(The celebration of International Grace Day fell on David's actual birthday. Sorry dude. He totally had to celebrate his big 39 with a bunch of 5th graders. He didn't even get to bowl.)
Grace's birthday might as well be an internationally recognized holiday. She seems to think is is important enough to be one. This birthday was a super important one for her since she became her favorite number in years. 11.
Grace's lucky number is 11. I have no idea why or when she decided on that number, but she's pretty pumped to make a great year of it.
For all of these reasons, I am still baffled as to why she didn't plan her birthday party better this year! Usually, she has it all figured out, months in advance. She knows who she's inviting, what is the theme, how the cake will look, what she will do for games and goodies and what she will wear. She's picked out party-ware and decorations. This year, 2 weeks before the big day, she STILL didn't know what she was doing!
Granted, turning 11 makes birthday parties a bit harder. What on Earth do you do to entertain 10 eleven year-old kids, mostly boys, at an indoor, home, birthday party? They are beyond the crafts and the games and the pin-the-whatever-on-the-whatever-the-theme-is-poster. She wanted to do a pinewood derby -IN OUR HOUSE. I seriously looked into it, but just couldn't pull it off. Then, she wanted to race go-carts. Too bad - they were all still too young to do it. I couldn't sell her on laser tag or rollerskating. Finally, as I racked my 49th Street Galleria memories, I remembered the bowling alley! Great! We will go bowling! She thought it was a fantastic idea. What world do we live in where bowling is the last thing we think of? That used to be, like, the first thing anyone did.
Well, we decided in JUST enough time to send out e-vites, order cake toppers and bowling suckers from amazon, and put in a deposit at the bowling alley.
The kids did have a great time and the owner of the bowling alley was extremely nice to us and made sure we had everything we needed. It was a perfect party for a bunch of growingly awkward 5th graders. (I can see that AWKWARD is going to be a running theme for the next several years. Ugh. middle school.)
Grace, of course, requested a bowling lane in fondant for her cake. Geez. That's kind of a fancy cake for going bowling, but whatever. I have fun making the cakes and as long as they don't take me too many days, I'm cool with putting in the extra time. This one was pretty easy and the kids went bonkers over it. You know you've made a good cake when the BOYS compliment you on it.
(Little sis has a very hard time with International Grace Day. It's just simply too far in front of her own. Why does SHE have to wait 6 more weeks every year?)
bumpers up! good thing - there would have been A LOT of gutter balls, otherwise.
AJ, Grace, Dallin, and Dallin
Aiden, Kayla, and Keely
I guess there was a teen bowling tournament going on at the same time and they were super jealous of our cake. Good thing they didn't cut into it while we were bowling! 
10 bowling pins plus 1 bowling ball = 11 candles. It was like it was meant to be!
I totally missed her blowing out the candles. I'm losing my touch.
Grace, reading her cards. I have to say- her friends (especially the boys!) wrote the SWEETEST things in their cards to her! She really is a good friend and so many kids just love her to death. She attracts great kids too. I've never seen a sweeter bunch of kids than the ones she has gone to school with. I wish the rest of the kids at school were this good! Everyone comments on them, wherever they go. They get invited back for encore field trips. They are the prized classes in the extracurricular things at school. Even the owner of the bowling alley commented on them and several parents too, noticed, that they were so nice and happy and well-behaved.
Let's see, the rest of the crowd is Christian, Maren (Christian's little sis), Aiden, Kayla, Keely, AJ, Carter, Dallin, and Dallin. David kept joking that the names of Grace's school friends, "Kayla, Keely, Carter, AJ, Aiden, Dallin, and Dallin" sound like names for the 7 dwarves when you put them all together. Ha! They are totally all little funny dwarves.
SISTERS!
I just love watching Grace talk to her friends. One day, when I was volunteering in the school library, I watched her pick up a book and go sit down on a bench by herself and start reading it. Pretty soon, she had a friend next to her, reading over her shoulder. Less than a minute later, she had 8 kids gathered around her, intently listening to her read it out loud. She's a magnet for friends. It's a true gift. I wish all little kids (and adults for that matter) could be that easy around each other. She certainly removes all inhibition in social situations.
Happy 11th Birthday, Grace! The planet definitely changed for the better, the day you were born.
Wow, I just realized as I'm typing this, that I didn't write her birthday letter. Sheesh, I really am losing my mind. I guess I will have to do that soon! -before we get neck deep into Harriet's birthday territory. Watch out. Hers is big and important and coming up quick!
