Bailee is 7!!!

As you can see, I haven't blogged much this summer. We've done so many fun things that I will try to catch up on, but I have to start with the most important thing on the list. My baby girl turned 7! She had a mile long list of things she wanted to do for her birthday so we started a couple weeks early and did as much as we could. Chucke Cheese, McDonald's new play place, the Kelly Clarkson concert, friend party, family party, swimming, etc. We had fun making her feel as special as possible.

Bailee chose to have a Hannah Montana party with her friends. They made jewelry, played a couple music games, and had dessert. I made my first fondant cake which Bailee ended up loving. She described the design she wanted and I had alot of fun with it.





Kelly Clarkson had a concert at UVU a couple nights before Bailee's birthday. My sis and her daughter came with us and we had such a blast! It poured and poured and poured and we were soaked and freezing but still had fun. We were really close to the stage and the girls sat on the fence the whole time. Kelly waved at them a few times which totally made their night. Definitely worth the rain and long long lines.



On the morning of her birthday we gave her a bike she had picked out earlier. Unfortunately I bought one that was noisy so we had to take it back to the store and get a new one. The next week we were camping and Damon ran over the bike and totally destroyed it. So, yes, we had to buy her another one.
Ending the party streak, we celebrated with the cousins at Damon's parents house.
Here's just a few of the many things that make Bailee the little sweet heart that she is. The little things that melt my heart and make me so proud to be able to call her my daughter:

******She is such a good sister. Any new thing Trey learns she gets so excited it's as if it's her own success. She truly truly loves him. She is always putting his needs first. She'll play with him even if it's boring for her, get him his breakfast, get him dressed, brush his teeth, pick out treats or snacks for him that she knows are his favorite, sing endless songs to him (cause mom can only do that for so long), and the list could go on forever. No, I don't make her do these things. She just loves to do it.
******She loves to learn. She's fascinated with anatomy, the gospel, heaven, science, cooking, and more. She'll ask very very deep questions about death and the afterlife that seriously blow my mind. I'm so proud of how hard she has worked in school, especially the things that don't come so easily. Every one of her teachers since preschool has commented on her hard work and determination.
******She has a compassionate heart. This is the main thing that sticks out in my mind when I think of her. Some people are just born that way, and Bailee was born that way plus more. She wants to take the homeless home, give her toys away to people that are sad or sick, and is always coming up with ways that she or we can help others with even the simplest of things. I won't lie, she does not like sharing her favorite toys and would rather hide them than have to share them. Then on so many occasions I find her with the Christmas wrapping paper, tape, and scissors, sitting on her bed, wrapping up a favorite toy to give to a sad friend, a sick or injured brother, or someone else in need of her love. She leaves notes and letters all over the house to let us know how much she loves us. Last week I was watching my niece and nephew for a couple days and for family home evening we decided to talk about pioneers. We've talked about the pioneers before, but I started telling some detailed stories about the trials they went through crossing the plains and some things Joseph Smith and his family went through. I began talking about some of the pioneers that lost their lives and noticed Bailee with her head down on her knees just sobbing. Apparently the stories were a little more than her heart could take. I tried to make the stories end happy but she was definitely affected. Later, I asked all the kids what they would take in their covered wagon if they were a pioneer. When it was her turn she said (still crying) "just my family." Melt my heart.

Happy birthday, my Bailee boo!