{"id":65707,"date":"2023-09-15T06:40:20","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T10:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/?p=65707"},"modified":"2023-09-15T06:40:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-15T10:40:27","slug":"hailey-is-12-years-old","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ahealthysliceoflife.com\/hailey-is-12-years-old\/","title":{"rendered":"Hailey is 12 Years Old!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Oh my sweet Hailey bug. How have we enjoyed 12 wonderful years with you already? Time flies and it shows every time someone asks- oh my goodness is she taller than you? Yes, she is, with no up on tippy toes required. Her last official measurement has her at 5’3″, a good two inches taller than her mom, and she likes to remind me of it constantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But a slight teasing is about as mean spirited as the girl gets, unless you cross her on a soccer field where a competitive level of aggression seems to come out of thin air. She is such a sweet old soul, happy with life’s simple pleasures, and grateful for little things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t get me wrong, she knows how to push her little sister’s buttons, but isn’t that just in the sibling genetic make up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We are celebrating her today with lunch out, a surprise escape room experience, her dinner of choice (Shepherd’s Pie and Tret Leches Cake), and presents. I never mean to spoil our kids with gifts, but the generosity of our family members on birthdays is sincere and I’m looking for a fun way to hide her gifts and have her find them. I’m thinking of stuffing clues inside balloons and as she pops each one she’ll have to solve the riddle and find a gift. She adores scavenger hunts and the like!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But before I take off to spend the day with my firstborn, here are a few fun facts about Hailey at 12 years old that I want to remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As she grows, I can see our relationship start to shift. From needing me during the young years to trusting me with the middle years stuff as she transitions from little kid into full blown tween. I’m hopeful, watching this transition, that our relationship will continue down the path of slowly morphing from authoritative parental figure to eventual close friend once she’s fully grown, just as I feel lucky enough to have experienced with my mom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The years fly by” stuff, while incredibly accurate, also sometimes rubs me the wrong way. So instead of lamenting about time, I’m focusing on gratitude. I’m so thankful to be her mom. I’m so grateful for the experience of getting to raise her and watch her grow. I have enjoyed every stage and the trend continues. I know 12 is going to be a great year for our girl! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Happy birthday, Hailey bug; we love you more than all the stars in the sky!<\/p>\n\n\n\n