Happy Birthday to Alia!

Today our oldest daughter, Alia, turned 13.

We had a special birthday breakfast and a birthday dinner as a family, and then she just wanted ice cream with candles on it for dessert. 

Tonight while Eric and I were tucking her in bed, we were reminiscing about the past.

And then I pulled out my laptop to look through a few photos from Alia's early years.

This is one of my favorites from our college apartment:

And this one honestly cracks me up every time I see it:

 

This photo was taken when we lived in Boston and Eric was attending business school:

And what I love about this photo is the creativity Alia displayed at such an early age.  (She made an elephant mask with three paper plates and a straw for the trunk--the idea just struck while she was looking around in the pantry.)

  

Love her blonde curls . . . that have now turned into lovely darker waves.

I honestly don't know how I would have managed having four children if Alia hadn't been such a great helper.  Sometimes when she and I were on an outing together, she'd say, "Isn't it nice to be out without the kids?"

She has grown into such a precious young lady, who I can honestly say is one of my best friends.  Alia understands me--sometimes better than I understand myself.  She's incredibly observant, she's got a quick mind, and she's one of the most thoughtful people I know. 

 

(And Grace, Ethan, and Spencer . . . you are, too.)

While Alia and I were talking last night, she told me that one of her dreams has been to offer one of her handmade headbands as a blog giveaway.

I said, "Well, Alia, most people do blog giveaways when they're trying to promote a company or a product."

She replied, "I don't care!  I just REALLY want to do one!  I'll even pay for the shipping!"  (She makes me smile.)

So, in honor of Alia's birthday, I'm fulfilling her wish by hosting Alia's very first blog giveaway.  She made a darling little headband out of felt, and she took these pictures so I could show you what it looks like:

There's no catch and no business to promote.  She just wants to make someone happy.

***Update: We just closed the giveaway, and "3 under 2.5" won!  If you email April (at) powerofmoms.com with your address, we'll mail it to you.  

Thanks everyone for participating!

Happy birthday, sweet Alia.

Love,

Mom

P.S. To see Alia's blog, you can visit www.aliasideas.blogspot.com