10 Reasons Why...

...I have the best daughter in the world!




Caroline turned 10 on Saturday, and with all the fun and excitement I didn’t post this on her actual day! But in Caroline’s honor, I’m sharing this now to celebrate this happy and momentous event.

1. Caroline has a quick wit and loves word play. When she was 5, she announced, "I have a riddle, mom! Where do babies come from? Va-China, mom! Get it? Va-China?" (Caroline was born in China.

2. She's always willing to try new things. She even asked if she could try brussels sprouts! The fact that her friends don't like something won't deter her from trying it, either.

3. She doesn't go along with the crowd. She thinks independently and doesn't mind being different.

4. Caroline is very creative, in an original and inventive way. Okay, it frustrates me that she doesn’t want to follow directions and make something the way instructions show...But she always has a clever and interesting approach that is all her own.

5. She is very kind and loving with animals. When she sewed her first mini-quilt, she insisted that we bind it and give it to the animal shelter as a pad for a cat bed.

6. She wants to be helpful all the time. She happily fetched and carried for me when I was immobilized with a broken knee, and she even performed plays and dance routines for me, too.

7. She’s proud of being from China and interested in learning about China. She has enough stuffed pandas on her bed to have genuine Pandamonium!

8. She expresses delightfully interesting thoughts. When she was very small, maybe 3, she said to me while she gazed at Chen, her large stuffed panda, “Chen is very quiet, isn’t he?”

9. Caroline believes she can do anything, and I think she’s right.

10. Caroline is a happy cuddler and loves nothing more to sit snuggled up on the couch or bed to read, talk, or watch movies.

Happy Birthday, sweetie!

Oh– this fluffy demonic beast is Squeekers, the 4th grade classroom guinea pig. In honor of Caroline’s birthday, he came and spent the weekend with us. He provided much entertainment for Caroline and our two cats!