Happy Birthday, Sadie!

Sadie got a gift card to Target today and we happened to be going there for other purposes so she got to shop and chose the "Disney Channel Holiday" CD, much to Madeline's chagrin. "Sadie always gets the discs" she says. Whatever. Anyway, Madeline is enjoying it as much as Sadie and by the looks of this video, so is Anna.

This was the "other purpose" for why we went to Target, the girls' Christmas dresses. Sadie went with non-traditional, but yet still pretty, brown. You can't see her shoes very well, but they're brown, too, and really go well with the dress. The others got theirs, too, they just haven't tried them on yet.

Happy Birthday, Sadie. You are very loved and we are happy you joined our family 9 years ago. We can't imagine our lives without you.

In these last nine years, you have shown us how loving, caring and intelligent you are. School comes easy (too easy, probably) for you. You love to sneak into our bed in the middle of the night and sleep so close to us you practically push us out of the bed. You also make sure your legs are out of the covers right as you fall asleep so that makes for interesting coverage for the rest of us who may be sharing a bed with you. You love your sisters, although you sometimes would rather not show it. You are the one who comforts Anna when we correct her and she cries. We don't always appreciate that, we feel you may be undoing our disciplining, but it is sweet to witness.

This past year, you took your first communion. How proud we were that you took this sacred sacrament seriously and you are enjoying going to Mass with us and being able to take part in the whole service.

You're hard to figure out. When we send you to bed, you take your homework with you so as to put off going to sleep as long as possible. But, if I tell you to go to bed and take your homework with you, you don't. You just go in and go to sleep. Go figure. Lesson learned on my part.

You like to play school but only if you can be the teacher. How many times has Madeline come to me in tears because you won't let her be the teacher? You probably have a career in teaching, I can see that in you.

You also love horses, dogs, cats and you love to take care of your Webkinz online. At least those animals I don't have to feed. Puss-n-Boots is your constant sleeping companion. You almost can't fall asleep without him.

Thank you, Sadie, for these last 9 years of love and joy. You are a special girl with a brilliantly bright future ahead of you. May God direct us to show you your path.