a snowflake theme.  She requested my Absolutely Ultimate Potato Soup and there were devil's food cupcakes for dessert.

Little Mama helped serve the cupcakes

After lunch there were gifts and birthday speeches

 It was noted in Sissy Mom's birthday speeches that she's a wonderful helper in our home, a thoughtful friend and student, a generous and fun big sister and a diligent worker.  Here are six things I love and appreciate about our oldest daughter:

1. Her insightfulness.  She has insightful questions and comments about the text almost every evening during our family Bible reading time. (Her Hebrew studies have helped tremendously!)  

2. Her musical taste.  She loves hymns and classical music.  In a day and age when popular music is all most young people will listen to (I certainly did at her age!) it's refreshing to have a teenager that prefers hymns and classical music--even if she doesn't share my affinity for Reformed Rap!  

3. Her thoughtfulness.  When she realized that Dad eats the same breakfast every morning she began putting his breakfast "tools" together every evening--including the little measuring glass for his daily vitamins.   

4. Her eldership.  She's a great big sister--mainly because she still enjoys playing paper dolls and silly games with her younger siblings.  She also reads books that she has enjoyed to them at bedtime.

 

5. Her friendship choices.  She has managed to build friendships with a lovely and varied group of girls.  Some she sees often and others she sees once in a blue moon but writes to regularly.

6. Her diligence.  Every weekday morning she starts on her school work without complaint or procrastination.  She rarely needs reminding to do her daily chores.  She works quickly and thoroughly, often making improvements on the way I've shown her how to do things. 

This year, in addition to our traditional family party, we took Sissy Mom and six of her friends out to pizza and an activity of Sissy Mom's choice.  She chose roller skating!

One of the girls trying to soothe the savage beast

Opening gifts

At the rink

Helping a first time skater

Little Mama had been practicing so she was excited to skate at the rink for the first time

I was amazed at how little skating rinks have changed since I was about ten years old.  It was like stepping back in time.  Yep, they even did the "Hokey Pokey".

Big girls help the little ones

But the skating rink wasn't the last of the birthday festivities for Sissy Mom.

There was more!

There was the matter of The Hobbit.  Sissy Mom is a HUGE Lord of the Rings / Hobbit fan and couldn't wait for the second Hobbit movie to come out.  How serendipitous that it was released shortly after her birthday!  Dad purchased tickets for her and him to attend the Hobbit Marathon event at the 3D IMAX theater where they saw both Hobbit movies back to back and returned home at 3am!

Our first born, our beloved daughter.