Every year I am blown away by how fast this girl is growing up. I can’t believe she is double digits when it feels like just a year or two ago I was rocking her newborn body against mine in the dark of night to the song End of May while waiting for the trees to bloom outside. The last ten years of watching her grow have truly been the most fun, funny, joyful, and heartwarming years. We knew we wanted to celebrate her tenth birthday a little extra special this year. Ryne and I have loved the idea of taking each of our kids on a solo trip to spend some one-on-one time with them as they grow. We have considered taking each of them on a trip at 16 (which we may still do), but this year we just so happened to have a meeting to attend to in Paris that backed right up to Quinn’s birthday. We went back and forth about whether or not we thought she’d enjoy Paris at only ten years old but decided to seize the opportunity to make memories with just her for her birthday. And I am so glad we did!
We started planning this trip back in the fall and managed to keep the secret from her until the day before we left. Quinn’s birthday was on her last day of school. We wanted her to be able to focus at school on her last day so we saved the last present for her to open until that afternoon. The gift had her passport, 25 euros of spending money, and a plane ticket to Paris leaving the next day. She was so surprised and excited when she opened it. Ryne and I had secretly packed in the days beforehand. I couldn’t believe we managed to keep the secret all that time. My dad and step-mom (angels on earth) watched the little kids for us while we were away. I’m so incredibly grateful for all the pieces that fell into place to make this one-on-one time with Quinn possible.
The three of us had SO much fun together! Ryne and I showed Quinn all of our favorite spots in the city. We walked her past parks and playgrounds she played at when she was little, clocking over ten miles most days. We all ate our body weight in croissants and crepes. It was magic and Quinn loved every minute of pretending to be our only child 😉 I relished the opportunity to hold her hand and listen to all the things that make her giggle and matter most to her.
These are just a few of the one million pics I took of our time together. I’m going to treasure them forever!
It didn’t need to be Paris to be special. I would have taken this time with her in Denver and loved it just as much. But it was wonderful to spend this time together in one of our favorite cities. Happiest tenth birthday, my sweet girl!!
