Brailey's 14th Birthday - A Two Day Affair

Brailey's birthday fell on a Monday, this year. And so, because we knew Brady would be "on the road again," we decided to celebrate her birthday the day before, on Sunday. The weather was hot and gloriously beautiful! The golfing bug has hit her hard, and so she asked if we could go golfing again. Of course her dad was beyond thrilled about this! We were one of the first to hit the course, even though it meant not sleeping in. It was absolutely perfect timing!
Our instructor was, once again, very patient with us. We all did much, much better than last time. Of course we still have a long way to go, but we certainly have improved. And we understood things a little better, too, which is nice for everyone. We were even able to keep score, this time. I think we must be quite entertaining. We tend to live in our own little world, and we aren't most quiet family you will ever meet. One nice man we let pass us said, "It sounds like you guys are having a lot more fun than I am." So funny! I can only imagine how crazy we must look to "real" golfers. We encountered a lot of wildlife on this course. Sheep across the fence, cows, geese and a couple different bunnies, although I only got a picture of one. He wasn't very wild, so he must be used to the chaos of the course. Makes me think I should write a children's book about all the animals who live on the golf course... Could be fun!
After all that golfing, we were starved! It is traditional in our family for the birthday person to pick where we eat. Brailey decided we would go to Texas Roadhouse. We had never been there, and we are so glad we went! The food is delicious, the atmosphere is great and boy did we ever get a fun surprise...I shared with the waitress that is was our first time there, and  that we were celebrating Brailey's 14th birthday. After we had eaten our food, here she came with a saddle and said, "Saddle up, Birthday Girl!" She then called attention to the entire restaurant and we did a few birthday chants and ended with a big old "Yee Haw!" It was really fun for us, because we weren't expecting it. After lunch, we headed into the mall for pedicures. I needed one too, so we both got one. Super fun and boy did we ever need them! Now we are ready for summer. Brady and Britt shopped while we "got our toes did," as they say.
Once we arrived home, we found our sweet little pug waiting for us to open presents. She can be seen in nearly every picture. She loves to sit next to Brailey, who is the only one who doesn't mind her dog hair and snoring. You can see her in several of the pictures below. Rozzy Girl is so cute, isn't she? Britt insisted his present be the first one she opened, and I think it was her favorite gift! He's a good little brother. I'm so thankful they are giving and loving to each other and not jealous. I was always the jealous sort, and I'm so ashamed of myself for being such a brat on my brother's birthdays.
As you can see, it was a makeup kit. He got her a smaller one last year, so he was proud to give her the same gift, only different. "Ohhhhh my goodness, look at all these trays," she said. She truly loves it!
I went the extra mile on wrapping her presents this year, because she is always so sweet about wrapping all of ours. She spends hours making beautiful handmade bows and being extra creative, so I made sure her gifts were pretty. They were quite spectacular, if I do say so myself. Humbly, of course!
Grandma was very creative, as well, and her present was gorgeously wrapped! Brailey was thrilled to her toes (pun intended) with these darling new cowboy boots from Grandma and Papa! She loves them! They are even cuter in person and have sparkles in the zebra print. She is dying to wear them and will look so cute in them. In the picture below, she is sucking in her breath, and saying, "Oooooh my gosh!"
Brady and I got Britt a box of NFL cards. He loves his cards and sports memorabilia! Uncle Boone has given him a ton of cards and different fun sports things, and we are going to decorate his room this summer. I am thinking along the lines of a card shop theme. "Britt's Card Shop." That is his dream, these days, to own a card shop. That is, after he makes it big in the NBA. He got the Cavs hat he is wearing while Brailey and I were getting pedicures. He bought it with his own money and is so proud of it - he loves his Cavaliers! Kevin Love is his favorite player in the world.
As you can see, once all the presents were opened, the makeup box was quickly stocked. The pink one is from last year. I am sure she will find a new use for it. Caboodles are one of the best inventions ever!
And then, at the end of the day, we sang to her and had cake. I asked them to make it look a much like a cactus as possible, because she loves cactuses. The spikes were supposed to be white - that is what I had asked for. But I'm sure many bakers are not too familiar with cactus in Eugene OR, and Brailey was absolutely head over heels for it, anyway. It was white and chocolate on the inside, and OH EM GEE was it ever delicious! Best cake I've ever tasted, seriously. YUMMY!
The next morning, on her "real" birthday, I decorated her breakfast area a little and gave her coffee cake, which is what she wanted. It was also delicious!
She had a wonderful day at school and was remembered by her friends. She also had her first "real" high school dance practice, and apparently, it was a tough one! Lots of conditioning, already. The team sang happy birthday to her, which she was so happy about, and once we got home, we had another piece of delicious cake to end the day. She said, "Now I'm not a baby teenager, I'm a real teenager!" And yet, she's been wise beyond her years since birth! She is more mature than me, this girl. So special!And just because it was her birthday, I let her get on Instagram before bed (this is not typical - phones are left on the kitchen counter at night in our household). Her ears were feeling super plugged from her allergies, and so we were trying to soak them. It seems unreal that she is fourteen. The years have just flown by! We are so blessed to have her in our lives - she is an angel on earth. She is already counting down the days until she can try for her Driver's Permit. My brain can't even go there. Seriously. Not even. One day at a time. Please! Because we all know time is the biggest mystery of all, and it is going by way too fast.