Birthday Beauties

These sweet girls are already 9 and 7 years old! How does that happen!?!

Hazel and Eliza haven't had a birthday party for several years so they planned an awesome Harry Potter birthday. They are so obsessed with the Harry Potter books right now. They did a great job and included tons of little details. It is so fun to see them come up with ideas and execute those ideas themselves!

The party included wand making, a sorting ceremony, potions class, treats from the Trolly, and of course a game of Quidditch.

I must say it was the best party we've ever planned! It went off without a hitch, and I was actually able to sit back and enjoy it rather than running around like a crazy lady the whole time. There are perks to having older kids!

ELIZA

Eliza is no longer the shy, reserved little girl. She's bold and strong, assertive and very bright. Eliza just lost her two front teeth. I know once they grow in she's going to look far too grown up!

Eliza's still a voracious reader. What 7-year-old loves reading books that thick?

Right now, she's obsessed with having little pets. She finds little toys then makes homes for them. She has a toy lizard "Cutie" that lives in a plastic cup furnished with leaves and rocks. There's also a cardboard box turned dog house, the chick house with little chick she got for her birthday, and random jars of bugs. We even had a "pet" box turtle (Sprout) for a few days that lived outside in the grass.

Then there's her real pet Fluffy the chicken....

When she's not reading or snuggling chickens, Eliza loves pretend play and art. She is so creative! The girls have been taking piano lessons this summer, and Eliza loves to create her own songs. 

One of my favorite things about Eliza right now is watching her develop her own testimony. She comes home from church each week excited about what she's learning. She's beginning to participate more in family scripture study and FHE, and often she has very well thought out ideas and answers. She can't wait to turn 8 so she can be baptized (okay, and so she can get her ears pierced!) We love you Little E!!

 HAZEL

Hazel turning 9 seems unreal to me. Nine is half-way to grown! She's also quick to remind me that next year she will officially be a "tween." I hate that she has to grow up, but I love watching her grow in to a young lady. She is smart, funny, talkative, and mostly kind. When she does slip up, she is quick to recognize her mistake and make amends. Hazel helps out a ton, mostly without complaint. She has a natural talent for leading, and I'm beginning to see her grow more and more in her ability to lead with kindness, love, and a good example. 

Hazel is even more obsessed with reading than Eliza. She spends hours at a time reading. She's read the first 5 Harry Potter books this summer. Some of them multiple times. I'm sure she'd be finished and starting over, but she's not aloud to read ahead of where we're reading as a family. I hope she never gets too old to enjoy letting me read to her. Here's the Harry Potter poster she designed for the library. I love all the little details she included!

Hazel is also becoming quite the homesteader! She is incredibly responsible with Haley and the chickens. She likes helping me out in the garden, has helped me can salsa, and still LOVES to cook! There's a Bonnie Plant competition for 3rd graders to see who can grow the biggest cabbage in each state. We tried out best, but the caterpillars beat us out on this one...

Hazel's personality is so much like mine it's scary sometimes. In fact, while my parents were here my dad kept calling her Justine. It doesn't help that she has spent the summer growing like a weed. She fits in all of my shoes and is already up to my chin!

We love you sweet Hazel! You're an incredible daughter, big sister, and friend! 

Our twinsters! You can fight like all sisters do during the day. Magically though at bed time, you become like best friends that haven't seen each other for a year and can't stop talking. I'm sure you have some deep conversations in whispers so we won't here. You both add so much joy, laughter, fun, silliness, light, and joy to our home!

(I'm not sure if I've ever written about how Hazel and Eliza call each other twin-sters. They are like twins because they share a birthday, but really they're just sisters. Hence their name, twinsters.)