OK, I officially have two teenagers. I'm really not as shocked by Lauren turning 13 as I was when Ryan turned 12. I don't know why it tripped me up so much, but I just kept asking myself if it was possible that he hit 12!!
Last year I threw Lauren THE BIG ORANGE BASH! We invited about 20 girls and celebrated her favorite color! This year we opted for a small special dinner. She invited 3 girls and they ate dinner, played and laughed with our family!
We had a Mexican themed meal with Lauren's favorite food: chicken quesadillas. I make them about twice a month, and they take a little extra time, but they're a big hit and everyone acts like I fixed leg of lamb with tangerine sauce.
I also filled the table with Spanish rice and refried beans, tortilla chips and rotel with fresh salsa!
I made strawberry slushies with fresh strawberries on the lip of the cup! My goal was to make it special and even though the food was so easy...the girls knew they were at a celebratory event!
We finished the dinner off with ice cream sandwiches...made with my homemade chocolate chip cookies, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sprinkles. Lauren's not big on sweets...so I had waited until today to decide what I was going to make for our dessert. We had decided on a huge pile of my cookies...but at the last minute I thought of the sandwiches. Freezing them was a little tricky, and would've been better if I had started making them earlier than an hour before the party...but they were delicious!
In hindsight, making room in my freezer prior to getting my hands messy would've been a good idea too! Thankfully, Richard came home a little early from work and helped give me extra help where I needed it: rearranged the freezer,grilled the chicken, made the slushies, washed some dishes and more! He mentioned he was simply glad I didn't have him dress up in anything for this party! (See Sheridan's birthday post)
Sheridan made Lauren a special card today and wanted to read it to her by herself! We indulged her since we could hear her "whispering" from behind the card. I love it when my kids get this close!
I love to celebrate my kids' birthdays. I want them to remember that they are unique individuals and loved for being themselves. We've always tried to make birthdays big so that they will have rich memories of how the family showered love on them on their special days.
I love it when Lauren laughs. I love it when Lauren plays with Sheridan, lets Sheridan hang on her, plays games with her and makes her laugh. I love it when Lauren tries something new, sticks with it through the frustration, and enjoys it. I love it when Lauren learns something new to share with me. I love it that Lauren has a desire to stay pure and is OK with being naive to the ways of the world. I love it when Lauren seeks me out to share something from her heart with me. I love to see Lauren's face when she plays her trumpet!
I pray my daughter will grow this year to love the Lord more, to seek Him faithfully and to find the best way to use her gifts for the Lord in Junior High.
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