Yesterday Charlotte turned 10! We celebrated with a few small gifts, some yummy treats and many hours at a nearby ropes course. It was a very fun day! When Hannah turned 10 two years ago, we decided to give her an overnight trip with just Steffen and I instead of more stuff. As one of four girls with similar interests but never enough one-on-one time, we thought that would be more valuable. And Hannah has loved her 3 trips! Charlotte has also been looking forward to it for a couple of years, so she was disappointed when she realized it would be hard to do it while we’re away. So we decided to do a fun activity as a surprise and then will do her overnight at some point, even if that means we have to wait until her 11th birthday and double down.

Despite it not being exactly how she would have wished, I think she had a great day. We woke up and did presents (thanks to family and friends for sending gifts and birthday wishes) and waffles.

Then we headed to the surprise: a ropes course within walking distance from our campground. And it was a really good course! We had actually done one the week before (after only having been on one two years ago in Tahoe), so I was a bit worried it wouldn’t feel that special (but she had said she wanted to go again after last week). But this course here was longer and a bit harder (even for the smaller kids), so it was a really great day for everyone. Charlotte was so happy!

After hours of climbing, we were all starving so we headed out for pizza. Then, on the way home, we saw three ski jumps and out of the corner of our eye, saw that there were skiers there! We stopped and ended up chatting with a woman who was watching. She said they are teenage kids who were at a camp for the week. It was amazing to watch them!

We then headed back to the camper for a donut cake and some rice krispie treats. The girls were so happy we were able to find rice krispies here! The marshmallows were a bit different (hence the pink color) but still very delicious. A great way to celebrate our favorite 10 year old! Her best friend called and got to “be there” for the singing and wishes.

We are so proud of Charlotte! She is smart, strong, creative, funny, thoughtful and so much fun to be around. She was reluctant to come on this trip, but has embraced all the new experiences and is really enjoying herself. She loves reading and writing creative stories, making movies and spending time with friends and family. She has a kind heart, loves animals and is our truth teller. We love her so much and hope all her dreams come true.