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Happy 18th birthday Lindsey!

Today was Lindsey's 18th birthday and we had a fun weekend celebrating. The next 18 pictures will show how we partied the last two days, and highlight some recent pictures of the birthday girl. So here we go--18 REASONS WHY I LOVE MY DAUGHTER, LINDSEY:
#1. She loves her family and truly adds light to our home. She's a Daddy's girl. And a Mommy's girl.
#2. She's a wonderful, kind, big sister and an excellent example for her brother.
#3. It's SO awesome to have a daughter. Lindsey is fun to cook with, shop with, watch chick flicks with, talk to about anything and everything, and adds joy to my life.
#4. She's a goal setter and hard worker in school, and puts forth a lot of effort to succeed. She's looking forward to applying for college and having a fun senior year of high school.
#5. She likes surprises. (I don't.) Tonight we made her wait upstairs while Kelly, Christopher, and I decorated the dinner table and dining room to create the ambiance for her birthday dinner, as I prepared her favorite meal, stuffed green peppers (with ground turkey and jalapeño jack cheese).
#6. She's been in choir since 4th grade and enjoys singing as an alto 2. She has a pretty voice and I love singing next to her in church because she can sight read and sings the alto parts nicely. If you're wondering what that has to do with the above picture, I just added it because we all went to Christopher's first day of football camp yesterday and supported him during her birthday weekend. The photo below is from when we went swimming afterwards.
#7. Lindsey likes to exercise and eat well. She was the only one in the family who wasn't a huge soft drink fanatic and always chose water to drink instead of my Diet Coke or Dr. Pepper preference until at the beginning of the year, when I finally decided to follow her lead. Thanks, Lindsey!
#8. Lindsey is a dedicated friend and has a way of looking at the best in others. She is good friends with Alex, Becca, Corey, Geoff, Josh, Jen, Sam, Melanie, and Heidi. She's learned this year how to distance herself from those who may not exactly bring the best out in her and I'm proud of Lindsey for figuring this out.
#9. Lindsey is fun loving and likes to be silly sometimes with her brother, and they play well together, making up little skits or singing, dancing, and just goofing around. This photo was added to show my in-laws that Kelly is enjoying using his floating insulated drink holder that they sent him for his birthday last month, all while spending time this weekend celebrating the birth of Lindsey.
#10. Lindsey has an adventurous palette and is not a picky eater, which would drive me nuts since I like to cook and appreciate taste testers who are open to variety. She enjoyed the Peach Skillet Cobbler ala mode that I made for her birthday dessert tonight.
#11. Lindsey is a very deep sleeper and has still managed to discipline herself during the past several years to wake up early to get to places she needs to be. I've never had to bug her about waking up. After her birthday dinner tonight, we played Catch Phrase, then went swimming, then relaxed in the spa. Tomorrow, she needs to be somewhere in the morning, so she went to bed at a decent hour to make her commitment and not be exhausted.
#12. Lindsey is a rare gem, truly. In the past three years that she has been an early morning seminary student, NOT ONCE has she ever complained about having to get up to attend. I have even tried to talk her out of going on busy nights that she's had to stay up late for homework or other activities, however, she has always refused to miss seminary and I immensely admire her commitment and love for seminary.
#13. She is the Laurel class president, since last year, and enjoys serving others. She has always had a temple recommend since she was old enough to attend. She is good at looking for ways to help those in need. She has high standards and moral principles.
#14. Lindsey loves her cousins (here she is with my niece, Morgan, my sister, Julie's daughter), aunts and uncles, grandparents, and last, but not least, her parents and brother. The feeling is mutual, and everyone in our family is crazy about Lindsey. A lot of her younger cousins really look up to and idolize her. This is kind of a repeat of #1, but since she loves us and we love her so much, it's worth mentioning again.
#15. Lindsey is a brilliant, budding photographer. She has a good eye for capturing unique images. I don't believe that she's the one who took this picture of her feet, but think my sister did.
#16. She has taken piano lessons for nearly a dozen years, having gone through at least half that many teachers. Lindsey has recently embraced this talent and gift, and finally enjoys it, and I never have to remind her to practice, since she started with an awesome new teacher in January.
#17. Lindsey likes to do what is right, follow the rules, and be good, in general. What a relief that is to us.
#18. I'm a big fan of Lindsey's smile. She's a cutie and I want to wish her a happy, happy birthday! I love being Lindsey's mom and am confident that she will transition nicely into adulthood. She has some big choices ahead and it will be exciting to support her along the way.

Comments

Lindsey is seriously one of the sweetest girls. She has such a sense of who she is and what she wants. I admire that. I was happy I got to see her on her big day and wish her happy birthday in person. I also watched her sweet dance moves the night before!! Happy Birthday Lindsey!!
Shana said…
Happy Birthday to a wonderful, confident, vibrant young woman!
Hildie said…
Oh, that made me tear up. What a lucky Mom! (And a lucky daughter, huh, Lindsey?)
Lonna said…
Hooray for Lindsey! She is such a darling, bright, and fun girl to be around. It looks like it was a fun week.
~ Tina said…
Happy, Happy 18th, and new adulthood to Lindsey! Also, great "list" from you Kelly, and congrats to you & Kelly for being awesome parents for 18 years (I know you have another day to celebrate that, but still!)
Callisto said…
Happy birthday, Lindsey! It was a blast to have you out for a visit. I hope you had a great day.
Julie V. said…
We are so glad you got to come here and visit Lindsey! One thing worth mentioning is Lindsey has the best laugh! I love it so much, as much as I love Aubrey's laugh. You are a great niece and I love you :)
Holly said…
What a sweet post. I love Lindsey too and there is so much to admire about her.
Bobbi said…
This is a great tribute to Lindsey. I can see why you love her so much. You are lucky parents to have such a good girl!
Julie said…
Wow - I can't believe Lindsey is 18!!!! Where did the time go??? She is definitely a wonderful young woman!!

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