a decade (birthday post part 1)...

Guess who turned ten years old...

Last week while we were at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz Ashlyn stopped and said, "I am a decade old!"  Seriously, ten years old??  How did this happen?!  Wasn't it just yesterday that I went into labor with my not-quite-finished-cooking baby girl?!  Wasn't she just that tiny eight month old taking her first steps?! How can she possibly be TEN?!

As I mentioned, Ashlyn chose to celebrate her first decade with a day at the Boardwalk after having a sleepover with her best friend.

When it comes to amusement park rides my girl is fearless.  The bigger and scarier the better.  Landon, well he is a little more timid.  He'll smile and scream but will often maintain his white-knuckled death grip on the ride until it is over.  



They both loved the swings...

and after a little cheering and encouragement from the ground we even got Landon to let go...


Chris even got in on some of the action.


I think they may have liked it...

The kids couldn't get enough of the rides and would eagerly run to the next one, not wanting to waste any time.




After six spinning rides in a row, Ashlyn's stomach wasn't feeling so great.  Unfortunately, the poor girl seems to have inherited my tendency towards motion sickness.

She kept smiling despite the queasiness but decided to sit out the next ride.

So Landon and I rode the next ride together...


and it was FUN!  I don't think I stopped laughing through the entire ride.

Chris said he wanted to sit out and take pictures of this ride just so he could see my ponytail whipping around.  I think he got his wish...


Oh how I love these two...


After a ton of rides the kids hit the arcade and played a little laser tag.  Ashlyn got the lowest score in laser tag and later confessed that she didn't shoot anyone because she didn't think it would be very nice.  That's my girly girl.





Ever since Ashlyn was a baby she has loved water of any kind.  We would take long baths together where I taught her to blow bubbles and hold her breath under water.  She never wanted to get out of the bath or the pool.

It's not surprising that the beach is one of her favorite places in the world.  So after all the rides we hit the beach for a few hours.











(it looks like someone else seems to have inherited my "rainbow eyes")  

Here is a little confession (and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone on this)...I hate seagulls.  Seriously.  They are such a nuisance.  They would swoop down right next to us and we barely avoided getting "bombed" at least a dozen times.  They attacked one of our beach towels thinking it was food.  They drive me crazy.  But enough about that.


Ashlyn really wanted to go boogie boarding.  In all honesty, she is really dying to surf.  Dominic has promised to take her out soon but until then skating and boogie boarding are the next best thing.


My little surfer girl...

Ashlyn,

My beautiful girl, you have grown so much in the last ten years.  You have such a compassionate and caring heart.  You try your hardest in everything that you do but like me, you fear making mistakes. Don't let that fear hold you back from trying new things.  You are a lot braver than you think. 

I have watched you mature into someone who is smart, assertive, kind and loving.  You love the Lord and desire to live a life for Him.  I am so very blessed to have a daughter like you. 

I love you, PeeWee.  May your next ten years be just as sweet. 

Love always,

Mom

(all black and white images taken by my beautiful mom)