Leah's birthday finally arrived! I think she is still sure that she has to wait longer than anyone else for her birthday to come around each year, and boy was she excited when it was finally her turn!
Daddy and I decorated her room with balloon chandeliers the night before and she was sweet enough to pretend to be asleep while we ripped tape off the roll and figured out how to place them. And they turned out so cute!
A perfect way to start the day- with breakfast in bed! Let it be known that Leah chose cinnamon rolls over orange rolls this year. After breakfast she came downstairs for presents!
Some were virtual,
and some were jam!
She had a busy day of celebrating planned out, so we were quickly out the door and on our way to thrifting with besties!
Thrifting is always a bit of a gamble, but over the course of two days of shopping Leah found all kinds of great new clothes at a bargain price! And when we started wilting we headed to lunch. 
Complete with cake!
And a mask because it's 2020.
I was there too!
After more shopping we picked up the boys friends and headed back to the house for cake and sledding and fun at home.
And, of course, the day was zipping by much too quickly, so decisions had to be made. Leah's original plan was to have fondue for dinner on her birthday, and most definitely not on New Year's Eve, but she also wanted to keep playing with Sarah into the dinnertime hours. After a quick council in the pantry, she decided that they would continue playing and that we could do L-ondue on New Year's Eve- Leah's fondue. And that was delicious too!
Leah's birthday celebration extended over the course of several days this week, including another shopping trip where we found and enjoyed some macaroons!
And we went on a dinner date with Daddy- so many good opportunities for connection and tasty foods with her birthday celebration!
And we loved celebrating Leah!
She is our guinea pig, bless her sweet heart, who is just as patient with her first-time parents as we try to be with each of our kids. She understands (I hope!) that we've never parented anyone older than her before and she gives us lots of grace as we try to figure this all out together.
Leah is growing up! Literally- she's at least 2 inches taller than me now and she humors me when I put my head on her shoulder and call her "mama".
And she is growing up in other ways too- we're having lots of conversations in our house about learners permits (age 14 in Iowa!), cell phones, social media, first jobs, first dates, high school and seminary in our house right now.
Leah is a good friend. She cares about how other people are feeling and she is thoughtful about the words she says to them.
Leah loves the Keeper of the Lost City books, drawing, listening to her jams, FaceTiming with her bestie Sarah, and hanging out with Karlee, and she has dove right into making new friends in our new ward, including the cutest trio of girls named Lyssa, Findley, and Findlay.
Leah loves having her own room. She was always more vocal about the joys of sharing a room in our old house but she recently confirmed that she is 98% happy to have her own room now.
Leah is a peacemaker. She comes up with solutions that calms everyone down, and that is a huge blessing in our home!
Leah is creative! She loves to come up with new ways to decorate herself, her sister, her room, her computer, and anything else she can get her creative hands on.
Leah's testimony is growing. She reads the Book of Mormon every day, she remembers and works on her personal goals, and she has gotten more comfortable bearing her testimony, both at home and in church.
Leah loves Cole Baby! I'm not sure why, but I do know that her siblings love that about her.
Leah is a saver. She doesn't have excessive wants, and she has money in the bank to show for it.
Leah is a good storyteller. She is learning the art of timing and the punchline and she knows how to deliver a story that is fun to listen to.
Leah has a strong sense of right and wrong, and she makes the right choices because she knows that they will bring her greater happiness.
Leah is independent. She has excelled with virtual learning and is lucky enough to have majorly skipped over some of the worst parts of middle school. She also recognizes and appreciates the lessons that she has learned in school, both academically and socially.
Leah is willing to work hard and learn new things. She helped with the derecho clean up this summer and she learned how to drive the terraferminator!
Leah is a blessing to everyone who knows her and she is going great places! Happy 14th birthday sweet girl- we love you!!
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