Rebekah's 9th Birthday

Sunday, our "first baby girl" Rebekah turned 9 years old. Since Sunday is such a full day around here with the routes, church services, visitation ect... we were going to have her party on Monday. Well, Sunday evening, Beka began running a fever and was sick most of Monday too, so we postponed her party another day.
Yesterday night, when Daddy got home from preaching, we had her party. Since it was so late, the children had already eaten supper (Omelets...Beka's birthday meal choice :) ), had taken their showers and put on their pajamas. The boys blew up some pink balloons and we set her gifts and cake out on the table. When Daddy arrived, Beka opened her presents. She got a a clay set from her Grandma Lockwood; a bead craft kit and a fleece quilt kit from Grandma and Grandpa Smith (the quilt set is so neat...I will have to post a picture of it when Rebekah finishes it); her brothers bought her some pencils (colored and regular) for school, a new eraser, and some treats from the store (a banana, a juice, a piece of chocolate, and some gumdrops); and the little siblings gave her some special treasures from their backpacks and colored her lots of pictures.
Daddy and the boys had spent much of their free time the past week working on her gift from us. When I was a little girl, my dad fixed up a kitchen set for me that had been my mom's (made for her by her Grandfather). On our last trip to the states, we brought that kitchen down with us. It was in need of new paint and repairs again, so the boys sanded, Daniel painted(pink and yellow...the girl's favorite colors) and did the needed repairs, and I found some plastic kitchen wear to fill up the shelves.
She was very surprised and so excited. We put it in her room last night and I let her and Abigail stay up a bit longer so they could "set up house". :)
Last night, we went around the table and let everyone tell Rebekah how she blesses their lives. These are some of the things that were mentioned:
*She always looks for and sees needs and then takes care of them without anyone mentioning anything (like taking Daddy and the boys some cool water when they are outside working; cleaning up a spill or mess in the kitchen; changing a diaper; wiping a little ones nose; comforting a hurt child; watering the plants and trees; handing her Daddy the needed tools as he is working on something)
*She is sooo bubbly...always smiling and laughing; so full of energy and such a joy to be around

*She loves to play with her siblings in whatever they want to play

*She memorized Proverbs 31 this year, and has really tried to learn to be a virtuous woman for the Lord. She loves to cook, sew, clean, care for the babies, wash and hang clothes, take care of and help her Daddy and she does such a great job at all these tasks. She is a great help and blessing to us...we are so proud of her and the lady the Lord is making her.

*She take such good care of Susannah (her buddy) and always is willing to help her go potty (Susannah can't get up on the potty by herself yet) and makes her "all pretty" every morning.

*She loves the Lord and often will say she is sorry and ask for forgiveness for something before we even know she did anything wrong.

*Her goal is to grow up and help her Daddy until she gets married. Then she wants to take care of her husband and have as many babies as the Lord gives her. She wants her Daddy to help her find a husband that speaks English because she likes it better than Spanish. :) She wants to go whereever her husband goes, but she hopes he goes to Africa to be a missionary (quotes from a conversation Rebekah and I had a few weeks ago :) ).

In Mexico, they have a birthday tradition that everyone says "mordida, mordida" which means "a bite, a bite". As the birthday girl/boy gets their face close to the cake to take a bite of it, someone pushes their face in it. I thought it was awful the first time I saw it, but everyone here (our children included) seem to think it is GREAT! :) Last year, my birthday was on a Sunday and they had a cake for me at church, and I got the special face treatment as well :)

Rebekah's Cake Face! :)

The kitchen that Daddy and the boys got ready for her birthday. :) Made by her great, great grandfather many years ago!