Hallie's 7th Birthday!

Our darling Hallie turned 7 on November 4th. It's hard to believe that she is this old. It truly feels like just a few years ago she was our chubby, darling baby girl. We love Hallie and the wonderful girl she is. Here are a few pictures of her birthday (that we threw together since I had just gotten home!) and some things about her at age 7:

She was most excited about her bike, I think! Her first non-DI or garage sale bike, I do believe. We are really moving up in the world.

And the traditional DQ cake. Love that junk.

Of course, a birthday is not complete without flowers from Daddy

She got to put together this poster for school for her birthday. I love that it captures her cute handwriting and spelling, along with some of her favorites.

A few things about Hallie at this age:
*She reads like a champion and reads chapter books in a few days. Her teacher wrote on her report card that she reads 93 words per minute, which is above the class-expected 25 words per minute.
*She is good at all other subjects as well, except maybe spelling. Her spelling is a real riot at this stage. Maybe it will improve or maybe it will be a struggle for her - who knows!
*Hallie is very social and always wants a play date. She is inclusive with friends in her class and in the other classes at school. During carpool one day, our neighbor Nora (the same age), leaned over to Hallie and said, "Hallie, I heard today that Tommy has a crush on you!" Is that for real?! Are we old enough for that? I think not.
*Hallie is an excellent sister and helper around the house. I sometimes feel bad that she has been forced to grow up so quickly, but she is very mature and responsible for her age. I worried about her with Mishell coming in and disrupting her birth order (Flor is older, but is much younger developmentally, so it is different). So far, this has not been a problem at all. Hallie and Mishell get along so well and act truly as sisters do. There is no jealousy there, but a camaraderie and friendship that was immediate.
*Hallie tends to think everything is funny and loves to laugh. It drives Devin nuts because she really does laugh at everything, even things that are so mundane and ordinary. I guess we should be glad that she is a happy girl in general.
*She loves her knock-off American girl doll and coloring. I would say these are her two go-to activities after school (at least while it's been winter). I think she will be out riding her bike now more that the weather is warming up.
*Hallie is very sensitive and caring. She worries about other people's feelings and is our child that feels remorse the most deeply. Even over something simple that was not that big of a deal, if she feels she is in trouble or did something wrong, she will cry for hours. In a way, this is good because she corrects her behavior quickly and doesn't often repeat mistakes. She is really very well behaved overall and we do not have to discipline her much.

Hallie is a true joy to parent. I think she is our easiest child by far. We are so grateful for her and the happiness and peace she brings into our home!