My Little "Laura" is Growing Up . . .

My eldest daughter discovered, last week, that she could read, understand, and follow (for the most part) the directions for baking a cake.

So, she got up one morning, took down a box of Betty Crocker's Cherry Chip cake mix and proceeded to mix the ingredients and pour them into the baking dish. She even preheated the oven first! The only thing she forgot to do was grease the pan.

She further endeared herself to her younger sister by graciously allowing her to lick the whisk.

A few days later, she didn't follow the directions so well, and needed help to "save" the cake.  It still turned out very well.

Needless to say, I was very relieved to still be needed in some respect.

As you can see in these last few photos, she is wearing her new prairie bonnet.

She was loving it and feeling quite grown up and domestic.

Though you cannot see it in these pictures, she had an adoring audience of little sisters and cousins.

She was condescendingly granting tastes of the frosting to "good" children.  It was adorable.

This look says so much, pride, smugness, and a feeling of being all grown up.  All too soon she really will be all grown up.  So I will cherish all these fun "little" moments as I can.