Charlotte's Mysterious Birthday

When we first started to make birthday plans with Charlotte this year, we had no idea how much our lives would change in just a few short weeks.  Where her original plan involved friends and perhaps a trampoline park, we had to cancel any idea of leaving the house and could not even invite friends to come and play.  So, Charlotte and I brainstormed together to make a birthday plan that would appeal to her and create some lasting memories for the whole family.

On the day of her birthday, she helped me make and decorate a cake that she had found inspiration for on Pinterest.  She wanted an ocean-themed cake and even modeled all of the little seashells and the little crab herself out of fondant.

For her party, we purchased a "Hunt the Spy" game that had roles for 8-players and could be any gender.  I couldn't believe that each role fit each of our kids' personalities so well.  The kids had never participated in an activity like this and they had been excited for the whole week in anticipation for this event.

On the night of the party, we all dressed up, ate a lot, laughed a lot, and solved a mystery.

Zac was Prazo Emerald a tailor and Lori was Ven Violet a Hollywood Icon

Ashlyn was Miracle Orange, an eccentric pianist and piano teacher, Tanner was Cannis Indigo, a world-renowned dog trainer, and Ian was Nat Gold a nerdy comedian.

Charlotte was Spice Scarlet, a famous singer, Bronson was Coz Cobalt a magician and magic shop owner, and Whitlee was Grantley Black a talented modern dancer.

At the end of the night, we all had to cast our votes as to who we thought the spy was.  Both Zac and I correctly guessed Tanner.  We have always known he seemed shifty.  We ended our party by watching the new Will Smith animated kids movie, Spies in Disguise.

The kids had so much fun and I think the party turned out more memorable and fun than anything Charlotte could have done with her friends.  We are so grateful for such a big family.  It keeps our house lively and provides ample opportunities for playmates.  We couldn't have pulled off a mystery party without so many kids!  And we love them all.

10 Things to Know About Charlotte

1.  She is an artist.  She loves to draw, sketch, paint, and craft.  And this is often how she spends her time.  She is often gifted art supplies of some sort for Christmas and Birthdays.  She is getting quite good and we enjoy her art projects.

2. She loves to sing.  She is definitely the songbird of our family.  She can be found in her room singing away at the top of her lungs.  She has a beautiful voice and I can't wait to see her cultivate it through lessons and choirs down the road.

3. She is very social and loves to constantly have friends over or hang out with friends.  Having to switch to homeschool because of COVID virus has been the most difficult for her of all the kids because she thrives on social life.  She is very friendly and kind and has lots of friends.

4. She is an amazing reader.  She just ingests books.  Her favorite kinds of books to read are realistic fiction.  She just finished the Penderwicks Series and absolutely loved them.  She also read the whole Harry Potter series before she finished third grade.  She usually has the most reading points of anyone in her class.

5. She is also a very creative writer!  She writes the most amusing stories and illustrates them with her artistic talents.  She won the PBS Kids Go Writers contest for SouthEast Idaho again this past year, meaning she has either placed or won three out of the four years she entered it.  And the one year she didn't place was in part due to the fact that we didn't get a story in that year.  She has $200 in scholarships for her writing.

6. She is getting quite good at basketball.  She was asked to be part of a little travel team this year and we watched her improve so much from last year as she has learned to be more competitive and aggressive and has started to grab rebounds and put up some points, resulting in either an undefeated season (or else they lost one game, I can't quite remember).  It has been so fun watching her increase in her confidence and talents.

7.  She started taking piano lessons from a "real teacher" this year instead of from mom.  She is learning so much and getting quite good at the piano.

8.  She is our girly girl and loves fashion and especially having her nails done.  All she wanted for Christmas was some fake nails.  And she got some for her birthday too.  She is starting to learn to style her hair and curl it, as part of her goal setting for the new LDS church youth program.

9.  She is also learning to bake and has perfected the art of baking cookies, which means that there is no shortage of cookies at our house.  She loves Kid's Cook Sundays at our house when it is her turn to prepare dinner and also loves to compete against her siblings in Chops competition or cookie decorating contests.

10.  She loves to travel and go on trips with her family.  She is a girl that likes to be out and about having an adventure.  That is another reason this COVID slowdown is killing her.  Sometimes I have to think of ways to just get her out of the house and get her a little adventure so that she doesn't go crazy.  She can't wait until she is old enough to have a turn to travel with Dad on one of his business trips.  This is a girl who will explore the world!

Our Charlotte is super smart, clever, and very funny.  We can't imagine the world without her.  She is going to do amazing things in her life!  Love you Charlie Girl.  Happy Birthday!