Monday, February 1, 2016

Oh my Heavens, she turned Eleven!!!

Whatever... this whole thing about my kids getting old is for the birds! I just can't like it. Some parents yearn for those empty nest years where their little birdies fly free from the nest in search of their own place in this world.  I'm actually quite fine with my little birdies in the nest, thank you. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but when people say having children is like wearing your heart outside of your body, there is no statement more true!  It really feels this way!
Back to Kylie... my little girl who is entering the so-called "tween" years.  I don't remember that term when I was growing up, but I think it's fitting.  We celebrated Kylie's birthday in a pretty big way... as usual.  My little darling would have it no other way!
Friday before her birthday, I picked her and 4 of her besties up from school and we headed up North for Jumpstreet.  It was about a 45 minute drive up there, so I got to listen to some serious chatter (and loud singing) on the way.  At one point, I had to put an earbud in my ear, just so I could think straight! The conversations revolved around boys, music, teachers, and vacations.  We got to Jumpstreet where they played for a good two hours. I am so happy they are still young enough to play.  We just don't get to play long enough these days.  We grow up too fast! Afterwards, with hungry tummies, we headed over to Fuddruckers! Man, I love that place.  I haven't been there in so long, and it is stinkin' good! We all dined lavishly on burgers, fries and shakes, then we headed to the hotel!  Staying at the hotel was a surprise for the girls.  They didn't know we were staying in a hotel until we were driving there!  We loaded all our bags (you've never seen so much Vera Bradley in one place) and headed up to our room.  Thank goodness, they put us in a suite on the end, so we wouldn't bother too many guests.  We picked the hotel because it had an indoor pool too, so the girls got suited up and we headed downstairs.  One hour and many squeals and giggles later, we headed back upstairs.  I had to apologize to a nice couple who were having a night away by themselves and wanted to relax in the hot tub.  Ooops.  They didn't stay too long.  Shocking, I know! We headed upstairs for jammies, snacks and games!  The girls grabbed goodies from our candy bar (stocked in margarita glasses) and began playing bean-boozled.  If  you don't know what this is , here is the run-down.  It's a box of jelly beans where every color has a good flavor and a bad flavor, and you can't tell the difference until you bite into them.  It is one of the most disgusting things on the planet, in my opinion.  I did it once with Kylie and landed on black. So, this could either be licorice (disgusting already) or skunk.  Does it really taste like skunk spray?  ABSOLUTELY! And, you won't be getting that taste out of your mouth any time soon.  Other flavors include Pear or Barf, Dog Food or Chocolate Pudding, Baby Wipes or Coconut.... you get picture.  I was getting nauseous just watching them play this, but it is also so funny! Really... it's hilarious!
I think it was already getting near midnight at this point and I think the girls finally fell asleep between 1:30-2:00.  We slept until about 8:15 and headed downstairs for a full buffet breakfast. The girls dined for a while and each one had about 5-7 plates before it was all over with!  Then, we loaded up and headed back home. I think the girls had a really fun time. I know I enjoyed getting to spend it with them:)
Sunday, we had Kylie's family party at our house with Gatti's Pizza (or crack as we call it) and another amazing cake creation by Grandma Debbie.  Kylie wanted it to be colorful, tall and covered in candy and that it was!  Not only did it look great, it tasted great too!  We are very blessed to have our very own Cake Boss in the family:)
Monday I took a Sundae bar to school with Blue Bell and all kinds of toppings her class could enjoy. It was pretty easy and they loved it! Kylie said no one had done that before, so I guess we did good! The kids were really excited about it.



 11 THING ABOUT KYLIE AT 11!
1. She is still an all A student!
2. She loves gymnastics. She has no fear and has taught herself many of her own tricks!
3. She still loves riding. This will be her 6th year riding already!
4. Her favorite things to do at home are play on her Macbook and jump on the trampoline.
5. Her favorite food is hashbrown casserole.
6. Her best friend is Erin Schick.
7. She is really into her fish and now has two fish tanks set up.
8. She loves everything Vera Bradley. I mean everything!!!
9. She is still the messiest person in the house by far. So messy. I feel bad for her future roommates.
10.She has a shoe obsession just like her mama did when she was her age. How many Uggs, tennis shoes and sandals can one kid have? Geez!
11.She still walks on her tippy toes and I love it! It's just who she is. Now, she can totally walk flat foot, so it's no longer a development issue. It's purely by choice and only sometimes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLIE!!!! I LOVE YOU MORE THAN COFFEE (dang, that's a lot!)!
LOVE, MAMA