Ten birthday dates with Cash...

Not many moments can compare to the day I found out I was going to be a grandma. The news took my breath away and the tears came. I was excited, so happy, and couldn't wait to meet Cash!

The past 12 years have been magical. I have had a front row seat to the best show in town, watching Cash grow up. I could not be more grateful.

I have loved having birthday dates with Cash!

Birthday dates through the years...

2013

We started at the shoe store, where Cash picked out a new pair of shoes to leave at Grandma's house. He wanted this cool pair of Thomas the Train shoes that light up.

Then it was off to Target to choose a toy, such a happy boy!

We had dinner at the Rumbi Grill.

Cash loved the sweet potato fries! 

Cash was so polite and had good manners at the restaurant.

After dinner we met Grandpa at the Big Toy.

It was a beautiful evening, so we played for a long time.

Sharing time and making memories with our grandson 

--what could be more fun!

Happy 3rd Birthday Cash, we love you so very much!

2014

Having a one on one date with my grandchildren for their birthday has been a dream of mine. Now that Cash and Colby are older my dream has come true. This is my second date with Cash and it was spectacular. I went to pick him up and he and Colby came to the door. Colby said, "Come in." He wanted to go with us so that tugged at my heart. But I will have a date with him next week!

I asked Cash what he wanted to do and he said he wanted to go to the Discovery Park. We call it Popsicle Park and it's in Pleasant Grove. So I drove there and when Cash saw it he said, this isn't the place. I said, this is Discovery Park. Cash said it's the place with the zip line and fish. I called Mark and he said he was talking about the Museum of Natural Curiosity. So I was happy to head to Thanksgiving Point where the museum is located! I haven't been to the museum so I was excited to go with Cash. He has been there a few times and was an awesome guide.

Planting a garden...

This place is amazing, there are more than 400 interactive experiences to choose from.

Depositing money in the bank, Cash really like this.

Drying some clothes...

This was one of my favorite areas, it was an open air market. Cash was the storekeeper. He liked selling me fruit, beans, and vegetables.

 

He made sure I gave him some money! 

Hanging like a sloth!

 Oh I love this birthday boy!

 

Spiderman has got nothing on Cash!

The fish tank was my favorite, 

we had so much fun feeding the fish!

We stayed at the museum for over 3 hours. It went by so fast, time flies when you are having fun. When we were leaving Cash said, I'm tired of walking. He thanked me numerous times for taking him to the museum!

 Photo booth fun!

We were hungry so we had dinner at JCW's, Cash calls it JCDubs! I love being a grandma and spending time with Cash is always so wonderful.

Perfect day... The End!

2015

Today is Cashee boy's fifth birthday. Five years of love, joy, and delight. We love him so much. He's smart and clever. Cash is a good big brother. He says really sweet prayers.

We had our annual birthday date on Wednesday. I love this tradition. It's great to have some one on one time. Colby was such a good sport, I know he wanted to go with us. His date is coming up this week! Cash chose to go the Museum of Natural Curiosity again this year. He loves it there, we stayed for over three hours. 

When we walked in some of the employees were sitting on the floor playing the game called Suspend. They invited us to play and Cash had so much fun. He balanced all of his pieces without one dropping!

Cash likes to build things and see how they work. He played at the Water Works for a long time. It's fun to watch him. 

He organized all the fruits and vegetables at the Market, and then a little girl came along a messed them up. He rolled his eyes... girls!

Isn't he so handsome?!

Cash always loves to to feed the fish. 

They are amazing and they always act like they haven't had anything to eat for months!

Oh I love this boy!

Cash wanted to eat at JCW's, he always wants to eat there! We had the best time visiting. It really was a perfect day. I was a little late getting Cash home, it was just one of those days you didn't want to end.

Happy Birthday Cash, 

we love you to the moon and back!

2016

The birthday date tradition continues and I am always so grateful to spend time with my grandsons. Cash and I went to Provo Beach and dinner at Malawi's Pizza again. (How did I not take any pictures?) He is growing up so fast. He really is so smart. He never demands anything and is polite and kind. He tries to do what's right and I adore this boy.

It was a dragon theme this year and Cash helped Tiffani make the decorations. Tiff wanted Cash's birthday to be perfect and it was!

What a cake!

Chris gave Cash some jelly beans that had surprise flavors!

Cash wanted to go up the canyon for his birthday. It was a little chilly, so it was nice to sit by the warm fire and roast marshmallows.

Happy 6th Birthday Cash 

2017

Waiting for Cash to get out of school so we can have our birthday date. I love this tradition. It was so fun to see him walk out of school and wave at me.

Birthday dates include shopping for a gift, a fun activity, and of course a birthday dinner.

Cash chose the original Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots and a Mine Craft Lego set.

He wanted to go to Boondocks and play mini-golf. I can't remember the last time I played mini-golf. I couldn't stop smiling, it was a blast. Cash would check out the course each time before he hit the ball. He did really well, a lot of par 2 shots.

The last shot he got a hole in one. He was so excited, he said it was "the best day ever."

I suggested a few places to eat, and he chose Zupa's. He ate a bowl of vegetable chowder and a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich.

We went back to our house and played a few games. I know I've said this before, but it was a perfect day. We talked, laughed, and held hands as we walked around Boondocks. What could be better?!

Doesn't the birthday boy look happy?!

We love Cash so much. I will always remember the day he was born. It was wonderful anticipating his birth. I will also always remember how it felt to hold him for the first time. He is as precious to me now as he was the first minute I met him. Love you so Cash!

2018

I have so enjoyed our tradition of going on a birthday date with you. I have felt a little emotional as you were approaching your 8th birthday. You are growing up so fast, and anytime I can be with you is such a treasured time for me. I like to make you feel special and let you choose where we will eat and what activity you want to do. It’s fun to sit across the table from you at a restaurant and talk. I also like to go shopping with you and to let you choose a birthday gift. We saw some things at the store that cost a lot of money and I said, I wish I had a billion dollars. You said, “sometimes people with a lot of money are greedy.” You are never greedy and always choose a toy or something that is not big or grand. You are content and happy with more simple things.

 

I have had many memorable and defining life moments, but there are a few that stand out above the rest. Becoming a grandmother was definitely one of those defining moments.

To say I was excited when I heard I would become your grandmother is an understatement. When you were born I wanted to shout about it to the world! I was thrilled beyond words. When we welcomed you to the family, my heart swelled with love. I thought about all the adventures we would have together.

It has been such an incredible privilege and pleasure to watch you grow the last eight years. I have seen you develop your own unique personality. You are a very kind and polite boy. You say “thank you Grandma” even for the smallest things I do for you. You are good big brother and so helpful. You are clever, smart, and not afraid to try new things.

I want you to know you can always count on me, I will always be here for you.

I hope you find joy in life and have lots of fun. Stay on the straight and narrow path, that will bring you the most lasting happiness. Do what you enjoy. Dream big and know you have to work hard to have the things your heart desires. Never betray your dreams for the sake of fitting in. I hope you believe that you are more powerful than the problems you may confront. I hope you will learn quickly from your mistakes. Ignore mean or unkind people, sometimes you will just need to walk away.

Remember to treat others like you would like to be treated. It may be difficult sometimes, but always try to be nice, always be caring. Give people the benefit of the doubt. I learned to do that from my Dad, he always gave others the benefit of the doubt. Don’t hesitate to give others a second chance.

Your parents will also always be there for you. Stay close to them and talk to them if you are worried about something or need advice.

Above all, know that you are loved. Love might be one of the greatest gifts you can ever give or receive. When I say I love you with my whole heart, you can be sure I do!

Happy 8th Birthday Cash!

Love,
Grandma

2019

I still can't believe Cash is 9 years old, but it really has been a little piece of heaven to be his grandmother. We had another very enjoyable birthday date last week. He is kind, polite, and he always says thank you. When I let him choose a few birthday gifts, he is never greedy, and would be happy with just a simple gift. He gets more handsome everyday.

 

I sure love you Cash.

2020

Thursday I took Cash on a birthday date to the Butterfly Biosphere. It's at Thanksgiving Point Water Tower Plaza. It's bigger than I expected, about 40,000 square feet and over a thousand butterflies from all over the world. There are also tarantulas, beetles as big as your fist, ants, and lots more creepy crawlies! Cash loved it and he knew just about as much as the staff about all the bugs. Our favorites were the ant exhibit and the butterfly exhibit. The butterfly exhibit was like being in a tropical rainforest. 

 Tarantula! 

Glowing scorpion

I love this picture. The butterflies liked Cash!

I got Cash his favorite sushi and we had fun the rest of night playing games, and watching a show. He slept over and I enjoyed having some extra time with our oldest grandson. Cash is so wonderful and we love him.

2021

Wednesday I had another birthday date with Cash. He is such a gentleman and is so polite. I've said this before, but he is never demanding and when I let him choose a toy he looks at the prices before deciding. He always goes for the less expensive one, even though I tell him it's okay to have one that cost a little more money. He also says, "It's okay Grandma" and says thank you. Cash is a young man now and is as tall as me. He's smart and builds and creates some amazing things. I've said this for years that I think he might decide to be an engineer. 

Will he really be 11 next week? He wanted to go the Museum of Natural Curiosity, the last time we went there was 2015. We basically had the place all to ourselves and from start to finish it was a wonderful day.

My sushi boy!

This was our favorite exhibit, it's was all about puzzles and mazes. Cash mastered all of them in no time! 

Tim taught Cash how to fly RC planes. We ended the day at the park and it was prefect to night fly their planes. For sure a day to remember. We love you Cash!

What a handsome boy, and that million dollar smile! 

Our 10th birthday date

2022

I wanted to take Cash somewhere extra special for his 12th birthday, so we had lunch at P.F. Chang's. He's still loves sushi but he also enjoyed trying the lettuce wraps.

Cash also wanted to go the Museum of Ancient Life. I've never been there and it was incredible. Cash is old enough to appreciate the extensive research that has gone into studying and discovering the many species of dinosaurs and other ancient life. I enjoyed walking around with him in the museum.

The light tunnel was beautiful!

I am too short to be in the selfie with Cash! 

We thought the shadow of the 

dinosaur on the wall was very cool!

Yikes! 

We stopped at Harmon's for some gelato. Cash got chocolate and I had grapefruit flavor, it was tasty!

We also got Cash a new pair of shoes and he did a little shopping on Amazon, he chose a fun drone.

We stopped by to see Grandpa and played a few games, then Grandpa took Cash to the park to fly airplanes. I loved being with Cash, we had a wonderful day. I love our first born grandson so very much.

Happy Birthday Cash!