Ryenne's Big Day

Ryenne is officially 8 years old! She is thrilled, and Courtney and I can't believe it. It's hard to believe our little girl is that old already! Ryenne has been looking forward to this birthday for a long time. To celebrate the big day, Courtney and I planned a special day out with just Ryenne and the two of us. It turned out to be a great day. We woke early the morning of her birthday and and started with a bit of bacon (her favorite food), and opened presents with her sisters.
Then it was off to Thanksgiving Point Gardens for the Tulip Festival.


Ryenne had been so concerned there would not be flowers for her birthday, so Courtney thought we could surprise her by taking her to see the tulips. As it turned out, there weren't many tulips in bloom yet because of all the cold weather this year, but she still loved seeing the flowers. We had beautiful weather, and loved seeing everything in the gardens. They are amazing! There is about 50 acres with all different kinds of gardens and landscaping to see. It was perfect for Ryenne! She especially loved the waterfalls and the Secret Garden. The Secret Garden had a tunnel, made from vines, leading into it. She thought it was really funny when she and I sneaked into the garden and hid from Dad! She also loved the big, grassy hill. She somersaulted, rolled, and did cartwheels all the way down!

After a fun afternoon exploring the gardens, we headed to the Temple Square and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building to see the movie, Joseph, The Prophet. It was incredible. All three of us absolutely loved it. Ryenne's new favorite song is "Praise To The Man"! While we were waiting for the movie to begin, she and Courtney went exploring. (I was too pooped!) They went up to the top of the building, where they saw the temple and even glimpsed a few pigeons on the roof, which Ryenne thought was really funny!



After a long day, we ended the night with dinner at the Olive Garden. We had to walk several blocks to get there. Ryenne was excited (and a little bit embarrassed) when the waiters/waitresses came with ice cream, lit up with a candle, and sang to her! After dinner, we headed out for the trek back to the car. Ryenne was so exhausted from her big day that Courtney ended up carrying her piggyback the last few blocks. She was asleep by the time we reached the car! What a big, fun day for such a sweet eight year old little girl!