Happy Birthday, Kylee!

 Happy 19th Birthday to our Kylee girl! She's getting to spend her birthday in the most Kylee way possible- at a concert and at the lake! 

Kylee is in a really good spot right now. She's had a summer FILLED with joy and memory making.  She's been to Europe.  She went skydiving. She has spent countless late nights pickleballing with friends.  Most recently the girls went to the Ballon Fest. 

She learned how to wakeboard AND wake surf.

She's gone on long bike rides with her bestie. She has enjoyed nannying all summer and just loves her kiddos so much. 

It may seem like all Kylee has had time for this summer is fun! But that's not true. She has enjoyed nannying all summer and just loves her kiddos so much. She works as often as possible. She's been a huge help with Kase lately- they spent a lot of time together on the cruise with friends and Kylee helped him create an Instagram post when they got home that made him so happy.  She gives solid advice to him about girls and friends.  I genuinely appreciate her influence on Kase!

She loves her family, don't get me wrong, but she is SO ready for college.  She has been packing for a full month already! Every spare minute she gets she organizes, re-organizes and packs some more.  I know she's excited to get there and start making college memories. She keeps telling me, "Mom you're gonna miss me so much!" And I will, but I will rest easy, knowing she's capable, confident, independent and happy.  18 was a great year for Kylee and I just can't wait to see what God has in store for her in year 19! We love you SO much, Kylee!!!

Happy Birthday Kylee!

 Happy 18th birthday to our Kylee Kay!

What a year it's been.  She has always seemed so mature but this has truly been a year of growth for her in my opinion.  She continues to be strong in her faith and prioritizes Bible Study time with friends.  She challenges herself and pushes everyone around her to be the best version of themselves. 

As she heads towards making a college decision it's been fun to see her sort out what is important to her.  She has big dreams of studying abroad!

Her sense of humor is all Kent.  Those two have a special relationship that I love to see.  She and I are close but a girl just needs her dad sometimes too. 

She and her boyfriend have been together nearly a year now and they are a joy to be around. They challenge each other and it's been great to just see her so very happy lately.

She's a Peter girl through and through- she loves being on the water, near the water, or in the water! She is thankful for weekends at the lake (and on a boat to Capri as pictured above- ha!)

We're so lucky she's ours.  Kylee- you deserve every great thing that comes your way! I have a feeling that year 18 might just be the best yet!! Love you so much!!!!

Happy Birthday, Kylee!

 Happy 17th birthday to Kylee today!

It's been a BIG year for our girl.  She made National Honor Society.  She passed her Seal of Biliteracy exam for Spanish.  She has maintained her 4.0.  She ran at the Drake Relays AND State track and is part of the school record-holding team 4x800 time. She went through The Walk at our church and publicly declared her faith.  She volunteered countless hours for FCA and also at youth group. She has been working full time as a nanny all summer long.  She went on a Mission trip to California, a cross country retreat (where she was the only one who knew how to waterski) and family vacations to Nevis and Switzerland where she enjoyed meeting people from all over the globe.

On paper, it's been amazing. In real life, she's navigated some pretty serious ups downs with friends and her (ex) boyfriend. She's dealt with some tough pain in hips and knees- running is not a very friendly sport for your body. She spent the better part of track season in physical therapy. She puts immense pressure on herself in her school work. The standards she sets for herself have become nearly impossible to maintain.

Something in Kylee has shifted over the last few months.  She's always been an old soul, but she's growing and changing in ways that are hard to put into words. I'm just so thankful to have a front row seat watching this girl become such an amazing, ambitious young woman. 

Her social life has completely blossomed these last couple months and we find her almost never at home.  I am thankful for all her different friend groups and especially thankful for a couple very close friends she's been able to count on lately.  Here they are at the drive in movie! She has also turned into a total lake girl this summer, heading up there any chance she gets.  

Kylee gets noticed everywhere she goes. She and I were together in Switzerland when someone walked past us, full stopped and turned around to walk back to us, "You have such a gorgeous smile!" the lady said.  And needless to say, guys notice her all.the.time.  She plays it off so well and is gracious and has learned how to respectfully decline giving out her Snap to guys she meets on vacation or elsewhere.  This skill will serve her well.

She is more often than not assumed to be much older than she is both in looks and actions.  I remember our pediatrician laying the groundwork for preparing her/us for this when she was so very little and was able to speak so very well- stringing together full sentences at a very young age.  "People will think she's older than she is.  Make sure your expectations of her and others' expectations of her match her actual age." And that has stuck with me year after year. 

Honestly? She's the total package.  Smart, strong, driven, beautiful and most importantly happy.  It is certainly not always easy but Kylee never seems to shy away from taking the road less traveled if she feels certain it's the right path for her. She and I have had some conversations where I encourage her to do one thing and she does the complete opposite and in the end, it turns out exactly as she hoped.  She has such a strong sense of self and I believe that comes from her strong faith.  The amount of time she spends in the Bible both alone and with friends is admirable and inspiring. God certainly knew what he was doing when he gave this girl to us.  She's really something special.  

We love you so much Kylee and can't wait to celebrate you today! 

Happy Birthday, Kylee!

 Kylee turns 16 today!

In some ways it's hard to believe she's 16 already but in many ways, it's not. She's incredibly responsible, a great driver, thoughtful, caring, and the phrase "old soul" often gets used in reference to Kylee.  She's so emotionally mature that I can see why people say that about her all the time.  

Her faith is very important to her and she is involved in youth group and is really enjoying leading a VBS group this week. She tries hard to always do the right thing and it bothers her when other people don't. An acquaintance of her was having a hard time with friends and even though she and Kylee aren't really close at all, Kylee reached out and invited her to lunch.  She's just good like that. 

She's a great sister- offering advice to Kael if he asks (and sometimes even if he doesn't like about fashion choices) and she's great at "big brother-ing" Kase and all his friends.  

A friend of mine had her son at swim lessons where Kylee was teaching a couple weeks ago and messaged me saying, "Kylee is just so good! She's amazing with kids!" 

The thing about being so good at so many things is that Kylee holds herself to such a high standard and she can be hard on herself.  I am always proud of her when she's being an awesome human and winning races and making the top teams but I am most proud of her for overcoming some tough times throughout this last year.  The pressure of running Varsity cross country while also juggling volleyball and dealing with knee pain was just a lot to handle this year and Kylee worked through it and it's been such a joy to watch her confidently make big decisions (like choosing to be done with volleyball) that she knows will be best for her in the long run. 

This year she will go to a new school which she is really looking forward to.  She isn't so excited about the school part but I think she's excited to be a part of the actual high school and get to go to dances and high school events. I can't wait to see what the next few years hold for her.

She has a large circle of friends from all different areas of her life.  She made some great connections at Rocky this summer. She and Garrett have been together well over a year and a half now and he treats her well and makes her happy so that makes me happy. 

She continues to not be interested in drama whatsoever. Dramatic friends who are not trustworthy friends make a quick exit from her life. This will serve her so well now and in the future.

She held her first job this summer and was an incredible employee.  She picked up extra shifts when asked, was always on time and was proud to earn a paycheck. 

Kylee is one of the good ones.  Teenage girls can get a bad rap I think, but Kylee is just a gem.  I am thankful we have navigated these teen years well and that she and I are still as close as we have always been.  I'm so lucky to have such an amazing daughter! We love you, Kylee and can't wait to spend the day celebrating you!

Happy Birthday Kylee!

 Happy 15th birthday to our Kylee girl! 

She's really grown up in the last year- she recently got her braces off and looks even older! While she may be done growing physically taller, she continues to grow emotionally.  Freshman year is a lot. She is busy with cross country and volleyball- she's competitive in both and having to divide time and pick which one is more important to her is proving to be difficult but she's managing it the best she can.  Along with team changes often goes shifts in friendships and of course finding out her school schedule and seeing who all she has classes with also determines who she will spend a lot of the school day with and it's a lot.  She was overwhelmed the other day and we talked about it and I think she's got a pretty good game plan going forward and a village who supports her and I just know it's all going to work out how it's supposed to.

She has surrounded herself with the best people which speaks volumes about what a great young woman she is.  She has church friends, cross country friends, volleyball friends, school friends, random friends, a boyfriend...I couldn't be prouder of the group she has chosen to be her people.

While she would LOVE to be a starter on the varsity volleyball team AND running varsity cross country- those aren't her only goals.  She constantly strives to be the best version of herself and trusts that will put her in the best position to succeed.

A typical summer day for Kylee looked like this: 

8:00-10:00 Volleyball camp

10:00-11:30 Winning Edge Weightlifting

1:00-4:00 Volleyball Club tryouts

Cousin birthday get together

7:30-9:00 Five mile run with Cross Country Team

Home to ice her knees, shower, rest and do most of it again the next day. Maybe for tryouts or cousin party, sub in hanging out with friends or boyfriend or possibly squeezing in a private or group volleyball lesson- girl is BUSY!

Kylee has had her school permit all summer and has done a fantastic job driving safely to all of her school events.  She loves driving! Now we just gotta work on her sense of direction and geography skills-ha!

Kylee is positive and upbeat.  She always has a smile on her face.  She is a natural around kids, any age-  not only is she super responsible, kids just love her.  She's fun and engaging and just an absolute joy.

I can't tell you the number of people who have asked me things like, "How can I get a Kylee?" and "Can you tell me your tricks and tips of how you raised her so that I can make sure my daughter turns out just like her?" Everyone should be so lucky as to have a Kylee.

Happiest of birthdays to you, Kylee! We love you so much!

Happy Birthday Kylee!

People stop me and say, "You must be so proud of Kylee.  She's just like, the perfect young woman." At the pool the other day a neighbor stopped and chatted to me for awhile and went on about how polite and grown up and responsible and beautiful she is.  I'm not ever surprised when people say things like this to me because I totally agree with all these comments. She is pretty great.  

Adored by younger cousins and neighbors, Kylee is as kind as they come.  She truly is a friend to all and a bonus big sister to many of Kase's best buddies.

A text from a new volleyball coach, "Wow, Kylee is SUCH a breath of fresh air among teenage girls.  Her attitude is really something special."

Kylee has had some tough decisions to make lately.  It wasn't her favorite club volleyball season ever last year but she didn't let it get he down and tried out for several other teams, getting top bids everywhere new.  She ultimately made a choice for a team where she loved the coaches and other players, even though none of the girls on her team are super close Ankeny friends.  I love that she is willing to branch out and try something new and goes with her gut feeling about things.  

We spent the morning doing some of her favorite things- getting Starbucks then making salsa with tomatoes from our garden.  She had afternoon plans with friends at the pool then volleyball camp.  What she wanted most for the evening was to just be together as a family hanging out.  Nothing special, no fancy dinner, just us 5, together.  She's been a busy gal and every once in awhile the homebody side of her comes out and she's just so, so content to be around the family and I'm so thankful for that. 

I love that she's willing to keep trying at golf.  It isn't a sport that comes easily to her and she doesn't get the chance to play very often but she does her best to not let it frustrate her and she loves being out on the golf cart with family!

She is a beauty.  Inside and out. 

Kylee has pushed herself hard all summer.  She puts in lots of miles (over 100 total for the summer now!) with the cross country team each week, has had countless volleyball camps and weightlifting too.  She discovered at a young age that she is her best self when she is working out regularly and eating healthy.  Wise beyond her years, for sure. 

Kylee is always on the lookout for Kase.  She helps "mother" him (sometimes much to his annoyance) but she is willing to play his favorite games with him, let him get his way (some of the time) and is constantly reminding him to do things.  She worries about him for me when I'm gone. I was out running an errand once and came back to Kylee following him around the block- he was on his dirt bike and Kylee said, "I just didn't trust him to go too far on his own.  His bike is kind of loud and he might not see a car coming so I just followed him to make sure he's safe."

Kylee has gotten more into fashion and loves watching Friends.  She is happy to spend time with friends but also loves family time.   She has really gotten deeper in her faith this year and enjoys reading her daily devotional and misses her Junkyard time on Wednesday nights.  She often posts Bible verses on her social media and when she was worried about volleyball bids she visibly relaxed as soon as I reminded her that God had a play and wherever she ended up would be the right place. 

We had the best night celebrating together. She opened gifts and we had planned to go to Cheesecake Factory but instead she opted to Door Dash food so we could have more time together at home as a family.

She loved all her gifts, Cancun for dinner, Sweet Swirls cake. 

We played 7 Up and Kylee won.  We went on a family bike ride and stopped by Kase's friend's house who was having a bonfire and Kylee was happy to join and hang with them.  We ended our evening back at home with some family Mario Kart before bed.

Kylee, you are such a special girl and we love you! Here's to the best year yet! 

Happy Birthday, Kylee!

I'm quite a bit belated in writing my annual birthday post! It's been a heck of a week you guys.  I think Kylee's 13th birthday will sure be a memorable one!

Last Monday was supposed to be her birthday party with her friends. She had planned to go out to Big Creek and we were going to rent a pontoon and also play at the beach and have pizza out there.

Then, the derecho happened! I didn't even know a derecho was a thing?! Here's our story. Kylee and I left for triathlon practice like usual, around 10:20. When we were almost to WaterWorks park, Kent texted me saying that practice was canceled because it was going to storm.  So, Kylee and I turned around and headed home.

Well, we only made it about halfway and the storm picked up.  A lot.  I really couldn't see to drive so I decided to pull over even though we were near the mixmaster- not the best place at all to stop!! Branches were blowing by us and my big car was even moving with the crazy wind gusts.  It was honestly kind of scary. Right away, Kylee said, "Mom let's just pray together- it's going to be ok!" I was so impressed at how calm she stayed during everything! Kael was home and was such a sweet kid- he even pulled some of my flowers in the garage before the storm got bad! Kase was at a friend's house so I was glad my boys were safe! Kylee and I called Kent and also my mom while we waited the storm out.  We tried to keep our minds off the storm by singing super loudly and blasting the music. The storm lasted a lot longer than I thought it would but after about a half hour we felt safe enough to drive home.  I felt so lucky that we had minimal damage (a mangled trampoline net and a little water in through the front door).  Many of our neighbors had major roof problems and trampolines that completely blew away .

We were without power so I didn't feel like Kylee's party would be as much fun as she had also planned for the girls to sleepover after Big Creek.  Kylee was such a trooper as we had to scrap the original plans and get the girls together Wednesday afternoon/early evening while there was still daylight! (Because we didn't end up getting power back for 5 days!!)

Kylee set up the basement with streamers, snacks, and a Saran Wrap ball game.  

Such a good group of girls.

They played some volleyball, we had pizza and had planned for an ice cream cake but since they didn't have power either, Sweet Swirls couldn't make the cake for us.

Kylee was more than happy to just walk into Hy-Vee a few hours before the party and grab this cake instead. She is so chill about so many things and I realize I am so lucky to have that with a teenage girl!

These awesome gals even let Kase's sweaty, shirtless buddies join them for some backyard games.

The trampoline is still fun without a net!

The fun carried on after Kylee's party when one of the girls invited Kylee and a couple other girls who were still without power to her house for a sleepover.  I think Kylee was so happy to have air conditioning! And a night swim in their pool didn't hurt either!

What more can I say about Kylee that hasn't already been said.  She turns heads wherever she goes and not just because she's a beauty.  She truly has a heart of gold that shines from the inside out.  She's comfortable with adults, adored by any kids she babysits and just a kind, thoughtful young woman. The older she gets I am just continually even more thankful she's mine.  People with young kids, girls especially, ask me how she got to be the way she is and I wish I could take any of the credit.  She is wise beyond her years, compassionate, always up for an adventure, caring and tough.  

She's also super competitive and I just love that about her.  We had the BEST time cheering her on this weekend!  More to come in the next post.

 

Kylee girl, thanks for being the amazing human that you are.  I love you more than you could ever know!

Happy Birthday, Kylee!

Kylee is 12 today! And we can't wait to spend the day celebrating her.

She's already had some pretty fun celebrations with cousins and grandparents.  Kylee is so easy to buy for right now- she is into all the teenage things: makeup, a Hydro Flask, Pura Vida bracelets, jewelry, clothes, Vera Bradley anything, Starbucks gift cards and bath bombs.  And she is lucky to have such young, fun aunts and uncles and grandparents to pick things out for her! She's planning a friend pool party and sleepover tomorrow and I just love the group of girls she has asked over.  It's going to be a fun night for her!

Kylee is always up for an adventure.  She wanted to be the first one on the jet ski, the first one down the slide and the first one to jump off the top of the awesome double decker boat we had in Branson. I love that about her.

She was also the one lobbying hard to be able to do this sweet ropes course and took off on it at 100 miles an hour! I don't have any pictures but we also did a zipline off Inspiration Tower in Branson that Kylee was so excited to do! 

Kylee has a reputation for always wanting to win (and more often than not, winning).  But she's a good sport about things like laser tag, golf and go karts with her brothers that she may not win at, but still has a lot of fun participating. Kent and I are really proud of and excited for her to do the Rip Roar triathlon this coming weekend.  People have been encouraging her and challenging her to push herself and try a longer/harder triathlon than the local one she has won the last four years in a row.  She finally decided to go for it and nearly immediately after registering her, I got an email from the guy who runs Rip Roar, sent to Kylee saying, "Thanks for being brave and awesome. I can't wait to see you at the race!" I just love this supportive community she has surrounded herself with.

Kylee has grown up so much in the last year.  She's acted grown up for about as long as I can remember, but even physically she's starting to look more like a young lady than a child.  A friend recently asked me, "Has she always had gazelle legs? She is SO tall!"

Kylee loves her younger cousins and love to babysit.  People often comment to me, "Oh, I remember meeting your daughter.  She is just amazing with my child! What a gift she has!" 

She and the boys are super excited to welcome another cousin to the family in January! Loved Kevin and Kaity's gender reveal gifts and surprises for our kids while we were on vacation. 

Kylee has a big year ahead of her as she starts middle school.  I've said it before and I'll say it again- Kylee has a pretty good head on her shoulders so I don't worry too much about her as far as girl drama, or not finding a friend to sit with at lunch or anything like that. She's got a wide circle of friends from all the sports she has played and I know she's going to do great in middle school! 

My wish for Kylee is that she always continues to see the best in everyone and challenges herself without being too hard on herself.  She's a great kid and I'm so glad she's mine! Happy birthday, Kylee girl!