Happy 14th Birthday, Alexandria Elizabeth!

On February 22nd, our sweet Lexie celebrated her 14th Birthday! I can't believe how fast she is growing up. (All of our kids are growing up too fast!) We shut down just a few weeks after her 13th birthday, and never got to have a party, and she had another pandemic birthday this year. We tried to make her day as "normal" and as fun as possible!

Her day was filled with our usual birthday traditions, a trip to Starbucks, lots of presents, dinner at a restaurant, and a mini party with my parents. She also got to skip school, too, which is a favorite tradition! It *almost* felt like an ordinary birthday!

We try to make birthdays extra special for our kids. Social distancing definitely got in the way of some of our traditions, but we made the most of it. Lexie was smiling all day, and said she had a great birthday! Here's how we celebrated her special day...

We have a standing tradition of letting our kids skip school if they have school on their birthday. It never applies to Lily and Liam, but we leave it up to Lexie and Dylan if they have school. Sometimes they opt to go, but most of the time, they prefer to have the day off. Even though Lexie stays home for live streaming, she wanted to skip school for the day, and sleep in a few hours.

On her birthday, Lexie woke up to a bed and room filled with balloons, a decorated living room, and a new birthday outfit. Liam had a post op appointment on Lexie's birthday, so Lexie stayed with Coen in the car while Grant and I took Liam in for his appointment. When we were done, we went through the Starbucks Drive Thru, so Lexie could get her favorite drink. We then dropped off Liam at school, and picked up Dylan, who had scratched his eye.

When we got home, we decided to let Lexie open her main gift from us. All she wanted was a huge beanbag lounger, and it had arrived, vacuum packed in a box. It was secured with plastic ties, but the vaccum bag must have had a leak in it, because the box had been expanding for days, and looked like it was ready to explode! Lexie opened the box, and was so excited about getting the gift she wanted!

After Lexie opened her present, we sang Happy Birthday to her and had a late, traditional birthday donut breakfast. Grant's mom stopped by to see Lexie, and stayed for a short visit. Before long, the day was half over, and it was time to pick up Lily and Liam from school!

When Lily and Liam came home, the siblings gave Lexie the gifts they chose for her, then Grant and I gave her the rest of the gifts we bought for her. She LOVED everything! With all the gifts opened, we decided to head to the restaurant of Lexie's choosing - Cracker Barrel!

Because of the pandemic, it was the first time we had eaten out together as an entire family since Lexie's 13th Birthday! Other than wearing masks while walking to our table, it felt pretty normal, and the little kids were very well behaved. While we waited for our dinner, the kids got to pick out candy in the store. Dinner was delicious, and Lexie was especially thrilled embarrassed when the staff brought her cake, and sang Happy Birthday to her!

After dinner, we headed back home, and waited for my parents to arrive. They brought Lexie's favorite DQ ice cream cake, and their puppy (Beyonce's sister) with them! Lexie opened the gifts they gave her, then we sang Happy Birthday to Lexie again, and ended the night with cake!

Just as I always do, I did a birthday photoshoot and interview!

ALEXANDRIA ELIZABETH

Age: 14

5’6 1/2” (She passed me up!)

1. FAVORITE COLOR? Yellow

2. FAVORITE TOY? I don’t really have a favorite toy anymore. But BunBun and Blankie forever and always!

3. FAVORITE CHARACTER? I like Jack Nicholson’s character in The Shining

4. FAVORITE SUPERHERO? Deadpool

5. FAVORITE FRUIT? Coconut

6. FAVORITE VEGETABLE? Kale!

7. FAVORITE BREAKFAST? Pancakes! (They are better than waffles!)

8. FAVORITE CEREAL? Classic Lucky Charms. You can never go wrong with them, and you have to save the best for last - the marshmallows!

9. FAVORITE LUNCH?  Chicken Noodle Soup! I eat it almost every day!

10. FAVORITE DINNER? Tacos and Enchiladas!

11. FAVORITE DRINK? WATER!

12. FAVORITE SNACK? Kale Chips, but I have to make them myself!

13. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Taco Bell!

14. FAVORITE TV SHOW? At the moment, it would be Keeping Up With The Kardashians or Outer Banks.

15. FAVORITE MOVIE? The Shining! It is amazing.

16. FAVORITE ACTOR/ACTRESS? My favorite actor is Tom Hanks, and my favorite actress is Julia Roberts.

17. FAVORITE SONG? Tongue Tied by Group Love

18. FAVORITE SINGER/BAND? At the moment Megan Thee Stallion and One Direction

19. FAVORITE BOOKS? I don’t really have a favorite anymore, but I enjoy reading books then watching the movies.

20. FAVORITE BOOK SERIES? I don’t read series anymore.

21. FAVORITE OUTFIT? I have been wearing a lot of sweatpants with cute shirts or baggy jeans with a t-shirt. It’s easy to put together!

22. FAVORITE GAME? UNO!

23. FAVORITE SPORT? Soccer

24. FAVORITE ANIMAL? Cat! 

25. FAVORITE PLACE TO GO? I love going to Nina and Papa’s house, but I love little road trips to places. I love being on the road...it’s fun!

26. FAVORITE THINGS TO DO? I love hanging out with my family, watching TikTok, and playing video games.

27. FAVORITE SUBJECT? ELA!

28. FAVORITE STUFFED ANIMAL? BunBun and Blankie.

29. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK? Friday and Saturday

30. FAVORITE MONTH? Definitely July because it’s summery

31. FAVORITE SEASON? SUMMER! 

32. FAVORITE HOLIDAY? Christmas! I love giving presents!

33. WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? Lexi and Aubrey!

34. WHO DO YOU LIKE TO PLAY WITH? Um, I don’t really play anymore, but I love to hang out with Lexi, and I’m always with her and her family.

35. WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?  Hanging out with family and friends!

36. WHAT SCARES YOU? Wind. Clowns. Bugs.

37. WHAT MAKES YOU SAD? Being alone.

38. WHAT DO YOU WISH FOR? I wish for a billion dollars. Haha!

39. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY? That’s a hard one! But I think when we watched the fireworks on the 4th of July when I was about 3 or 4. We went with Pappap and Mawnaw and Nannie, and it was a lot of fun.

40. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? A makeup artist.

41. DISLIKES?  Ignorant people. People who care more about themselves than about others.

42. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY AS A 13 YEAR OLD? I think it would be Christmas 2020 because it was really fun, and when Papa came on vacation with us.

43. WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING YOU DEALT WITH THIS PAST YEAR? Losing Lexi’s cousin was the most difficult thing I experienced.

44. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PRESENT THIS YEAR? Lovesac!!!

45. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR? Hopefully for Covid to end, because it SUCKS!

Lexie had a great birthday! I say it all the time, but everyone needs a Lexie in their lives. She is an amazing human being! Happy 14th Birthday, our sweet Alexandria Elizabeth!