Hayden turns 9!

hayden’s tee + similar shorts  | my tee + similar jeans + bracelets + glasses  ||   swing + baskets  ||
more room details 

We have another birthday in our house to celebrate!! Our sassy, determined, hilarious Hayden turns 9!! If you’ve been around here for a while, I really try not to single out my kids too much, so I don’t share a ton of the behind the scenes with Hayden. But if you know us in real life you know our Hayden is our strongest child, (if you know what I mean) and we both butt heads with her the most. And while that is the case, at the exact same time she is also our most fun to be with, hilarious, and loving child too! So to help celebrate her, I want to share 9 fun things that make her the Hayden we love!

:: SHE DOESN’T CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK

If you know Hayden, you know she does not care at all what other people think about her. And it is honestly such a quality that I wish I could be more like her in. Where myself and my other kids will worry about what people think of an outfit or way of doing something, she is confident, does what she wants and doesn’t give it a second thought.

A perfect example is with the shoes she wanted this year for school. She saw Hudson and Houston’s big high top Nike’s, which are technically boys shoes, and she instantly wanted them. She didn’t really need more new shoes, but to not completely shoot her down I said I’d pay half. The girl wanted them so bad she earned the money and paid extra for fast shipping to rock them the first day of school.  While I was over here worried about her getting teased or embarrassed, she was as happy as could be and knew everyone would love them!

:: SHE IS THE PERFECT MIX OF TOM BOY + GIRLY GIRL 

On the same note as the shoes above, Hayden is the perfect mix of all things tom boy and girly girl. She absolutely hates to have her hair done, but will make sure she has her lip gloss with her at all times. While she loves to wear dresses, you will almost always find her pairing them with gym shoes and probably a skinned knee. I love that she doesn’t let one side define her and is always 100% authentic to her.

:: SHE IS STRONG WILLED 

This trait is for sure a double edged sword for us. Hayden is soooo strong willed and determined, and we have quickly learned it goes both ways. For example, if she does not want to read, there is basically nothing you can do to get her to. She will not quit or give in. But on the flip side, the same goes for things she does want. When she started gymnastics she was determined to get a back hand spring. She practiced and practiced and got it because she will not let herself quit.

:: SHE IS SO WELL ROUNDED 

One of the perks of Hayden’s determined personality is that she is so well rounded. She is an amazing dancer, but doesn’t take dance because she doesn’t want the teacher to tell her what to do. Soccer is her new found love and again she is so good! I’ve convinced her to try gymnastics again this year and she can’t wait to try softball.

:: SHE IS SO SO GOOD WITH THE BABIES 

The babies absolutely love Hayden and she is so great with them. She has so much patience with them and loves to be their little mommy. If I need extra help she will take them and play with them for hours.

:: SHE LOVES TO GET AND GIVE NOTES + GIFTS 

Out of all of my kids, Hayden is my biggest lover of words + gifts. If she gets a little note from me or Joe, her whole day is made and it means so much to her She is also my most motivated by gifts and loves giving and writing notes to help others feel special too!

:: SHE IS HILARIOUS 

Oh my gosh, this girl, I don’t even know where Hayden gets her sense of humor. She is completely hilarious and can always have us all gut laughing. Some of our very favorite home videos are of her just being Hayden. She loves to make people laugh and is so good at it!

:: SHE IS NOT AFRAID TO STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT

Another thing I absolutely love about Hayden, is she is not afraid to stand up for what she knows or feels is right. She can be having the best time with a group of friends, and if they are gossiping or not treating someone fairly, she will just leave and not even give it a second thought. Where most of us would hesitate and feel singled out for doing that, she owns it, says what she thinks and if they don’t change she just leaves. I love that she doesn’t ever let what someone else might think affect what she knows to be good.

:: SHE LOVES TO BE IN THE KITCHEN 

If there is one place Hayden loves most, it is the kitchen. She absolutely loves to bake cakes and make new creations. I think she asks me at least once a week if we can go to a Cake by Courtney class because the kitchen is her happy place. Her little catch phrase is “bakers never stop”! Because her brain is always spinning with new things she wants to create in the kitchen.

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I hope these 9 little quirks about our Hayden girl help you get to know her a little better! She is such a special part of our family! I can’t wait to see all she does in her life with that strong loving personality of hers!