Happy 18th!

Happy 18th Birthday Alexa!!!

Today is our daughter Alexa's 18th birthday...very exciting for her and a momentous birthday of course!  She also reminded me she can now buy porn, cigarettes and lottery tickets today...not sure ANY of that is gonna happen LOL but okkkkk good to know.  

Kinda sad for mom and dad though...I still feel like she will come running down the stairs in pigtails demanding to watch Hannah Montana (which we didn't allow till she was 10..yup she hated us for that one lol)!  I mean look at those cheeks & pigtails...cute right?

She's a girl-child moving into womanhood all at the same time and its been quite the journey the past 18 yars.  She's wanting to be independent but still scared of letting go and leaving the nest and all those FUN things that come along with being an adult. But I tell her she has a few more years before the weight of the world and all those fun adult things hit. 

She gets to enjoy college and being a teen for a wee bit more time. 

And because I do this every year I'm sharing some GREAT pics, some scary ones and of course some funny ones.  This is photo intensive but I'm not really typing it for the viewers...its my ode to my daughter and the past 18 years but I hope you all enjoy getting to know her a bit too. I know she will be groaning when she reads this post in school...on her phone...in class...with her friends...when she should be paying attention LOL! She has senior-itis going on already along with the rest of her class.

We are a pretty close family...the Dean 4-pack that is...and we spend A LOT of time together.  We are lucky both the teens like to be around us...most of the time...and we enjoy doing most things together too!

Good thing that works for us (most of the time ha)!  We can all bicker and yell like nobody's business but we can laugh a lot along the way as well.  We all love to travel and if its somewhere warm and sunny then its even better. But we have a good time no matter what!  Alexa wants to be a jet setter like her mom was....no doubt she will accomplish that with or without us along for the ride!

Alexa & me (both above)

We also share great #Natitude....love for our Washington Nationals that is!

You can find us at the ballpark most weekends from Spring thru Summer cheering on our fave players.

Alexa's fave:  Adam LaRoche (although he's married & a wee bit older than her lol) and Bryce Harper...as seen above as she gets a little "handsy" with his beard.

Somehow she missed the Redskin bus like the rest of us and is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan LOL!  That's ok as they are my 2nd fave football team & I am from Maryland ;)  Last year on her birthday we went to a Raven's Draft Day Party and she met her fave player Torrey Smith...he even sang to her...so cute!!

Grace, Alexa & Sophia!

Grace & Alexa

Sophia & Alexa

Grace & Alexa doin' Twin Day at school!

She has had the same BFF's she's had since 5th grade.  I think they may live in my house more than I do at this point...just ask Grace hahaha!  We will be watching TV and the garage door pops open and in walks Grace...she's like another daughter.

Some may say she is a MINI-ME....and that would be about 75% correct!

She looks a lot like me but prettier (and shorter...ha).  We are both Tauruses (lawdy be) so we are stubborn, independent and very type-A...but loyal & dependable too!  We don't back down from fights but hate confrontation and we ALWAYS like to have the last word. Yeah that was fun during the 11-15 age brackets mmmhmmm...hubby is STILL traumatized LOL! 

 She's definitely her own person thank goodness and I trust in her ability to pave a great future for herself in whatever it is she wants to be, do or go!

Yup, she's a daddy's girl too...since the day she was born..he has a real hard time disciplining this one LOL!  Pretty sure NO is not an easy word for him when the Dean girls are around hehehe!  And yes some of these pictures happen when I leave my phone alone with the 2 of them...they CANNOT be trusted...ever ;)

She HATES this picture...hahaha...well I love it.  It showcases her beautiful spirit inside and outside!

She's always had a flair for the dramatic...she'd probably excel at being an actress mmmhmmm.

She thought she was something in that one photo huh? LOL  Dress up was very popular in our house for a good many years that's for sure! It definitely helped her when she did ballet for 10 years, then cheerleading and gymnastics!

And those faces...always taking selfies with me in them and that face..oy vey! At my age I try to act normal although I'm about as goofy as they come...but nope not Alexa hahahaha!
YES, she may kill me after reading and seeing these pics posted for all to see, however that's life for the daughter of a blogger!

We are known to be a little whack-a-doodle in this family too!  What's life if you aren't having fun and laughing along the way right?  We like to laugh, goof off and have a good time...we are kinda loud and you never know what any of us might say or do at any given time.  That's the way I hope she continues to live her life...enjoying every minute no matter what!

And oh the sibling rivalry.  Let's just say she did not handle her baby brother Riley (albeit much bigger in size now) coming around when she was 2.  She's fiercely competitive with him and I can't tell you how many times I just leaned out the porch door and screamed...due to overwhelming exhaustion mentally from listening to them bicker oy vey.  But they have lovely moments together too and whether they think it now or not...I KNOW they have each other's backs and will be great friends one day :)  At least I pray....for me and the hub's sakes!

She's headed off to University of South Carolina in August...yup our girl is leaving the nest and will be 7.5 hours away.  She will be an official Gamecock and we've joked that we will be at all the football games and hanging out with her this fall..hahaha! (she was thrilled..no not really)

I joke this will be her life very soon....she's studying Marine Biology in college and her normal

outfits will consist of shorts, tanks, flip flops and wetsuits..not any high fashion so she will save lots of $$ on clothing hahaha. She told us when she was 4 years old that she would be a marine biologist and would work with Shamu and dolphins.  Well she never strayed from that path.  

So we know she will be doing good things in the future helping the environment and the world's ocean  and marine animals!!

Oh I forgot to say she's a shopper....like her mama...although I prefer online while she prefers the mall, Nordies, Ulta & Mac...all paid for by the B.O.D (bank of dad ya know). 

Cue hubby groaning as he clutches his wallet and checkbook a little closer!

Oh and Winston...she loves her Winston.  And this poor cat...he has more pictures & instagrams than any animals should have.

Alexa is always squeezing, hugging and lugging him around.  He's such a sucker..hahaha!

Alexa Hearts:

-Ocean & beaches

-Traveling

- Winston the Cat

-Her Friends

-her Ravens, Nationals & Orioles

-FOOD..any & all of the above

she's always planning her next meal (cooked by me no doubt)

-Country Music and Concerts
-British people, trends, accents and actors

-Reign, Pretty Little Liars, Teen Wolf and Real Housewives

-Les Miserables & Frozen
-Broadway shows & Ballet
-Dolphins & Killer Whales

-Andrew Garfield & Spiderman
-Twirling & Goofing Off
-Egging on her brother & pushing his buttons

-Singing
-Makeup..the expensive stuff too geesh

-Fashion

-Having Grace paint her nails

-Sleeping In

-Making weird faces

-Texting, Selfies, Tweeting & Instagram

Oh and we call her "PigPen"..yup that's her nickname.
Why?
Because she can leave a mess wherever she is or might have been.
No lie....I can only imagine what her dorm room will look like.
{shudder}

We love ya baby girl and wish you much success and joy in life wherever your journey may lead you.

You are strong, compassionate, intelligent, beautiful, loving and the best daughter we could've ever asked for and we thank God for you every day!

Its been our pleasure raising you these past 18 years and while we will miss you like crazy when you are off to college we know that's exactly what we've raised you to do!  And while I may or may not make your bedroom into my own personal "meditation" room hehehe...I'm sure you will be texting, skyping and tweeting us often and having a blast with your new friends and joys of college!!

Oh and asking what I'm making for dinner when you come home...... ;)

Happy 18th!