It’s hard to believe that my tiny little baby Audrey is 4! In so many ways she still feels little and it other ways she’s so big. She’s always acted older than she is. She is SO smart beyond what she should be for her age. She’s been talking in sentences since she was 13 months old, so each year when she turns another year older, I say it’s felt like she’s been “x number” for a while now. Well, it’s felt like she’s been 4 for a while now, but when you think about it in years, it does not feel like 4 years has past since she came into this world, if that makes any sense at all.
I like to take my girls, if at all possible, to do something special on their actual birthday. I want them to feel special because this day is all theirs. Unfortunately, it was Raley’s first day back to school, so she didn’t get to come out and play with us, which I think she was a little bummed about. We got to include her after she got out of school, but I’ll get to that in a minute.
I let Audrey pick what she wanted to do, and she chose “the trampoline place.” Altitude Trampoline Park in Huntsville opened at 10, so we had a couple hours to snuggle on the couch, watch some shows, and ease into the day together. She wanted a waffle for breakfast with whipped cream and sprinkles, so that’s what she got!
She was hilarious at the trampoline park. She is my fearless girl and wanted to do all the things the big kids were doing. She wanted so bad to swing from the trapeze bar, but they can only do that if they’re able to reach the bar by themselves without being lifted. The employee let me lift her up and do it once, which she loved, but then she was bummed she couldn’t do it more. If she could have reached the zipline she would have done that one as well. (head to my IG stories for some hilarious videos)
She was such a hoot to watch run around, jump, and climb all over that place. She even tried to climb the rock wall, and did awesome!
We stayed there for over two hours, then met David at Steak and Shake for lunch. She was excited to have her own chocolate shake and to eat lunch with her daddy.
We had a couple errands to run for her birthday party before running to pick up Raley from school where she took a little power nap in car line. Since Raley has started school and our schedules are wonky, she doesn’t get naps every day like she used to. On busy days, she’ll sometimes take a 15 minute nap in her seat during car line and she’ll be good for the rest of the day. As much as I enjoy the quiet time while she naps, she’s actually in a better mood when she gets those short naps than when she gets a 2 hour nap.
Audrey has asked a few different times now if she could get her ears pierced. It took a little convincing Dad, but he agreed, and I took her to get her ears pierced for her birthday. Raley really wanted to be there with her for support, which is why we waited until after school to get it done. She was telling her all about what to expect and when we got into Claire’s, she was grabbing little stuffed animals for her to hold. It was really sweet.
Audrey did a great job. She sort of made a grunting sound (that she usually makes when she’s mad) right as they pierced them, but then she was fine! No crying at all and after she said “I can’t even feel the earrings in my ears!” ha. I keep looking at her thinking she looks so much bigger now! ?
We went for celebratory ice cream and Dippin’ Dots then went home for a bit before dinner.
David came home a little early so that we could let Audrey open her gifts from us, since we knew it would be bedtime when we got home from dinner. A little while back, we were able to buy a used ride-on Barbie Jeep for super cheap, which we ended up giving her as her birthday gift. Her birthday is hard since it’s right after Christmas, so this worked out great.
Audrey requested “Inja” (Ninja Japanese Grill) for her birthday dinner, so we met both sets of grandparents there. A few years back we started the tradition of having a mini birthday party on their actual birthday with our parents, which usually involves going out to dinner (their choice), opening a couple small gifts, and eating cake. I love this tradition, and I hope it continues. It ends their special day in a mini celebration to them.
I love seeing how excited kids get on their birthdays. She was so excited to show her grandparents her new earrings and tell them “I’m even 4!” (She loves to put “even” in her sentences and it’s the cutest.) She was going around the McDonald’s play area one day last week telling everyone “Guess what it’s almost my birthday and I’m going to be 4! My favorite animal is a flingino and guess what? I’m even having a flingino birthday party.” ?
Audrey, I hope you had the happiest of birthdays. You amaze us by your sharp mind, your creativity, your hilarious sense of humor, and your selfless nature. You always think of others before yourself, which is a special trait I hope you never lose. Your random “I love you Mommy”s, your hugs, and your silly faces are my favorite. You are one of my favorite people to hang out with because you are the biggest joy to be around. I love your love for your sister and animals, especially flinginos. I hope that you will always be unapologetically YOU because God made you so special. We love you, little flinigino! ?
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