springdellgirl: Ailey is 14!!

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Ailey is 14!!

Ailey's 14th Birthday

Ailey turned 14 years old!! She is growing up so fast. Every day she seems a little bit older. Ailey at 14 is very bubbly and enthusiastic. She is chatty and loves to tell us all of the details of her life. She is responsible and trustworthy. She is a lot of fun! She is a great big sister to Bryn and sets a great example for her. They are very close and so cute together.

Ailey's birthday celebrations started bright and early!! Tyler and Bryn decorated her room with balloons and had donuts and chocolate milk for her. Kam and Reilly had gifts for her too. Then she was kidnapped by her friends and brought over to her friend Zoe's house. They had a surprise waffle breakfast for her. I wish I had some pictures of that!

When Ailey got home that afternoon she wanted to go on a mother-daughter shopping spree. We had a great afternoon of shopping. Ailey wanted to buy clothes with her birthday money and she got a new iphone from us. She and I had a lot of fun having some one-on-one time together. I really think that is the key to parenting...one-on-one time with each child and with each parent...it is what keeps relationships strong. It provides time for parents and kids to really talk to each other and to connect. Just like date nights do for married couples. Tyler and I have always tried to have these one-on-one dates with our kids since they were very little. Sometimes it is an outing with both parents. They love doing that too. It has really helped us to stay close and connected with Reilly and Kameron through the high school years and beyond. We talk about doing it when our kids are married and have their own families too. How else do parents get an opportunity to really know what is going on with their grown children and to connect and feel close to them? Anyway... I digress. This is a topic that Tyler and I talk a lot about now...how we plan to stay close to our children as they grow up and move away from home. I am fascinated to hear and learn from other parents of grown children and what works for them. It seems like we are moving so quickly toward having our children grown and out on their own. So...back to Ailey's birthday! :)

We stopped for a snack at Starbucks!! Oh to be 14 and able to eat chips and frappuccinos!

Then it was back to shopping!!

That night when everyone got home Ailey wanted to go to the park as a family. It was such a pretty night! We walked all over Manito and the roses were in full bloom. It was a lovely evening!! We played and had a great time together!

I love that I have kids who truly appreciate nature and beauty! All of them were smelling the roses and taking pictures...even Kameron. I am so glad that they value and notice the beauty that is all around them.

Then it was back home for donuts, ice cream, and birthday wish making!!

She is the cutest 14 year old on the planet!!

The next day Reilly took Ailey out for a sisters date. They had a great time together and Reilly did a little photo shoot for her. Reilly did her hair and make up and took some darling pictures of Ailey. She absolutely LOVED it!! I thought that was such a cute and fun birthday gift idea.

One of my favorites!!

Once the weekend hit and everyone was off of work we celebrated her birthday as a family. Ailey chose to go bowling. We haven't gone bowling in forever and we had an absolute BLAST!! One thing that is so great about our kids growing older is that we can go and do fun things and everyone can participate. Bryn killed it at bowling! She got the first strike!!

The proof! Unicorn Pug started things off strong!!

The cute birthday girl!!

We had a great time...and yes...a competitive time...as we bowled all hopped up on Mt. Dew, pizza, and totchos...aka...tator tot nachos. Who knew such magic existed?!

Then it was back home for Ailey's birthday dinner. She requested homemade pizzas, Dr. Pepper, and ice cream birthday cake. It was so nice that we were able to celebrate out on our deck. Which is looking so gorgeous right now! Ailey had the cutest mermaid birthday decorations...that I didn't get one picture of. Shoot! We had our patio lights on and it was a super fun night celebrating this cute girl!!