There was the day she wanted to take a group of girls to Naydenov, a local gymnastics establishment, to jump and tumble around the equipment. I think she mostly wanted to jump into the foam pit, but that's just a guess.
Then, there were they days she wanted to go to G6, a trampoline "park" to, again, jump her little heart out with friends.
Are you picking up on a theme yet?
There's a reason she earned the little nickname "Jumping Bean" for a bit as a wee little girl.
She went through several other ideas before she finally settled on family dinner at her new favorite restaurant, Kindee Thai, and then a sleep over with her closest friends at our house a few days later.
Her birthday arrived and we had a great family day. We had a relaxing morning and around 1:00 ventured out to Cold Stone Creamery. One of my families from school gave me some gift certificates and the sweetest sentiment of appreciation and a wish of good family time for us as a gift on the last day of school. Alora's birthday was the perfect occasion to use the gift cards for!
Alora decided on the BIGGEST scoop of cotton candy ice cream with gummy bears mixed in. It was the bluest thing in the place, so of course she had to have it. ;) Kylin had their cake batter batter batter ice cream. Again, the biggest scoop around and she too, ate every bite.
Believe it or not, I did not order the biggest scoop possible but you can't tell that from the picture, can you? I went with their birthday cake remix, after all it was a birthday! Sadly, it was SO rich, I only ate about 10 bites then I was out. My consuming-sugar-in-masses days might be behind me.
Tom was the smart one who went with a pineapple-blueberry smoothie. I kept telling him to remind me that I want a smoothie next time, too. I know I can actually eat a whole smoothie.
I managed to get a picture of my girls in all their loveliness. They are at the ages where they see a camera and disappear quicker than a raindrop on an open flame. I love these girls more than anything in this world. It is so hard to believe they are now 16 and 13. People always told me time would go quickly and I only half believed them. Now, I know what they meant. I now think in terms of how many summers we have left with them at home...captive. Just kidding...kind of.
That evening, we meet up with Grams, Gramps, Amma, Ampa, Uncle and Cousin at Kindee Thai for Alora's long awaited birthday dinner. I have to tell you, this restaurant is THE BEST!
We walked in the door at 7:00 pm with a group of 10 people. We were seated in less than 2 minutes, and they had to move tables for us. Our server was great. She was fine splitting the check 4 ways and kept it all straight! I think she was new to the job, too, but she did beautifully.
The restaurant was busy because it was still the dinner rush time. Our orders were taking awhile, but we expected that with 10 people in tow. We passed the time getting caught up on what everyone has been up to. Alora and cousin LOVE to spend time together and they were busy getting caught up on all things Minecraft on cousin's phone. It is so interesting to see their play go from actual toys, noises, and movement to the more "sophisticated", okay, teenager-esque play of electronics and video games. No longer do we have to take bags of quiet things to keep them entertained. End. of. an. era.
We were surprised with some complimentary appetizers from the chef because it was taking so long for our food to be ready. Best. Restaurant. Ever! Their pot stickers were so delicious...and Kylin's favorite! Our food came out shortly after and the table quieted as we thoroughly enjoyed the deliciousness on a plate.
Shortly after eating, we all sang happy birthday to Alora. She loved it but said she was really embarrassed. I guess the new shade of red we saw on her face means it's true. All of a sudden, the Kindee Thai staff turn off all of the lights in the restaurant, and present her with a succulent chocolate mousse with strawberry puree dessert; complete with a candle on top.
It was a great day of celebrating Alora. She is a beautiful person and I am so lucky to have her in my life. Your dad and I hope you felt loved and honored on your special day! Happy birthday, Little Miss!
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