Lily’s 10th Birthday Zoo Trip

Happy 10th Birthday to our sweet adventurer! She is my hero, a girl I’d want to be best friends with especially if we were the same age. She has grown into the kindest, most thoughtful, creative, sweet girl so interested in just spending time with you.

Favorite Color: Blue
When I Grow Up: Zoologist

She decided to go to the zoo to celebrate. We’ve gone to the zoo for her birthday before, but since it was closed to the public last year I think she was just really missing it. We got to see her favorite animals including the elephant and the red pandas. The kids were so excited to play on the big rope bridges after eating sandwiches and pretzels for lunch.

At the end of our visit, we checked out the Gift Shop and the kids got to pick out a special birthday present for themselves. The Birthday Girl chose a Red Panda. Apparently she and her brothers had been playing games and make-believe at home with an “imaginary” Red Panda. F chose his favorite animal of the moment, a sloth! Its fur is so soft and straggly, and there is velcro on its hands so it can wrap its enormous arms around him. W got the cutest baby polar bear, and a small block set with some animals in it. They played with their new toys all the way home in the car until they fell asleep, and played with them again when they woke up!

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We had “part 2” of her birthday celebration when we got home! She helped her Dad make ribs for her birthday dinner, and since she loves to cook and help in the kitchen it was a treat for her to put on her apron and spend time with Daddy learning how to brown the meat and put the sauce on. We put her wrapped gifts in the living room where she carefully unwrapped a brand new LEGO Harry Potter extension set for her castle! The boys were super excited and wanted to help her build it, but we told them it was just for her haha. Her 2nd gift was a brand new book, an illustrated edition of the first in the series of “Anne of Green Gables”. I did not grow up with this book, so we are excited to read it together!

We shared some of our favorite reasons why we love and are thankful for Lily. Just a few examples… I love that she wants to spend time together, even if it’s giving me the very best hug and reminding me how much she loves me. I love that she is so happy reading! I love that she makes so many beautiful creations and shares them with others.

We decided to do something different this year instead of a birthday cake, so we lit some candles on her special Birthday Pie (peach flavored). Everyone loved having pie for her birthday, especially the Birthday Girl who has adored peaches since she was a baby! Then the kids all got in the mood to watch the Harry Potter movie that went along with the LEGO set, so we popped a bunch of popcorn and curled up on the couch for an epic ending to a wonderful day celebrating the best girl I know ❤️