Eleven.

Dear Banks,

Well, it's official. You are officially a "tween" (or a "quarantween," as is oh so appropriate for 2020). How we got here so quickly, I just don't know. 

I remember SO vividly, shortly after I became a stay-at-home momma, just after we had moved to our sweet, new hometown, lying on the floor in our playroom, with your baby sister crawling around the room while you and I played game after game after game. I could hear the clock on the wall ticking evvvvvvery singllllllle seconnnnnnd, oh so slowly. It was like time was inching by at a snail's pace. And then, I blinked, and here we are. 

You are nowhere to be found as I write this: you are out riding your bike all over the neighborhood with your best friends, which is where you can be found on any given afternoon that you don't have a sports practice. You LOVE spending time with your friends. And I LOVE that for you. But also, honestly: I miss you! It's hard as a momma, to let your baby develop into his own self: someone with his own interests and preferences. Someone whose family:friend time ratio ever so slowly transforms, so that your friends now seem to see you more than I do. It makes me so happy to know you are so happy. And it also makes me so happy when you walk back in those doors each day, even if for shorter stints as you get older. 

One of the things that makes me happiest is watching you play sports. Because YOU are just so happy, so dialed in, so at home, on a field. You have been for as long as I can remember. You always give it your all, every time; you take criticism and then work hard to improve; and, what I am proudest of: you cheer your teammates on and celebrate their accomplishments as much as your own.

The older you get, the more I see how similar we are: crusaders for justice who want things to be fair; obsessors of allllll the things, big and small; people who are happiest being outside and being active; loyalists who love fiercely and endlessly. 

And yet. You are changing. Every day, you are discovering more and more of who you are. And I am discovering more and more of you I am as a momma: the art of balancing teaching you and letting you learn on your own. And I am learning alongside you, buddy. Because just as you are 11 years old today, I am 11 years old at being a momma. What a gift it is to be yours. 

For the rest of my life, I will be grateful that I get to be YOUR momma. And I will be grateful that YOU were my first born. I wouldn't want it any other way. Because every new milestone, every new lesson, every new year: we grow, together. 

Happy 11th Birthday, Banks Alexander. You have always been, and will always be, my sunshine. I love you more than you could possibly know. Here's to the tween year, honey. I can't wait to watch you shine!

With All My Heart, 

Momma

Turning 40: Lutonpalooza

Well, 2020 is certainly *unprecedented* in more ways than one. But the one I want to focus on in this post? BOTH MY HUB AND I TURN 40 THIS YEAR! 

Actually, my hub turned the big 4-0 back in May. And my turn will come 'round in December. But over a year ago, as in, Summer 2019, we decided to meet in the middle. Instead of two separate 40th birthday celebrations, why not celebrate together? And if you know us, you know we LOVE the beach. So, we decided that Labor Day Weekend 2020 would be our official birthday bash. We planned long and hard and a few weeks ago, after much planning and anticipation, our long-awaited, holiday weekend, birthday celebration finally arrived! And boy, were we ready: 

And it was maybe the most fun weekend of my entire life. A look at the festivities: 

Where we went. Holden Beach, North Carolina. Specifically, the "Southern Charm," a  16-bedroom, 16-bathroom, beachfront home that houses 50! It allowed plenty of room for our guests to relax and enjoy the ride. We loved our time there! And Holden Beach was beautiful! Aside from the crazy infestation of crazy biting flies that swarmed allllll day on Saturday (apparently common in the month of September?!), we loved the location and the house! We highly recommend it for large groups. 

What we gave. We were so, so thankful for our family and friends who gave up their Labor Day weekends to celebrate with us. We wanted to gift them with a nice gift (a nice bottle of wine to take home and enjoy) as well as a gift bag, a la wedding-hotel-guest style. ;) We included a few odds and ends but two items were my favorites: 

(1) I loooooved getting to bake and decorate cookies again, mirroring the logo my hub and I created for the weekend: 

(2) Because there will never be another year like 2020 #Covid, we just had to gift something reminiscent of quarantine. This idea was all my hub's and it will make me laugh forever. We asked each guest to send us a selfie of their choosing. We did not tell them what they were for. Some were just regular smiles; others were snapshots from childhood (think "Glamour Shots" and pre-braces teeth); and still others were just funny faces. We took these selfies and had personal face masks created. It was SO FUN watching each guest's reaction as they realized that their own face was now on a mask they could wear all over town for the duration of quarantine. Ha! I'm kicking myself I didn't get a photo of all 35 of us with our masks on, but we did manage a shot or two with them displayed. 

What we ate. Oh man. The food was so, so, SO good. We used two catering companies  (Off the Hoof BBQ Catering and Coastal Catering and Events), who provided dinners the first two nights (BBQ one night and a scrumptious app/salad/fish/veggie meal the other night) as well as breakfast one morning. In addition, a couple we love, who are foodies with a talent in the kitchen, served up the most delicious gourmet bacon + fancy toasts for the group the other morning. Ohmyword. SO good. I took exactly zero photos of the food, probably because I didn't want to stop eating to take a photo at any point during any meal - ha! I drool just thinking about it. The last night, we ordered in low country boil steamers along with a few delectable apps (think seafood dip and the tastiest nachos), and it was just the perfect meal to end the weekend!

What we did. Laughed. And laughed and laughed and laughed. Here's how the weekend unfolded, with some photos shared and others remaining confidential ;)  

Friday, it was so fun seeing everyone arrive on their own timeline; hearing fun music blaring through the speakers; watching people open their gift bags; hearing cards shuffle and dice being thrown as games began; seeing people cannonball in the pool; just witnessing everyone relax and welcome in the nice, long weekend. It was a blast! 

Saturday, oh man, Saturday. It was one for the books. We all awoke on our own and wandered into the kitchen where our friends were making the most delicious breakfast while Bloody Marys and mimosas awaited us; we then changed into swimsuits in preparation for the day's first big event: Lutonpalooza Beach Olympics. There were four beach games (Bucket Ball; Ladder Golf; Can Jam; Washer Toss) with brackets for each. We had our own referee (my hilarious stepbrother, who will always remain one of my favorite memories of the weekend - that costume! that whistle!) and were all set to go. 

We made our way to the beach and...were greeted with the most ferocious, aforementioned, mean, biting black flies. So....we stayed out there for about 90 minutes before we had to can the Olympics and escape the flies, heading back to the pool (only those crazy aggressive flies followed us!!!; the visuals of that pool party, and the constant sounds of hands slapping body parts, will remain with me forever). After several hours just having a hilarious pool party, everyone went inside to get ready for the second big component of the day....

...the 80s party! You see, my hub and I were both born in 1980; so, we asked our guests to bring their favorite 80s wear for the weekend. And bless 'em, our friends did not disappoint. From mullets and smurfs to workout wear and banana clips, we did it right! Eighties music played all night as more games were played, more scrumptious food was eaten, more crazy shenanigans ensued. It was just so fun. 

And then, Sunday. A slooooow start to the day. Many of our family and friends had to depart this day, and a few played golf, which resulted in a low key, but oh-so-fun afternoon poolside. And then the seafood dinner. And then more games, and, well, just the perfect end to the weekend. I was sad to go to bed, knowing this long-awaited weekend would be over when I woke up. But finally, my tired eyes gave in, and off to bed we went. 

What I loved. Being surrounded by so many of the people we love so dearly. While we missed those who weren't able to make it, we truly treasured our time with those who came. I compare it to our wedding day. I remember walking down the aisle and feeling so loved and so special that so many people I loved were in one place. And this was the same feeling: I just felt so grateful the whole time that, everywhere I turned, I was surrounded by my family and some of my nearest and dearest friends. Just awesome. <3

Truly, it was a weekend I'll never forget. And if you think we aren't going to try to replicate it when we turn half a century (gasp!) in 10 years, you must be crazy!

Thank you to those who were able to join us; we missed those who weren't; and we will be ready to do it again in another 10 years (or sooner! Who's in?!?)!