Sydney is ELEVEN!

Technically we celebrated Sydney's birthday a day early- but she really didn't seem to mind! Let's start with the traditional breakfast in bed. Sydney requested eggs, toast, pancake puffs and sausage. Because we her beautiful holiday sheets were already on the bed, we snapped this photo and then immediately grabbed the tray, threw down another blanket and then let her enjoy her a little pampering. I'm not sure if I've mentioned the girls always get a card from their Wuehler grandparents as well as the Rogers who are old friends from BYU. For years and years Janeal has mailed cards to our kids to make their birthday extra special and I'm so very grateful to her for her thoughtfulness! 

That evening we celebrated with cake and I have to say my baby girl is looking older and older. She threw off the last vestiges of babyhood long ago but the innocence in her eyes and that unbridled enthusiasm of youth lingered. Lately I definitely see glimpses of a teenager. 

I'm rather proud of her present. All of my girls have varying levels of diva in them but Sydney's shower routine irked pretty much everyone. She'd start the water and while it was warming up, throw her towel in the dryer so once she was ready to get out, it would be warm and fluffy. The only problem is she had to yell for someone to get it for her so she wouldn't drip water from the bathroom to the dryer so inevitably someone (usually Brent or I) was rather annoyed. In thinking of a good gift for Sydney, it occurred to me that a towel warmer would fit between the toilet and shower. Thank you Amazon! As you can see, Sydney was absolutely delighted!

We went around the table sharing our "I Love Sydney Because" and "I Remember When" while enjoying the cake with bright blue frosting. 

I'm not really sure at what age it is that people decide to lessen the fuss around their birthday, but for Sydney it definitely is not at age eleven! She asked me to dig out this sash which yes, she wore all day to school. She counted up approximately 75 well-wishes, particularly from strangers and she was proud as punch to be celebrating. 

I love this girl with all my heart. Being the youngest of 3 independent and strong-willed sisters can't be easy. Someday they will all be gone and it will just be Sydney with Brent and I for a couple of years- something no one else will get to experience. My own youngest sister Whitney talked about how yes, it was nice to be around when Mom and Dad were more financially stable but also about how lonely it was for her when everyone left. So that's heavy on my mind and I hope to make those years with just Sydney something special. 

For now we love watching her grow. She has the most creative little mind and she's such a joy to be around. Happy Birthday Sydney! Enjoy another spin around the sun!