shawnwright.blog

Seems like not all that long ago Darby was entering her double digits. And like only yesterday she became a teenager. Looks like there's no going back, as she turned fourteen this week. Next year comes high school. Then driving. Then... life.

Here is Darby and I at dinner on her 14th birthday.



This is an awesome picture of Darby having fun opening her gifts at a dinner with her friends tonight. She had a blast!



Darby went to dinner and a movie with friends for her birthday.





Here's a short clip of Darby's friends singing happy birthday to her outside the movie theater.

Labels: birthday, Darby, video

I have this issue with my new age. Now that I'm 36, there are adults out there that were not born yet when I graduated high school. And I don't like it one bit. In fact, 36 is more of a problem for me than 40, mostly because by 40 I'll be in the home stretch with regard to my children (I'll be two years from an empty nest).

So, I have entered this new phase. One which I call "grownuphood". You have your childhood , which requires no explanation. Then you enter adulthood at 18, but it's not like you magically know how to be an adult. Through your twenties, and even into your early thirties, as you learn how to be an adult, one can often be forgiven for a number of transgressions. Oh, he's still just a kid...

But once you enter your late thirties, you're expected to know better. You're not just an adult anymore... you're a (gasp) GROWNUP. So here I am grownuphood. I'm not ready. Or willing. And I'm not even sure I've earned it. But I am here.


Update
This is supposed to be me making fun of grownuphood. Darby dared me to post it.



This would be the serious version of me at 36.



We went to the Cheesecake Factory for one of my favorite dishes for my birthday dinner.



And my birthday desert... CHEEEEEEEESECAKE!!!

Labels: birthday, Shawn

Happy Birthday Shelby!

My little girl turned 12 today. She has entered her 13th year and I am on the cusp of having TWO (beautiful) teenage girls. God help me.

Here's a fun little animated graphic of Shelby enjoying her birthday sundae at her birthday dinner. She may be growing up, but she still eats/messes like she's five...

Labels: birthday, Shelby

Darby bears the unfortunate burden of a winter birthday. For a kid, particularly of her age, this is a terrible thing. Contrast that with Shelby's deep-Summer birthday of August, and my nicely timed Fall Classic (October), and well, Darby doesn't much like us for that.

The trouble with a winter birthday is, of course, finding creative new indoor venues since a picnic in the park is inadvisable at best. When she was younger, not so much the big deal perhaps. In these recent years, however, she's begun to notice the shrinking original (to her) possibilities.

But this year, she finally got her summer birthday. So to speak.

We're fortunate to live in a building with an indoor pool. And equally fortunate the management allowed us to push the capacity limits of the small lap pool to have a bunch of screaming pre-adolescent girls running walking around. She had SUCH a blast! Hopefully photos will be published to the album before long.

Labels: birthday, Darby

We finally held Darby's family birthday dinner this afternoon, effectively concluding her 11th birthday festivities. Her choice for location was the "OG" (Olive Garden), which is always tasty, but I wasn't particularly keen on their refusal to take reservations on weekends. So, I had to show up thirty minutes early to get a table for 14. Other than that (and a small screw-up on my part with invitations) all went fairly well and the food was very good.



I updated the album with a few pics from today's activities.

Labels: birthday, Darby, pictures

After postponing Darby's 11th birthday party because of what I refer to as a "warmth wedgie" (above, and in other words, we canceled it for nothing), we finally held her party today (a mere sixteen days late). Though not without having to gasp at the fact that it was snowing when I looked out the window this morning. Fortunately, it was just a flurry, and the party went on mostly with out hitch.



I've posted a few additional photos in the album.

Labels: birthday, Darby, pictures, snow