1*11*11 makes it a GRAND day to be 11

My niece turned 11 years old today.....pretty great day to turn 11, I'd say, since it just happens to be 1*11*11! I told her she was pretty special to have a birthday that had a whole bunch of 1's and only 1's......she smiled a HUGE smile! She doesn't try too hard to be beautiful....it's just natural. She doesn't try hard to fit in with her friends, she's just someone you want to be around. I hope that she will never try hard at either of those yet always be who she naturally is......a beautiful sweet giving caring smart girl......who's officially hit her "tween" years!

She likes playing video games and so Sunday afternoon she was surrounded by a bunch of her friends in a "video game bus"!

My girls tried for a couple minutes but alas just not their thing!

So we headed inside where uncle Will tried to get us hooked on dancing with Michael Jackson!

She's at a good age to tease her & so we gave her gag gift.....knowing her response would be nothing but a sweet appreciative "thank you" cause that's just her personality!

If you know her just a little you'll know she's not a frilly girl. So I wrapped a big box of bows and as expected she was completely grateful!

She even let my mom put every single one in her hair

She did get a real gift! She's taken on a HUGE love of books {she told her mom a couple months ago: when I read it's like a movie is going on in my head!} in the last 6 months and so I framed these letters to hang in her "reading nook" in her room.

{I placed book pages behind the letters}

AND today, on her actual birthday, we snagged her from her parents & took her sledding for a couple hours......I just can't get enough of that smile!

Followed by a celebratory lunch! The waiter sang "Happy Birthday"

& she wore the sombrero proudly!

Happy Birthday sweet girl! You make me SOOOO proud to be your auntie!