After my milestone birthday last month, it was Bridgette’s turn to hit her milestone birthday. Double digit. The big 1-0. That’s right, my baby turned 10!
I can hardly believe it. I’ve known this amazing girl for 10 years. 3,650 days. What a blessing she’s been to Alan and I! She’s taught us more about ourselves in these last 10 years than the last 30 years of our lives prior to her presence. Because of her, we’ve worked harder to strengthen our marriage. Because of her, we’ve done an immense amount of self-reflection to try to be better people. Because of her, we’ve learned to love selflessly and unconditionally. Because of her, we’ve been inspired to live a fuller life. Because of her, we’ve been able to broaden our horizons in the most refreshing ways.
Baby, toddler, tween, teen…no matter the “age group” Bridgette’s in, I have found (and continue to find) so much joy being around her. Whether it’s traveling to new places, reading together in bed, or cooking up a storm together in the kitchen, I love and cherish our time together so much. She challenges us in a healthy way with questions that are very thought-provoking for Alan and I. We are genuinely grateful for this creative, brilliant, and passionate being in our family!
Last year, while in Hong Kong, Bridgette attended a few birthday sleepovers and had the best time. So, when asked what she’d like to do for her birthday this year, Bridgette immediately said she wanted a sleepover with a few of her closest friends. We knew we’d be in Hong Kong for her actual birthdate, so we planned the sleepover for the first weekend in February. She invited a few of her closest friends, and though she didn’t have any special requests on theme or decor, I decided it’d be fun to create a cool looking fort for their sleepover. The only place in our home that could work well for that was my bedroom. Fortunately, Alan was on board and okay with my idea. Little did he know that he would have to be the one to execute my big ideas!
Pinterest is so fun to browse through when you’re planning a party, especially a kids’ party. I typed in “children’s fort” and perused through all the cute (and some odd looking) images. I usually use Pinterest just as an inspiration source, so soon after, my head began churning up ideas of my own. Lucky for me, as a Wedding Planner, I have a ton of resources at my fingertips and within a few hours, I secured everything that I needed to use to build this fancy fort for Bridgette and her friends.
On the day of the party, Bridgette’s friends arrived in the late afternoon, giving them some time to settle in and play together before we went out to dinner at one of Bridgette’s favorite restaurant–Benihana. The girls had a blast there watching the chef perform in front of them and devouring the famously delicious fried rice. After we arrived back home from dinner, the girls showered and changed into the adorable unicorn onesies pjs that I got for them to cut the birthday cake with Bridgette.And what’s a slumber party without a pillow fight??
I think it’s an unspoken rule that sleep is the lowest priority when it comes to sleepovers. The girls stayed up late to watch a movie together but woke up really early the next morning to make breakfast for themselves. At this age, they are pretty self sufficient, which makes it much easier on the supervising parents!
Bridgette had a fantastic time and I’m so happy she got the experience of hosting her own sleepover party. Yes, it was a lot work to pull all the pieces together for this fort but it was definitely well worth it to create such beautiful memories for the girls.
The day after Bridgette’s sleepover, we celebrated with both her grandparents with dinner at one of her newfound favorites–Chalet Ticino, serving traditional Swiss fondue.
On her actual birthdate, we celebrated in Hong Kong with our cousins. My sis booked a delicious Italian dinner for all of us and ordered a custom cake that had her current favorite plushy–Cheese Puff!
Thank you to all our family and friends who celebrated with us!! Happy birthday to our sweet Bridgette!
For those of you who may want some tips and resources on planning a unicorn-themed party, I have compiled some of my favorite unicorn items here for your easy reference:
1. Newcosplay Children Unisex Unicorn Onesie Pajamas Costume (125, New Blue Unicorn)
2. ZEAYEA Adult Animal Kigurumi Unicorn Cosplay Costume Pajamas Aqua Blue S
3. Meri Meri Unicorn Horns, Set of 8 Party Hats
4. Meri Meri Party Pack Unicorn Small Plate and Rainbow Small Napkin (8 Plates & 20 Napkins)
What a lucky girl! Sounds like a lovely birthday! Found your page from Insta and very fascinated in this new homeschool lifestyle. I work in education so I love exploring how people learn!
Thanks Charmaine! This homeschooling experience has been such an eye opener to me on the many different ways that different children learn. It is quite fascinating indeed!