One more year until I have a teenager!!

Alyssa's birthday was Wednesday. She's 12!!

Last year her birthday was on Election Day and they had no school - a great birthday gift. This year she was sung to multiple times at school. She didn't know which was better.
She came home to balloons hanging from the ceiling - she called it a forest of balloons (they still haven't come down).I made her favorite hamburgers - the ultimate steakhouse burger - and home made oven fries.
She chose a watermelon sherbet cake (lime rind, raspberry with chocolate chip center).
The boys couldn't wait to get into it!
But we made them sing and wait for Alyssa to make a wish.
Then we cut into the watermelon.
Delicious!
This past year has been such fun for Alyssa and this one coming up going to be even more fun. She even had Young Women's (the youth group for girls at our church) on her birthday!
She is excited about being "older."
Alyssa in her new dress.
She also got a new net for the basketball hoop in the driveway (ours was hanging by a thread), a wood pen (carved by Robert), a journal from Natalie, and a Rubix cube (gotta love those) from the boys.
We love you, Alyssa - Happy Birthday!