Laiken's birthday this year was long-awaited because she finally turned 10. I remember when I turned 10 and I can recall thinking that was such a great milestone because my age was finally a double digit number. Apparently, the appeal is the same today because Laiken was very excited to see her big day finally arrive. On her birthday, we met Grandma, Papaw, and Joe for bowling and then lunch at Brio. It was Nolan's first attempt at bowling and there were times that his ball was rolling so slowly that it would stop on the lane. We laughed as he discovered the hand dryer and then used Joe's towel to try to clean the floors.
After lunch, we came back to the house for cake and gifts. Laiken got some new American Girl stuff for her doll and as she opened the gifts, the dichotomy became obvious. She is balancing between wanting to be all grown up and wanting to still play with her dolls. Laiken is such a great daughter and a wonderful person. She is headstrong and independent and has a love for life and for people. She has so much self-confidence and self-awareness. I remember holding her in the hospital after she was born and thinking that nothing could be more perfect. She's not perfect, of course, but I still have that same feeling of awe when I hear her talk or see her smile. As much as I don't want her to grow up, I am excited about getting to know each layer of the person she is becoming.
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