Happy Birthday Katherine!

Katherine turned 7 last week on the 13th. She is growing up so quickly; we can't call her our "little girl" any more. She got a "grown-up" purse for Christmas and has been known to hook it on her elbow and walk around the house looking quite dignified. She's been going through "grown-up training" and learning how to do grown-up things - emptying the garbage, loading the dishwasher, moping floors, folding clothes and putting them away, etc. She's going to have her own small garden this summer to tend and cultivate. She's also "in charge" while I run on the treadmill each morning. We keep it in our mudroom and when I go in and close the door, I'm able to focus on my run while she's takes care of the children. I'm right there if there is a problem, but she seldom needs me. She's very helpful.

We didn't have a birthday party for Katherine (the trip to Disney was everyone's birthday party this year), but we made her requested dinner - lasagna and green beans. We babysat our friend's kids and then the missionaries brought more friends over, so we ended up having help singing to Katherine and eating the cake, to which I am very grateful!

This year we are focusing on preparing Katherine for baptism (to which she says - "mom, I already know I want to be baptised!"), setting up a savings account for her with her birthday money (she wants to start saving for her mission - and a microscope), and fueling her love for reading and learning to the best of our ability. She reads everything she can get her hands on and her first love is science. When she had an earache last night I gave her my herbal remedy book and had her read the section on ear aches while I rubbed her ear with garlic oil; she was fascinated by the description of what causes an earache and how the garlic oil can help. She just might be a doctor yet! I love Katherine dearly and don't know what I would do without my big girl.

Happy Birthday Katherine!