Liliana's 10th Birthday Celebration & Birthday Interview

I truly can't believe it, but our third child hit double digits this week! Lily is such a sweet, smart, and funny girl, and we love her so very much. Turning a decade old is a big milestone, and we had so much fun celebrating her 10th Birthday!

We filled Lily's birthday with favorite traditions, favorite people, and favorite things. She started celebrating at midnight, took a small break to sleep, then was back at it at 7 AM. She didn't stop celebrating until her birthday was officially over, and then she simply crashed from exhaustion!

Every year, Lily claims it was the best birthday ever, and that says so much about her. Grant and I believe that because childhood is fleeting, birthdays should be magical. We make it a point to celebrate each child to the fullest on their big day, and they are always so grateful. Turning ten is a big deal, and we loved celebrating one of our most favorite people in the world!

Lily's birthday celebration began on her birthday eve. She really wanted her best friend since birth to spend the night, so Charlie came home with us after cheer practice. They had a fun night, and stayed up late, so those of us who were still awake sang Happy Birthday to Lily just past midnight!

The girls slept in the living room, so I had to wait until they fell asleep before I could finish the birthday prep. As soon as Lily fell asleep, Dylan, Lexie, and I got to work hanging banners and birthday outfits, setting the birthday table, and blowing up balloons to fill the room. The balloons and outfits usually go in the bedroom so it's the first thing seen when the birthday boy/girl wakes up, but we had to change things up a bit this year!

I headed to bed late, but true to her word, Lily showed up in our bedroom at 7:24 AM so she could tell us it was the moment she was born. We expected her to go back to sleep, but she and Charlie started the party early! They REALLY wanted the birthday donuts, so Grant and I caved, and sang Happy Birthday to her with Charlie, before her siblings were even awake. She didn't mind one bit!

Lily chose to go swimming on her birthday, and was counting down the minutes until we could leave. Grant works from home, but had some meetings, so he couldn't join us. Lily was a bit bummed, but she was happy Charlie was coming with us, and happy that we would be spending the afternoon with some dear friends.

Before leaving, we let Lily open one gift. It was one of two things she had asked for, and it was the perfect gift to give her before swimming. She was SO excited when she opened that gift, and couldn't wait to use it!

Taking 6 kids swimming by myself is an undertaking, but thankfully, our teenagers are a BIG help! We managed to load all our pool gear in the car fairly quickly, then load up the littles. After a brief detour for gas, we arrived at our friend's pool for an afternoon of fun!

Lily had a great time swimming with her family and friends. My dear friend, Amber, and her son, Jack have been a big part of our lives for many years, and joined us to celebrate Lily. Amber's mom has a big, beautiful pool at her house, and let us spend the afternoon swimming, and Amber treated us all to pizza.

Not only did Lily enjoy her birthday outing, but all the kids had a great time together. The three teenagers played with Liam and Coen, so I got a little bit of a break. I did get in the pool with the kids, but I loved getting the chance to sit and talk with one of my closest friends for a few minutes, too. 

It was just a beautiful, happy afternoon. It was a perfect Summer day, Lily was having a wonderful time, and everyone was smiling and laughing. It was exactly what Lily had hoped for! After a few hours, it was time to clean up, thank our hosts, and get ready  for more celebrating!

We dropped Charlie off at her house, then headed home. We transferred a napping Coen to the closest bed, unloaded all our pool gear from my car, then got changed for our next adventure. By that point, Grant was done working, and ready to join us!

Our kids get to pick their current favorite restaurant for their birthday dinner, and Lily didn't even have to think about where she wanted to go. She immediately voted for Olive Garden, because she loves their wedding soup and macaroni and cheese!

It was our first time eating out all together since February, and despite our busy afternoon of swimming, the little boys were really well behaved. Dinner went off without a hitch, we all enjoyed our meals, and Lily was so surprised when our waiter brought her a piece of cake, lit the candle, and joined us in singing happy birthday to her. She was beaming with joy!

After dinner, we headed home for the final piece of the birthday celebration - a mini birthday party with her grandparents. Our house quickly filled with people and puppies, and it was finally time for presents and cake!

Lily opened presents from her grandparents, then presents from her siblings, then opened her second big present from us. She absolutely loved everything, and was so thankful! Getting her gifts out of the packages began while we were still cleaning up wrapping paper!

It was getting late, so we quickly moved on to birthday cake. By that point, Dylan's girlfriend, Liv, had joined us, and she, Dylan, and Lexie decorated Lily's cake. We sang one final Happy Birthday to our beautiful birthday girl, enjoyed cake together, then said goodbye and thank you to the grandparents. Lily had an amazing 10th birthday!

We had a few minutes of daylight left after everyone left, so Lily and I ran outside for a quick birthday photoshoot, followed by the yearly birthday interview. It made me smile so big when both Lexie and Lily said answering the interview questions is one of the birthday traditions they look forward to the most! 

LILIANA KATHRYN

Age: 10

4’8” (Just Guessing)

1. FAVORITE COLOR? Green

2. FAVORITE TOY? Barbies

3. FAVORITE CHARACTER? Coraline

4. FAVORITE SUPERHERO? Wonder Woman

5. FAVORITE FRUIT? Cantaloupe

6. FAVORITE VEGETABLE? Asparagus

7. FAVORITE BREAKFAST? Eggs, Toast, & Bacon

8. FAVORITE CEREAL? Honeycomb

9. FAVORITE LUNCH?  Lunchables

10. FAVORITE DINNER? Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Pork Chops, and Asparagus

11. FAVORITE DRINK? Iced Tea

12. FAVORITE SNACK? Sweet & Spicy Chili Doritos

13. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? Olive Garden by far!

14. FAVORITE TV SHOW? Jesse

15. FAVORITE MOVIE? Coraline

16. FAVORITE ACTOR/ACTRESS? Ian Somerhalder because he’s really good at acting and really pretty!

17. FAVORITE SONG? Therefore I Am by Billie Eilish

18. FAVORITE SINGER/BAND? Billie Eilish and Panic! At The Disco

19. FAVORITE BOOK? Sisters by Raina Telgemeier.

20. FAVORITE BOOK SERIES? The new Babysitter’s Club

21. FAVORITE OUTFIT? The one you gave me for my birthday!

22. FAVORITE GAME? What Do You Meme?

23. FAVORITE SPORT? Cheerleading!

24. FAVORITE ANIMAL? Duck

25. FAVORITE PLACE TO GO? The beach!

26. FAVORITE THINGS TO DO? I like to play barbies and watch Netflix with my family.

27. FAVORITE SUBJECT? I think Science, because Science is fun!

28. FAVORITE STUFFED ANIMAL? My baby bear!

29. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK? Probably Saturday...yeah, Saturday.

30. FAVORITE MONTH? August, because we go on vacation and it’s my birthday. It’s fun!

31. FAVORITE SEASON? Summer

32. FAVORITE HOLIDAY? Christmas

33. WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? Charlie!

34. WHO DO YOU LIKE TO PLAY WITH? Lexie

35. WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? Going to the pool with my family

36. WHAT SCARES YOU? The dark!

37. WHAT MAKES YOU SAD? When my friends and family aren’t happy. It makes me really sad.

38. WHAT DO YOU WISH FOR? For masks and Covid to not exist.

39. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY? Whenever Charlie banged her head into the door and said, “I farted!”

40. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? A special education teacher

41. DISLIKES?  People being mean to me or judging me and the people I love. 

42. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY AS A 9 YEAR OLD? Getting Beyonce!

43. WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING YOU DEALT WITH THIS PAST YEAR? One of my best friends moving away. (Cameron)

44. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PRESENT THIS YEAR? The mermaid tail!

45. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR? I’m looking forward to having a locker!

Lily's 10th Birthday was full of tradition, full of love, and full of fun! Making their birthdays so special is a lot of work, but I hope that one day they will look back on these birthday traditions and remember all the fun memories we made together, and maybe, just maybe, they will continue those traditions with their own families. I know *I* will always remember the joy on Lily's face as she celebrated her 10th Birthday! 

Happy 10th Birthday to our beautiful Lily Bug! You are so loved, and we are so proud of you!