The first day of Kid's Color Week, hosted by Kerry at Young Ones, is RED. Here's my girlie's contribution: a rather salmony red S.

It happens that today is also a big birthday at our house. The young missy turned eleven which shocks me just a little. It seems moments ago we were on our way to the hospital for the whole two and a half hours of labor this little one afforded us. Now she's singing to Justin Bieber songs and excited about a family gathering to celebrate her special day at the California Pizza Kitchen.

We make a spectacle of birthdays at our house. Stars are hung in the bedroom hallway door and have been since the big boy man turned one.

The birthday sign goes up and you start the morning wearing the birthday hat as you open cards. Tradition. Fun.

There will be cupcakes at school and that promised dinner with our friends, who really are our family. Her big bro has tucked a pair of earrings in a box and put them on the front seat of my car. This means she'll find them after school. I think he's an awesome big brother and even though they can fight with great passion and a tone that shakes me to the core, they have the shape of best of friends in their thoughtful hearts. Evidence? He went into Justice for Girls to shop with his dad. He never mentioned how mortified he'd have been if any of the girls from school came in. He just soaked it up when she squealed over the JB T-shirt.

So our red day is also a pink and green happy day. As we celebrate the birthday of the baby.