Celebrating My Daughter’s 13th Birthday

This past weekend I celebrated my daughter, Kendall’s, 13th birthday. It’s surreal knowing I now have TWO teens in the house. How the heck can that be??!! Feels like yesterday I was carrying both her and her brother in my arms. Two babies in diapers was not easy. To say that early chapter in my life was a whirlwind would be an absolute understatement. I remember being so emotionally and physically exhausted all the time. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m still running on fumes most days. LOL, I guess it never does change

Looking back, even though it was hard raising two kids, 13months apart, recovering from 2 c-sections, breastfeeding, a spouse that worked crazy hours, literally no money(we were so broke), and no help, I wouldn’t change a single thing. I do believe that all of that hardship did give me early wrinkles, stress, and gray hair BUT it also shaped me into the person I am today. I am strong and don’t really rely on anyone. That chapter also taught me that I have far more mental fortitude than I ever imagined I had.

At the end of the day, everything I do in my life circles back to my children. From day one, I have made choices with them at the forefront of my mind and place them at a high priority. Even if that means pushing my own happiness aside if it means it will be better for my kid’s long term. My kiddos mean the world to me and will always be my #1’s.

Which is why I wanted to make sure I made my daughter’s birthday extra special this year. 13 is a big birthday!! And after 22 weeks of being trapped at home, we needed to celebrate! Our “normal” lives have been completely disrupted by COVID and I wanted to create a beautiful memory that I hope one day she will look back on and be grateful for.

It was so nice to see my daughter laugh and have a great time with her friends. She’s a social butterfly. Loves being around her friends. Being out of school this long has been hard on her and this day filled her spirit with joy. Grateful to be able to celebrate a big milestone with her. And even though she calls me “Extra” with party details, I know deep down inside she appreciates everything I did for her. Who else would get her glitter tubes??? HaHa.

For the details of her party: I had cute cookies made by Cookie Gram. Velma Perez was a contestant on the Food Network!! How awesome is that?! The cake was made by GABRIELA’s Sweet Treats. She makes beautiful cakes from scratch. And to top off the party details, I had her name and age lit up in lights. This display was incredible at night! Lit sign was by GF Lit.

Thank you for stopping by today.

XO,

Photos by Banavenue Photography