teenager in the house, cherry blossoms, easter fun

 last tuesday was azalea's 13th birthday! i have so much i could say about this milestone, but i'll try to keep it short. like every parent before me, i'm in disbelief that my first born is already 13. i know i've been with her nearly every day since she was placed in my arms for the first time in 2011, but somehow it still doesn't feel possible. she's been such a joy to raise so far and while i know there will be some bumps in the road as she navigates her teenage years, i'm just so proud of her and feel so lucky to get to be her mom.

she spent most of her birthday at school. her friends made it a fun day for her. in the evening, we got vietnamese from 'crackle mi' for dinner (her request), we zoomed with family while she opened her gifts, and then we had the brownie cake that thatcher made. yum! 

she received pajamas, a t shirt, make up, accessories, a new alexa for her room, money, and gift cards. 

wednesday evening ashford's baseball game got rained out, but that meant he was able to go to karate with arlo and rebekah. and we did get a peek of sun during the day when i took this picture. 

thursday was more rain and another cancelled baseball practice. womp womp. 

friday evening there was a talent show at ashford's school. last year was the first year they had it, and we couldn't go because ashford had a game, so we were excited to go this year. we met kay and fritz there. the show was pretty cute. they started with the youngest kids and worked their way up to the 5th graders. lots of singing taylor swift ;) the weather got nice again for the weekend, which meant lots of time on the deck. 

saturday morning ashford had a birthday party for fritz. fritz's parents took 8 boys to the DEFY trampoline park and mod pizza for lunch. lucky boy. azalea and i went to an annual sale for ballard businesses at the leif erickson center and to the library. azalea's friend penny came over in the afternoon. ashford had a 5pm game that night. it started off pretty rough. in the second inning they were losing 0-10. their score slowly started to creep up. in their last inning at bat, they scored 6 runs including a grand slam by one of their players. ashford got a single RBI too, which was really exciting. they ended up tying the game 11-11! 

sunday was easter! holidays have not been my favorite days since moving to seattle, but some years are better than others. we started the day off with easter baskets and an egg hunt in the yard. the easter bunny did not feel like picking out personalized items this year ;) 

the afternoon was relaxing on the deck, ashford hung out with friends at the park, and thatcher and i went on a walk together. we walked up to sunset hill park, which has the most beautiful view. 

in the evening, matt, vanessa, and ewan came for dinner. we made pulled pork and mac n cheese. it was really nice to have them over. we used to do a lot of holidays with them, but it's been a few years. i forgot to take any pictures. it was the perfect end to a busy spring weekend. 

the kids have one more week of school now until they are off for spring break.