Special Celebration for Anais

Not long after their reunion in January, Kaitlynn and Anais were able to get together in mid-February for a belated birthday celebration for Anais's 11th birthday. The girls had a full day and half to spend together, and Kaitlynn and I planned several activities to make sure they could maximize their time and fun together in honor of Anais's birthday. After we picked up Anais on a Saturday morning, we planned to go straight to the roller skating rink. But we were a bit ambitious on our timing, so we had some time to kill before the rink opened. We made a quick stop at a local pet store to see some precious animals while we waited. Such cute puppies and kittens!

As soon as the skating rink opened, the girls were ready. It was quite crowded but that didn't stop their fun. They had a great time practicing their roller skating skills and tricks, but they seemed to get bored sooner than expected.

After only 45 minutes or so of skating, the girls seemed ready to go. It turns out that they needed some food to fuel their energy levels, so we drove to a restaurant called Willie's for lunch. Anais had some spending money burning a hole in her pocket, and so the girls spent a good $5-10 on the arcade games at the restaurant. They ended up with pockets FULL of candy and little toys from the games, which was their idea of FUN!

We headed back home to our house because Anais was very anxious to open her birthday gifts. And then after the gift opening, it was back to fun and games around the house. One of their favorite activities was setting up a scavenger hunt for Connor with the various candies and toys they had won at the restaurant. Never a dull moment!

After a couple of hours of playing, it was time to head out for Kaitlynn's last Bears basketball game. She was so excited to have her best friend Anais cheer her on. Since Jeff was working the clock for the game, Anais and I were sitting together in the stands while Kaitlynn's team played. I laughed and laughed (and sometimes cringed, HA!) as Anais gave her colorful commentary throughout the game. She cheered, she screamed, she critiqued, and she offered many words of advice for the struggling Bears. It was oh-so-cute and Kaitlynn felt extra special to have an extra loud cheerleader on her side.

Jeff capped off their special day together by setting up our indoor, tabletop s'mores kit. The girls made and enjoyed MANY servings of s'mores while they watched Frozen 2 and sang along with their favorite songs. What a day!

The next morning, the girls were right back at it. They dressed in similar clothing because they wanted to form a basketball team for some hoops in the driveway. Apparently, Anais had some great tips that she wanted to pass along for improved skills and teamwork, so these girls got to work outside. They designed and ran play after play, ALL morning long. I think they were running plays and shooting hoops for 3-4 hours outside! And my goodness, they made quite the team. Jeff and I just marveled at how well they got along and entertained themselves for hours on end.

Even after all of those long hours of outdoor play, the girls were excited and ready for their final activity of their time together. I took them to the local trampoline park, Altitude, for 2 hours of nonstop jumping, dodge ball, and back handsprings. These girls played their hearts out! They were a hot and sweaty mess but still didn't want the fun to end. I finally had to tell them it was time to go, because it was time to take Anais home. They didn't argue too much, simply because they had exhausted every ounce of energy!

These girls, what can I say? No matter the time or distance that separates them, they remain the best of friends. They enjoy every moment together and get along so well. I'm so thankful for their special friendship, and we've already begun making plans for their next opportunity to get together.