We've Got Another Major (Not a Minor) in the House!

Grace, my ever-surprising surprise, is now 18!  As surreal as it is to have TWO children who are technically adults, it's made easier knowing we still have several more months with Grace before she leaves the nest as well.  And as for next school year, when I'll only have 4 kids left at home, I am purposefully burying my head in the sand so I don't have to think about that until at least the end of next summer.  Hahahaha.

Shout out to my sister, Emily, who creates these hilarious, personalized "cards" whenever someone in our family has a birthday.

One thing I really appreciate is when the kids lay out their expectations for the big day, so I don't inadvertently ruin everything by not being able to read their minds.  Hahaha.  (I'm being serious, though.  LOL.)  For Ethan's milestone birthday last year, he didn't really have any input on what he wanted for his cake, or his presents, or decorations, etc.  And it showed.  Womp womp.  And while Ethan was perfectly content with the execution of his family birthday party, Grace knew she wanted a little something extra.  Since she's one of my resident party planners for the other kids' birthdays -- and typically goes all out with the decor -- she let me know that she wanted to have that favor returned for this year's party.  In addition to her decorations request, she created a helpful slide show for me with her Birthday/Christmas Wish List for the presents she would like to receive from the fam.  Hahaha.  You've got to admire that kind of go-getting.  Haha.  A third laid-out expectation was to recreate her "Puppy" cake from her 5th birthday.  (Grace used to carry Puppy and Doggie (two stuffed animals) with her EVERYWHERE.  For her 5th birthday I made the Puppy cake, and for her 6th, I recreated Doggy using the same format.)  And her final request was to eat at Shogun for her birthday dinner with her boyfriend joining in on the fun.  

Check. Check. Check. And CHECK!  Hahahaha.  I actually had a lot of fun ordering party stuff online and then setting it all up on her birthday day while she was at school.  The balloon arch was probably the most time-consuming and frustrating element of the decorations, but it turned out pretty awesome and I'm glad I did it.  Some streamers, a happy birthday sign, some crepe paper pom poms, and a "birthday girl" sash plus tiara rounded things out, and I finished up making her cake right when the girls (plus Christian) got home from school.

Yellow Cake plus Brown Sugar Frosting.  SO. GOOD.

(I used the recipe found HERE --

1 1/2 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

3 1/2 c. powdered sugar)

I used cupcakes for Puppy's "ears," and was happy to have the leftovers to make use of the cupcake toppers I found on Amazon.

I made her pose for some pictures (solo and as a group) before we jetted off to the restaurant to make it in time for our reservation.  Once we were back home, we sang happy birthday, she opened her presents, and some of us ate cake.  (Which for the record had the most delicious frosting ever -- it was a hit even with Grace, and she typically likes the cake part only and never the frosting.)  All in all, I think her 18th birthday extravaganza lived up to her every expectation!  Hahaha.

It's a running joke that Grace can never blow out all the candles on her cake.

And that's a wrap on this recap! To close, I'll leave you with 18 years worth of Grace...

Newborn:  (ca. Christmas 2004 -- I loved that hat so much)

1 year old:  (documenting her thumb-sucking phase -- spoiler alert it lasted until she was almost 4 1/2)

2 years old:  (the beginning of her "Annie" phase -- also, that's Doggie she's clutching there)

3 years old:  (featuring the classic Grace bobbed haircut that was her "look" for AGES, because her hair seemed to grow thicker rather than longer for a very long time)

4 years old:  (getting her ears pierced was her reward for when she stopped sucking her thumb)

5 years old:  (this pinky pose became the joking go-to birthday picture pose for all the kids over the next year or so)

6 years old:  ("hats" were the theme for that years Christmas card pictures -- which I, unfortunately, never ended up sending)

7 years old:  (Capturing a little bit of Grace's personality in a single pose -- and as a side note, I absolutely loved that dress)

8 years old:  (this is my favorite from her baptism picture photo shoot)

9 years old:  (again with that personality -- lol)

10 years old:  (the under armour headband "look" lasted a LONG time)

11 years old:  (humoring me with a birthday picture photo shoot tacked on to the end of an already long family portrait session)

12 years old:  (LOL)

13 years old:  (I enjoyed the "bun" phase -- it really suited her)

14 years old:  (you know how I love taking pictures of someone taking a picture -- hahahahahahaha {this backdrop is the Grand Canyon, in case anyone is wondering})

15 years old:  (red-ish hair brought to you by "stuff we did during the early days of the pandemic" -- I'm pretty sure she regretted her actions as soon as the dye was cast)

16 years old:  (Isaac LOVES Grace like a 2nd mother)

17 years old:  (Looking all grown up -- *single tear emoji*)

18 years old:  (okay, okay, she's actually 1 day away from turning 18 in this Halloween pic -- technicalities, amiright?)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRACE!!!