Rachel's Birthday Weekend

So this beauty turned 14 on Saturday, *sigh*...She's growing up way too fast, and I really wish I could stop time and enjoy this age for a couple years.

Rachel is a girl wise beyond her years.  She's smart, outgoing, VERY opinionated (NO clue where that comes from...), loving and just an all around fun gal to be around!

I like to think that right now we have a really good relationship.  She talks to me about school, issues, and stuff, and I love every.single.second of it.  Like last night I went in to say goodnight and ended up chatting with her for half an hour about everything from volleyball to babies, haha!!  I love this girl with every fiber of my being.

Saturday morning I got up early and made her request, monkey bread.  We gave her cash this year, so I wrapped up each bill so she had something to open.  My dad and his wife came down and we all went to Red Lobster for lunch.  After lunch we came home and it was about 65 degrees in our backyard, so we enjoyed the patio to its fullest!  Emma and Rachel were in a school play that evening which was HILARIOUS and then we came home and I think we were all in bed by 9 as Rachel had a volleyball tournament on Sunday.

Friday night Rachel and her friends got together as they were making t-shirts for a dodge ball tournament they are in this week.  They are the "Liquid Gold Diggers" and each of them has a cheese name, hilarious!

Rachel has such a great group of friends, we are so lucky to have these girls (Taylor wasn't in this picture) in our lives, and thankfully they all have awesome parents that we love to hang with.  Our #1 decision of where to send Rachel to high school is because of these girls. 

They are all so fun and outgoing, the thought of sending her somewhere new makes me sick to my stomach...

 

Sunday they had a tournament in St. Joe (thankfully because Emma had her play at 2:00 and I was able to go watch her again), and ended up placing 2nd in the gold division!  After the tournament we went over to one of the players houses and had pizza and drinks.  We laughed so much that my stomach hurt!  Such a fun and BUSY weekend!