Yesterday was a major milestone around our casa, because my beautiful, beloved eldest turned THIRTEEN. An official teenager!
And, in honor of her big birthday, I planned a whole fancy day, culminating in the most gorgeous, ethereal, stunning pictures, thanks to our longtime photographer, and…I DIE.
I mean, I’ve been completely unproductive today after receiving just a handful of preview images, so I can’t even imagine how excited and distracted I’ll be when I get the whole gallery of photos in a couple of weeks!
The location alone…I. CAN’T. EVEN.
Okay.
Now, to rewind…
Anyone who knows my girl is aware that she’s been fancy since infancy. Literally. Accessories, galore, and don’t even get me started on the princess dress stage that gloriously lasted for YEARS:
Welp.
Not too long ago (maybe six months?) Chica read this book series (that I also loved years ago!), and the covers involve the most stunning ballgowns. A whole vibe.
Well, Chica and I spent some random time one afternoon, just googling for formal dresses that looked anything like some of the book covers. Just for kicks and giggles. And she even mused at one point that it would be so fun to have a “princess dress” to enjoy at this age and stage, since she had so many fond childhood memories of them, as well.
Obviously, my Type A Mama planner brain kicked into full drive, and imagined a WHOLE THING for her bday that would involve just such a dress!
Easier said than done, ha.
But I saved some of the links to dresses we found that day, and made a mental note of the idea that was brewing…until about six weeks ago, when I decided it might just be a possibility to stage the most incredible photo opportunity—and that we could get the whole family in on it (to ensure Chica wouldn’t be embarrassed, parading around for pictures as the only one dressed up).
That’s when I got in touch with our photographer because I knew this would only work if I could happen on Chica’s actual bday. I decided it would be a sign if our photographer was free and available, and…SHE WAS.
I decided to keep the plan a secret from Chica, but I knew we’d need to order a dress (under the guise of playing dress up as a bday present at home) or the whole plan would fall apart.
I placed the order, and when it arrived, I let her try it on and check it out, to make sure the whole secret fanciness would be possible, even if she had no idea what I was planning.
I was totally impressed with the quality and circumference of the thing. Amazing!
And as soon as I saw Chica on the ground like this with the voluminous material spread out, I knew this photo shoot could be a massive success—if everything fell in to place!
Next up, I needed to find something for myself—oye. Not so easy.
But I decided to order from the same place Chica’s dress came from, and literally just went on the site and searched for the highest rated formal dresses.
Honestly, this one didn’t really scream ME, but I thought the color would complement Chica’s dress, and I knew the whole thing was mostly about Chica and not me, so I decided not to overthink it!
It arrived, it fit, and I marked that checklist item as done and DONE!
At the same time I ordered mine, I also ordered a junior bridesmaid-style dress for Chicklet and it arrived and fit, but…it wasn’t giant enough! Ha. Chicklet herself came to that conclusion when she heard that mine and Chica’s dresses had some oomph to them.
But since Chicklet’s NOT a shopping gal, we had to hunt online for other options and found this incredible winner that was just perfect:
And, again, I knew the colors of all three dresses would make for some really stunning images.
And, again, I knew the colors of all three dresses would make for some really stunning images.
Meanwhile…I had to secretly plot to get my BOY his very first suit!
I can’t even tell you what a fun and sweet outing this particular shopping trip was.
Hysterically, it was the day he fell asleep in the car during VBS week (you might remember that from a past post). Our days had been chock-full, but I knew we needed to find him a suit before we started getting pinched on time, and the process was just really precious and fun.
It was ADORABLE to see how embarrassed and self-conscious and then PROUD he was to see himself looking so grown up. He kept his eyes covered until he was all dressed and his reaction was just…priceless. Absolutely priceless.
Also, talk about slaying my Mama heart to see my men talk suits together. Ugh.
Mini me, for sure! (Kevin was just dressed in a sport coat that day for work, ha.)
The hubby had something on hand to wear that needed to be tailored. And he helped me get bow ties for him and Little Man. They even did a switcheroo for a white colored jacket for Little Man that ended up AMAZING. A fantastic contrast to all the black and bright colored dresses.
Also, talk about slaying my Mama heart to see my men talk suits together. Ugh.
Mini me, for sure! (Kevin was just dressed in a sport coat that day for work, ha.)
The hubby had something on hand to wear that needed to be tailored. And he helped me get bow ties for him and Little Man. They even did a switcheroo for a white colored jacket for Little Man that ended up AMAZING. A fantastic contrast to all the black and bright colored dresses.
All in all, the day arrived and the family was mostly outfitted behind the scenes and we were ready to surprise Chica with a day of fanciness and prepping for the photos!
We don’t do a whole shebang of decorations anymore, but balloons are a must, so I set them up last night:
And the birthday girl was bright-eyed and oblivious to the day we had planned when she woke. :)
As soon as we got her downstairs, we told her the whole plan for the day and let her dive in to the presents! I think it took her a minute to process ALL that was going to be on the agenda (which is typical for all three of my kiddos), but then it was time for the FUN.
Our first order of business was to head to DSW to shop for shoes—on a timeframe! We had just 30 minutes before we needed to head to lunch, ha. But we had fantastic and quick success—and great sale prices!
Then off to a fancy steak restaurant for a high class dinner…with silly kiddos, ha.
Then, the men and women split up and the ladies continued with the shopping extravaganza! Kendra Scott and Claire’s. :)
Poor Chicklet was quite tired. She absolutely wanted to tag along for all the girlie fun, but we’ve had a lot of late nights and early mornings, lately. Sweet girl actually fell asleep in the car at one point.
Luckily, she rallied for one of our favorite events of the day: hair styling at DryBar!
You know, I’ve been cutting the girlies hair for years, now, so sometimes I forget that they haven’t had the classic salon experience. It was a JOY to watch them take in the process of being pampered, among women, in a very feminine environment. And The Devil Wears Prada was playing on some televisions in the salon, and that, in and of itself, was a delight, ha.
And, holy MOLY, look at the incredible result!
They aged before my eyes!
Ugh…13 Going on 30, for realsies!
After the salon, and a quick stop to Sephora for some lip and eye makeup, it was a mad dash marathon to come home and scarf down a bit of food before gearing up in the fancy clothes and heading to the photo session.
And the birthday girl was bright-eyed and oblivious to the day we had planned when she woke. :)
As soon as we got her downstairs, we told her the whole plan for the day and let her dive in to the presents! I think it took her a minute to process ALL that was going to be on the agenda (which is typical for all three of my kiddos), but then it was time for the FUN.
Our first order of business was to head to DSW to shop for shoes—on a timeframe! We had just 30 minutes before we needed to head to lunch, ha. But we had fantastic and quick success—and great sale prices!
Then off to a fancy steak restaurant for a high class dinner…with silly kiddos, ha.
Then, the men and women split up and the ladies continued with the shopping extravaganza! Kendra Scott and Claire’s. :)
Poor Chicklet was quite tired. She absolutely wanted to tag along for all the girlie fun, but we’ve had a lot of late nights and early mornings, lately. Sweet girl actually fell asleep in the car at one point.
Luckily, she rallied for one of our favorite events of the day: hair styling at DryBar!
You know, I’ve been cutting the girlies hair for years, now, so sometimes I forget that they haven’t had the classic salon experience. It was a JOY to watch them take in the process of being pampered, among women, in a very feminine environment. And The Devil Wears Prada was playing on some televisions in the salon, and that, in and of itself, was a delight, ha.
And, holy MOLY, look at the incredible result!
They aged before my eyes!
Ugh…13 Going on 30, for realsies!
After the salon, and a quick stop to Sephora for some lip and eye makeup, it was a mad dash marathon to come home and scarf down a bit of food before gearing up in the fancy clothes and heading to the photo session.
It was an absolute whirlwind (at least the girlies’ hair was done!), and we ran a bit late, but the drive out to the location was 40 minutes of singing and decompressing in the car on a beauuuuutiful drive, and it was just what we needed to re-set our mood!
I’m not gonna lie, I had many moments during the day where I feared this whole spectacle was going to be an absolute MOM FAIL. But the moment we arrived and walked to the first place with incredible lighting and our amazing photographer started to do her thing, I knew it was all going to work out. :)
I’m so glad that I stuck to my original vision for these photos. When I told the photographer the kind of clothes we’d be wearing, she helped me brainstorm all sorts of amazing buildings and museums and places with arches and architecture that would be stunning, but…my mind had always ALWAYS envisioned the juxtaposition of the fancy clothes with the raw beauty of nature.
I’m not gonna lie, I had many moments during the day where I feared this whole spectacle was going to be an absolute MOM FAIL. But the moment we arrived and walked to the first place with incredible lighting and our amazing photographer started to do her thing, I knew it was all going to work out. :)
I’m so glad that I stuck to my original vision for these photos. When I told the photographer the kind of clothes we’d be wearing, she helped me brainstorm all sorts of amazing buildings and museums and places with arches and architecture that would be stunning, but…my mind had always ALWAYS envisioned the juxtaposition of the fancy clothes with the raw beauty of nature.
I knew it would be hot. I knew we’d get cranky at times. But I KNEW we could capture some 13th birthday GOLD if we were willing to go for it—and Chica certainly was!
We didn’t make it home until almost 10 p.m., after taking picture past dusk (when the lightning bugs came out), but it was worth EVERY MOMENT. A fancy day, and some priceless fancy photos for my incredible, fancy girl.
This was a birthday celebration for the books, without question. And these photos will be precious to us, forever and ever.
This was a birthday celebration for the books, without question. And these photos will be precious to us, forever and ever.
A moment in time, captured.
An age and stage of my beloved Chica’s life that I’m so happy to have on record.
I can’t believe how fast these magical 13 heads have flown…and I can’t wait for the next 13 to come!
I can’t believe how fast these magical 13 heads have flown…and I can’t wait for the next 13 to come!
Happy Chica's Birthday, everyone!
Over and out.
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