Susannah Wren Turns Ten

Tenth birthdays are a Big Deal around here.  Not only does the birthday child leave single digits behind forever but also the occasion brings with it a full-size birthday quilt sewn by my mom to replace the baby quilt she makes for them in their first year of life.  The baby quilts are so well-loved and tattered by the decade mark that all the grandchildren begin to anticipate the fresh quilt a few years prior to the birthday itself.  (Piper, at not-quite-age-eight, is already planning colors and themes for her tenth birthday quilt; you guessed it-- SKUNKS.)

To begin her day (which was over a month ago now), here's the birthday Bird playing pat-a-cake before breakfast.

This may the last bonafide birthday cake for the big girls for the forseeable future.  We've had so much untouched cake at the end of each birthday lately that my sister and her family are probably sick of it, too, considering I ferry them all the leftovers.  Ice cream, on the other hand, is the big draw, and Annika has already requested an ice cream cake for her Foolish Day.

So, here it is, perhaps the Last Barn Cake Ever for the Owen household.  It's been a good run, though...







Susannah added the finishing touches after I'd finished the cake before posing for a sober kitchen portrait.

Then she ordered me out of the kitchen so she could add the final, final touches, which were shrouded in secrecy.  When she invited me back in, I found she'd graffitied the duck pond and barn with love for good ol' Raphael Aloysius.  I think he'd approve.

Light the barn on fire!





















We love you bunches, Bird, and take joy in all you are, from ten to twenty and beyond.







And here's the birthday quilt in the requested colors and theme (cats, in case you couldn't tell), with the dramatic Bird herself.

The lighting in the landing is spotty, but you get the idea.