My daughter is a decade old. A whole decade. It’s astonishing, how quickly the past ten years have swooped by.
This was the first year… ever??? at least since her birth???? that we had both sets of grandparents on hand for Carla’s birthday. We all went out to dinner at Carla’s favorite restaurant and then came back to our house for presents and cake. After many months of highly specific requests, Carla asked for a simple birthday cake: vanilla cake with raspberry filling and vanilla buttercream. Because I like to make things difficult on myself pretty, and because Carla didn’t have any specific color scheme in mind, I bought a lot of turquoise decorations and then decorated the cake to match. (I did a kind of watercolor effect with the frosting.)
For her friends birthday party, we went with a succulents theme. I ordered adorable fondant succulent cupcake toppers and – per her request – made a variety of cupcakes (vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream, vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream, chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream, and chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream) so that no one had to eat chocolate if they didn’t want to.
I took ZERO photos of the party favors, which were mini succulents, or of the décor, which included succulent-printed tablecloths, paper plates, and paper napkins, and color-coordinated balloons. The party itself was pretty meh from my perspective (the entertainment was very mediocre, especially compared to parties we’ve had in the past, but it was still QUITE expensive; the venue itself was dirty to the point of disgusting, and I am so glad I still keep Lysol wipes in my vehicle; and the staff pretty much ignored us except during the “entertainment” portion of the day and except at the end when they came into the sweltering, filthy party room to tell us we had five minutes to get out; one kid’s parents hadn’t even arrived yet, and she seemed a little worried that we would LEAVE HER there omg. I think it was a poor enough experience that I may leave a google review.), but the kids seemed to have fun, so that’s really all that matters.
My newly minted ten-year-old is everything I had ever hoped, in my wildest dreams, a ten-year-old would be.
This past year – fourth grade – was the best school year Carla has had so far. She loved her teachers, she loved math, she went to school happy each and every day. Some prior years, she’d balk at school or complain of morning stomachaches. Almost none of that this year.
I text my husband every morning after I drop Carla off at school (this habit originated in her infancy, when I was convinced I would forget her in my car, and has endured for ten years), and my texts from this past school year are mostly some variation on “Carla was in a great mood this morning!” or “Our unapologetically late child is very cheerful this morning!” While getting out the door on time was still sometimes a challenge, I found that our mornings together were some of my favorite hours in the day. Carla likes to chat about all manner of interesting things on our short drive to school. How words were invented, what puberty is like, how difficult it is to imagine herself driving a car. She went through a phase where she stuck her head out the window during our drive and pretended to be a dog. She went through a phase where she would give me the “weather report” by opening her window and smelling the air. She wore all black almost every day (which, to be fair, makes a lot of things very easy), and then at the very end of the school year – no warning at all – started dressing in color again and announced that her favorite color was no longer black but turquoise.
Current Carla is extremely independent. She likes to ride her bike around the neighborhood, visiting neighbors (and their dogs). She loves to swing on the swingset, singing at the top of her lungs. She still loves to craft, making elaborate scenarios for her Barbies and dinosaurs and Calico Critters (all of which she still plays with). She sometimes declines a parent reading to her at bedtime, in favor of reading to herself. (She loves to read! Her favorite books are graphic novels, and she loves books that feature animals as the main characters.)
And yet she is also such a cuddly, loving kiddo who loves to spend time with her parents. She enjoys playing video games or practicing the guitar with her dad. She loves snuggling with me on the couch, watching TV or a movie or letting me read to her. She still likes to play pretend, she still adores stuffed animals. When we walk together, she still voluntarily holds my hand.
She is extremely capable. Sometimes she will unload the dishwasher without my asking. She can make tacos and scrambled eggs with little supervision. She picks up the mail for our neighbors when they are out of town.
She is more and more interested in her appearance. She has Very Specific Ideas about what she wants to wear, and when. She has become newly dedicated to keeping her hair nice, and has begun blow drying it with a blow dryer she wheedled her grandmother into buying her. She has begun applying a swipe or two of my mascara and a little blush while I am distracted. She is interested in grown-up undergarments and deodorant, although she doesn’t yet need either.
She loves to be busy – and thank goodness, because this was our busiest year so far. She had activities every single day of the week – sometimes two a day! She is so musical and can now play two instruments (three, if you count the recorder which I emphatically do not) AND pick out songs on the piano. She has been in two plays. She loves to sing and sings all the time: when she wakes up, in the shower, while she’s supposed to be eating breakfast, in the car, in the backyard, while she’s riding her bike. She loves math (bless her fabulous math teachers) and science and computational thinking. She is agreeable and cheerful and delightful 99% of the time. The other time, she is pure sassafras – but that’s expected and normal.
During my end-of-year conference with her primary teacher, I learned that all the kids gave each other end-of-year compliments on the last day. Carla’s peers said that she was supportive and enthusiastic and fun to be around. Her teacher said she is a light. And she is a light. She makes everything glow.
She makes my life so bright. I cannot wait to see what she does next.
Happy birthday! And, happy momiversary to you! A decade is such a moment, no? Carla sounds like such a lovely human, which is truly one of my wishes for my girl. The cakes and cupcakes and succulents look amazing (even if the venue did not, oof)!
Happy Double Digits to Carla! The succulent party was a brilliant idea. How fun to come home from a party with a plant – I might have to steal that idea sometime.
Happy Birthday to your dear daughter Carla. Wishing her all the best for the school year.
What a beautiful birthday celebration! So sorry the venue was a disappointment. Carla is a lucky girl.
Awww, this is so beautiful! You should print out this post and make sure to save it somewhere to look back on. Happy Birthday to Carla! She sounds absolutely spectacular. Makes me wish I had a daughter!!! 😉
The cake and cupcakes are gorgeous. Sorry about the disappointing venue. Enjoy your ten year old. It’s a fun age, or at least it was with both my kids.
That sounds like a wonderful (except for the venue) birthday celebration; I love your beautiful description of your 10-year-old.
What a lovely tribute to such a special girl who seems to just glow with love and joy! The cake is gorgeous (GORGEOUS!), and all the party things look divine. Sorry the venue was a disappointment, but it sounds like all the kids had a great time and that’s what counts at the end of the day.
Here’s to a great year ahead <3
This is such a beautiful and moving description of your creative, smart, fun, full of light and love, darling girl. She sounds like a really incredible person – just like her mom!
Too bad about the gross venue – I would definitely leave a review as that seems to be the most effective way to communicate displeasure for a company these days.
That cake is GORGEOUS, you always amaze me with your cake decorating abilities. It sounds delicious too, I would eat the hell out of it!
Wonderful post, Suzanne! Happy Birthday to Clara! 🙂
Yay!!! I am so fascinated at how it morphed from a wolf theme into a succulent theme and I am here for it! That cake is amazing – I’m always so impressed with your decorating skills! When I put frosting on cupcakes or cakes, it looks like a child has done it.
I actually teared up at this post. I feel like I’ve “watched” her grow up through the years of reading your posts.
A very happy birthday to your special little girl, that you have raised to be a beautiful human!
This is a beautiful tribute to your amazing daughter. I loved reading about her birthday party (parties), but reading about where Carla is now, at ten brought some tears to my eyes.
You and your husband are raising a bright and caring young lady.
Oh, and your cake and cupcakes are something to behold—-you are very talented!!
I love everything about this. Her gifts, cupcakes, SUCCULENTS!!!, and cake. Everything is so lovely, kind, and sweet. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Carla sounds like a lovely human. I wonder where she gets that? 😘❤️
Hooray for 10 and hooray for all grandparents in attendance. This is a lovely tribute to your amazing kid. Wishing all good things for her this year! The cake looks beautiful. Of course.
Happy birthday to your girl! She sounds like such a delight. Those cakes/cupcakes look AMAZING. You may have a second career as a cake decorator in your future!
Delightful! Happy birthday 🙂
Oh, Carla sounds WONDERFUL! Happy belated birthday! You did a great job with the cake, and the cupcakes are so cute. Bummer about the party venue- but the things that bothered you probably didn’t bother the kids at all.
So her new favorite color is turquoise? As a late birthday present, why don’t you dye her hair turquoise so she can match my daughter? Ha ha… oh, you don’t want to? i don’t blame you.
I love your birthday posts about her each year. She is growing up way too fast. 🙂 Looks like you had lovely, perfect celebrations!
What a lovely tribute to your daughter! She sounds thoughtful, funny, smart and inventive. That cake is absolutely stunning!
I’m sorry about the shortcomings of the party venue. That’s so frustrating especially when you pay an arm and a leg. But I’m sure neither Carla nor any of the other kids had any less of a great time because of it!
Happiest of belated birthdays to Carla, and my goodness that cake is gorgeous. If I was closer I would pay you to make my birthday cake later this month. 🙂
I love the way you love and appreciate your daughter. Thank you for sharing your sweet girl with us, and here’s to another year of light!
The cake is so beautiful! The succulent toppers are so cute! You made so many kinds of cupcakes!
I loved reading this both because of how much you love her and how beautifully you describe her and how special she is, and also how it reminds me of hanging out with a daughter the same age – She took the bus to school, but walking down the street and hanging out at the bus stop was so much fun (she’d make up military marches, or practice doing weird walks on the sidewalk’s edge) and sometimes walking home (she talked to all the trees, the trees were all named Carl).
Happy birth and birthing day xoxoxoxo
Wow that cake is gorgeous!! It looks like it was made by a bakery. You are so talented! It sounds like she is at such a delightful age. I love that she is still up for holding hands and cuddles. It will be tough when that stage comes to an end.
Happy (belated) birthday, Carla. She sounds like a delightful human being. I love that you went with a succulent theme for the party, that is so cool, but I am sorry you had a bit of a letdown at the venue… but as long as Carla and her friends had fun, they won’t remember that! 🙂
I still think that Carla is one of the niftiest-sounding kids I’ve heard about. Happy, happy belated birthday to your girl, and happy belated momiversary to you. 10 years. Wow!
What a lovely love letter to your daughter.
Looks like it was still a good day even the the venue was… well not amazing.
The cakes sure are amazing. So many variations and I love the color scheme. What an interesting topic “succulents” for a ten year old.