the non-forgotten birthday

When Brakston and Whitney announced that their wedding date was going to be September 3rd, I told Shanley to just plan on being ignored on her birthday. But, seriously, I was worried about it. I didn't want her to feel ignored or slighted on her big day. Later I tried to convince her that she was going to have the biggest party ever! She'd have tons of extended family at her party and the biggest cake she'd ever had. We all laughed and joked about it but I still wanted to make sure she had a good day so I asked Brak and Whitney if I could serve birthday cake at the wedding lunch and have everyone sing happy birthday. They agreed.

Due to the number of people, Shanley ended up with 2 cakes - a chocolate and a vanilla. She loved them!


I don't think I needed to worry so much. She said it was the best birthday ever! Everyone was very conscientious about wishing her a happy birthday. She was totally surprised by the cakes at the lunch. AND, two of Brakston's friends even brought her a birthday present to the reception.

On top of all that, her birthday got to stretch out for a while. The following Tuesday we had her specially-selected birthday breakfast and I took her lunch at school from In-N-Out Burger (her choice). On Saturday the whole family went out to lunch at Olive Garden.
I can't believe my baby girl is now 14! She is almost as tall as McKayla.

Shanley is a total sweetheart! She will share anything and everything with anyone and everyone. I'm pretty sure she would literally give you the shirt off her back if you asked. She is so easy to get-along with that she has practically a million friends. She is funny and good-hearted and pleasant. She makes our family laugh quite frequently.

Shanley, we love you and are so glad you're part of our family!